Growing Warm Where There Should Only Be the Cold
by RoseOfPhantom
Summary: Right after the Boogeyman is no longer believed in, Morgan Kenter quickly learns Jack controls winter and believes he must be real. From the minute she meets him, she develops a friendship with him that only grows stronger as she grows up. The older she gets the more complicated things become with her, with Jack, with life, and her feelings. Eventual JackXOC
1. Believing is Seeing

**Hello there! This is my very first RotG story which I saw a few days ago and fell instantly in love with! Due the blizzard our dear Jack Frost has sent across Minnesota I've been stuck at home, skipped school, and started working on this which I had been HOPING to save but... I got bored.**

**I apologize in advance for the spelling of Boogeyman but that's how I grew up spelling it (To me, Bogeyman looks like something in golf and Boogieman just sounds... gross.) Also I do apologize for the grammatical and spelling errors. I'm an English major so they embarrass me when I find them in my writing so let me know if you find them! I try to make my writing as free of errors as possible!**

**I'm trying to move this story at a realistic pace, so it will be a bit slow. It will be hard for me to keep it slow too so I apologize but it will be worth it. Also the summary does say Eventual JackXOC so she is going to grow up into a teenager and and be interested in him. But nothing weird, I swear. He doesn't... fall in love with a nine year old, that's weird. I could never bring myself to write something like that.**

**Also don't read into names too much. I realize the name Morgan throughout stories and such has an evil connotation but it's just a name. I don't personally like super common names like Sarah or Jessica or Rachel, but I didn't want to use something like Isabelle, something princessy or fantasy, or Mary Sue ish, or something unheard of like Edana (REAL NAME BTW! And pretty! But too rare, I think). And I like the name Morgan. It's just a name.**

**AND REVIEW! Please! Don't be afraid to be mean! (in a... polite way) I want my writing too be good! And let me know if you want the chapters longer or not. I like long chapters but I know not everyone does so I thought I would start out short.**

**And please enjoy!**

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All the dark images were stripped from her mind, and strangely, all negativity and hopelessness seemed to leave with it. The change in the household seemed to literally happen overnight. The house just felt like it had physically brightened and the atmosphere surrounding them was much warmer than it previously had been. Morgan's parents spoke with more cheerful tones and there was more laughter from her siblings – of which she had four – when before there had been endless arguing and whining between them. It was hard to say what it was that stopped it all, but it was hard to ignore the strange coincidence that the dreams that had been torturing her at night also stopped and she suddenly felt the Boogeyman no longer existed. Falling into step with the laughter and joy that now filled the house, and the entire neighborhood even, just became natural, and it hadn't occurred to Morgan to even realize that she no longer believed in the Boogeyman.

"Hey Bradley," the little nine-year-old Morgan said to her brother, age six. "Do you believe in the Boogeyman?"

"Um... no!" he responded happily.

"Why?"

"I dunno..." he didn't even pause to consider if this was weird and just grinned while skipping away. Morgan scratched at her head, shuffling her magnificent almond waves around. She waddled back to her room, bouncing her chubby body to the hues of teal and cream that made up her room. She swam under her bed and retrieved the white and yellow Easter basket she received a little over a week ago. The Bunny had hidden it very well this year. She had spent the better part of an hour looking for it before discovering it was in the freezer. Of course, but now the chocolate had all unfrozen, and he was especially nice this year. Morgan always felt bad about only sending letters to Santa so she often left notes for the Bunny, and notes under her pillow for the Tooth Fairy as well, and it usually bode very well for her. Instead of grass, which she detested, even the edible stuff, he had left green apple licorice for her, and in the bed of licorice was five chocolate crème Cadbury eggs, pastel colored butter mints shaped like eggs and bunnies. She had eaten most of the jelly beans and the Lindt chocolate bunny was missing his head. Besides the candy, he had also given her a stuffed fox, her favorite animal. She grinned, when she thought about the generosity of the Bunny, and how her siblings did not get nearly as much, and they certainly didn't get a stuffed animal.

She chewed on three pieces of licorice and shoved the basket back under her bed. She hopped onto her quilt and stroked her small fox and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what happened that everyone suddenly felt happy. Her mother said it was the Easter spirit, but that couldn't be because the Easter spirit was pretty much dead that Sunday. There were no hidden eggs, no hidden baskets. She finally found hers the following Monday, feeling a sudden urge that hers would be there that day - and she was correct of course - but it wasn't the Easter spirit. All of her friends decided the Easter Bunny didn't exist and neither did she. Only when her nightmares stopped and she woke the next morning did her faith in the holiday become restored.

"The snow is melting again, Morgan," Bradley stated as he intruded into her room and cupped his face to the window. The edges of the snow had indeed become rounded and the streets flooded with the water the snow created. Tufts of green poked through the edges of the snow mounds and there were patches of green across the back lawn. "Spring is here."

"That's what Easter is," Morgan explained with a snippy tone, annoyed at the way her brother barged into her room. "Everything is new again."

"Oh no!" he yelled.

"What?" Morgan snapped with the roll of her hazelnut eyes.

"My snowman is melting!"

"It's made of _snow_, you dummy. Of course it's going to melt."

"But this is such a _good_ snowman! I named him Jeff. He had a wife and a baby but the snow blower ate them." Morgan scrunched up her forehead while she questioned how her brother had come up with something that scary.

"You're crazy."

"I just want to keep him! He's the only one left of his family, and I spent such a long time on him. He can't die as well... Maybe Jack Frost will save him."

"Jack Frost?" Morgan snorted. "How is a dead poet going to save a snowman?"

"He's not dead and he's not a poet, silly goose," Brad said her to. "I heard the kids talking about him at school. He controls the snow and the ice and the blizzards and makes it cold. He really does exist."

"Why am I just finding out about him now then?"

"Because no one else knew about him. Some people swear they saw him and that many people can't be wrong."

"I think you're telling stories. I'm gonna ask mom," Brad scurried out of her room and snatched up his jacket hanging on banister of the stairs. Slowly, Morgan bounded to her mom in the living room while she looked at a magazine reading _Women's Day_. What was so amazing about those things, she wondered. They never had fun stories or comics. Just a bunch of words about stuff like clothes and health. Although the pictures of babies were cute.

"Mom?"

"Yes, darling!" said Mrs. Christine Kenter happily. She flattened the magazine across her chest and her green eyes smiled as much as she did.

"Is the snow and the ice and the cold controlled by Jack Frost?"

"Well, yes!" chuckled her mother. "And so is the nipping at your nose. That's Jack Frost too."

"I thought Brad was lying about that."

"Nope!"

"Thanks, mommy!" Morgan walked away, thinking to herself once again, while her fingers twirled with a strand of her long hair. She hummed to herself and looked out the window, watching as her brother pushed the remaining snow to the snowman as he tried to preserve it. The gusts of wind blew his ash blond hair into his face and Morgan chortled at the sight. She thought about her mother's words, on how Jack controlled essentially what made up winter. If that was him who did that, and they were surrounded by it, than he must exist. She turned from the window and decided to give her little brother a hand with the snowman to make up for being mean. She slid her arms into her white coat that made her look like an oversized marshmallow and jumped into her shoes. She waddled out into the thinning layers of snow and shrieked at what suddenly came flying towards her brother and the snowman.

A a kid somewhere between a young man and a boy zoomed on the wind currents in dust colored pants and frost covered blue hooded sweatshirt. In his hand he gripped a crudely shaped hooked staff and his feathered hair was white. Not light blonde, _ice white_. Morgan caught his cold cyan eyes staring at her and grinning as he passed by. Brad waved his arms excitedly while he called out Jack's name to him.

Jack Frost really did exist!

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**NOTE: Her mother is not _trying _to tell her Jack exists, just explaining who he is to her, but a child's mind believes if her brother was right about him being in control of winter, then he must be right about his existence. I want her to believe in him really quickly so I get to the actually plot of the story. Also this is the very first time I have ever written the word licorice in my life and I didn't know how to spell it. And I am 21. I spent ten minutes sorting out the British spelling from the American. It was a hassle.**


	2. (Almost) Dying for a Friend

**This is a bit longer so I hope you don't mind. Just a bit of reference, I view Jack as being around fifteen years old.**

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The boy drifted down to Brad who immediately began whining about his fear of the loss of the snowman.

"It's the greatest thing I've ever made! I want it to last til next winter!" he wailed.

"But you know, next winter you could make another snowman!" Jack offered with a smirk on his face.

"No!" cried Brad. "He wouldn't be the same... I made a whole family with this one... but my dad took out the snow blower and accidentally destroyed them... he's missing his wife and his baby..."

"Oh, I see that makes much more sense..." Jack told him sympathetically. "You don't want to make him suffer more than he already has."

"No, it's mean."

"In that case, I'll protect him... til next winter when you can make him a new wife and a new kid. Maybe even more."

"Yeah!" Brad declared. "That would be great!"

"I'll tell you what I'll tell. I'll keep him cold for now, and then come back tonight... and I'll take him somewhere he can stay cold. How's that sound? I'll bring him back in December."

"Yay! You're the best, Jack!"

Morgan was still staring at the boy. So her stupid brother was really right. Jack existed and he could control all of winter. And he was going to save his snowman. That was really stupid, it couldn't be around forever.

Brad finished his triumphant jumping and then saw his sister standing on the porch of their tan house. He waved enthusiastically and his small body wobbled towards her, taking her wrist and trying to pull her along.

"Morgan, look it's Jack! I told you he was real!"

"Ah, kid," Jack mumbled. "It's okay, she can't see me."

"Yeah I can, " Morgan corrected.

"You can?"

"Why wouldn't she be able to see you?" Brad prompted with curiosity dribbling from his voice. "Why? Is she having trouble with her eyes."

"People can only see me if they believe and not a lot of kids know about me yet," Jack said, his lips spreading into a widely angled grin. Morgan squinted, staring at the bright shine of the white in his mouth.

"Your teeth are really white," she commented and raised a hand to cover the scene of his mouth exposing the blinders that were settled in his gums. Jack quickly closed his mouth and just gave her an innocent grin. "So you're real, huh?"

"The only way you could know that is if you believed me to be real in the first place," he responded.

"Mom said something..." Morgan looked down at her hands and then gasped, realizing she had forgotten the manners her parents had so carefully raised her on. "Please forgive me! My name is Morgan Paige Kenter! Bradley's my dumb little brother."

"Hey!" Brad squawked with a bit of hurt laced in his words.

"Nice to meet you Morgan Paige Kenter," he chuckled and pressed his palm against hers to shake her hand. Morgan drew back when she felt ice pricking into her skin and sliced into her arm. Her shoulders shook from the shock of the ice coasting through her body. "Yeah, sorry. Cold. Winter and all. You might want to be a little nicer to your brother. Someday you may wish you could take those words back."

"Yeah!" Brad's tongue lashed at her in form of a raspberry.

"You too, little man. Your family is a gift to be cherished."

"Are you friends with the Easter Bunny?" she enthusiastically asked him.

"Yeah, a bit," Jack replied nervously, rubbing the back of his head as he kicked at the dribbling snow.

"You should tell I said thank you and that he is the greatest. He really got the best stuff for me this year!"

"Yeah, I'll let him know that."

"Well... bye!" Morgan smiled at him and bounced back to the door of her house, hoping maybe she had made a new friend.

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The silence had grown too loud, and the was the safest time for Morgan to escape. The whole house was in a sleep so deep that her mother had past her snoring, she bolted out of her bed and pulled on another thick layer of clothing. Her purple sweatshirt with the picture of the badger and grey sweat pants were her outfit for the occasion. From the time she went to bed she kept an eye on the window to watch for Jack. She just thought it was so cool the way who could fly on the wind like that and had complete control of winter. She had a motley of child's questions for him. She slid her feet against the wood flooring, a trick she learned for making as little noise as possible, and sat down on the stairs, shifting her bottom so she would land noiselessly on the next step. Arriving to the first floor of the house, she stood up and paddled to where she shoes were and slid into her jacket. Her small fingers fiddled with the turn of the lock. It liked to stick and she could not always find the strength right away to spin it around. Upon her success on opening the door, she hummed to herself as she walked onto the grass, which munched beneath her feet. Despite it being spring, the nights were still Jack's territory until April began to reach it's end. Her neck craned while she looked amongst the stars in the hopes she would see Jack leaping towards their house as he did earlier.

Her body flopped into the still freezing white that sparsely covered the world. Her hand plunged into her jacket and she found a cheap slide puzzle that her aunt had given her on Easter Sunday. Her thumbs wiggled the tiles through the square, as the cheap things could not really slide. Five minutes of trying made her give up and she decided to bury it for someone to find later. She pushed it between the packed ice crystals and then used her fingers to slide a covering of snow over it. She beamed at her own cleverness. Oh how funny it would be when someone found that!

The cold was starting to tickle her face now. She held her arms spread across her chest in attempt to hold together her body heat. She blew hot breaths against the tip of her nose to keep it from freezing in the whether. The tops of her knees clacked together and the temperature rapidly began to drop. She pleaded for Jack to come soon because she didn't want to miss him, but clutching all her limbs together was no longer helping to preserve heat anymore.

Blue streak zipped against the black of the nighttime and Morgan burst from her sitting position, hopping excitedly and waving her arms in case he forgot the directions to their house. The boy floated down to her and he was sporting the amused smirk.

"H-hi Ja-ack!" she chattered.

"How long have you been out here?" he asked. Concern was rising in his expression.

"Uh... a while. But I-I wanted to s-s-s-see you g-e-e here."

"It's cold out here!"

"I di-didn't think it wo-ou-ould get s-s-so ba-a-a-d."

"When you start making sheep noises, it's time for you to go inside, Morgan," His icy hand forced her to shudder when he took hers to lead her back into the house. Morgan curled up in the oak carved chair at the table and her body quivered from the temperature it had taken in. Jack moved into the other room and moved back into the kitchen holding a recently unfolded plaid fleece blanket. He threw it around her and it floated onto her back. She looked to him with a grateful smile playing on her lips. "Do you have hot chocolate?"

"Do you know how to m-m-m-ake hot ch-oc-o-o-o-late?" She attempted to say.

"I've never really tried, but I know it will warm you up."

"Get a... a m-m-mug from up there... and the mi-milk from the fr-fr-ridge. Put some mil-k-k-k in the cup." Jack followed her instructions and the directions she was pointing with her shaking finger. He poured the milk into the mug. "Open th-that." She gestured to the microwave and Jack tugged on the black handle. "Put the m-mug inside and cl-cl-close i-i-it." Jack followed her instructions as she spoke. She continued to instructed him, stammering all the way through, how to set the time and how long, and told him where to find the mix and to mix it up with a spoon. Jack cringed at the feel of the warmth in his hands, but slid it in front of Morgan. She chugged down the chocolate liquid in a manner of ten seconds. Her breathe was one of relieved happiness and she leaned her chin against the surface of the table.

"What were you doing in the cold?"

"Waiting for... you," she breathed.

"Why?"

"You seem fun. And I want... a friend."

"Don't you have friends?"

"I have one friend... and she... she steals my toys. A lot. I don't like playing with her a lot."

"Well, I guess stealing toys is a good reason," he said, watching her shivers become slowed down and less dramatic. "You didn't make a lot of friends at school?"

"Nah," she said casually. "I draw weird things."

"Weird things?"

"I like to draw and I like to read books about thinks that happened a long time ago. I drew a picture of this big boat once called the Titanic."

"It was a ship, actually."

"Yeah, a ship, and I show it to the kids and I drew the ship sticking out of the water and then I draw some boats filled with people, and one saving people, but mostly I drew a bunch of people dying." Jack looked at her sideways and could only offer her a small remark.

"Huh."

"Yeah, and I read this story book about the presidents and I drew a picture of President Abraham Lincoln, but not him getting shot because we can't draw guns in school. Instead I drew him looking like he's sleeping and a there was a little blood but not a lot and I tried to tell people about who he was and what he did but they just thought it was gross. I think it's important to know these things though so I tried again. I drew a really good picture of Rosa Parks, the really cool black lady who refused to stand up on the bus for a white guy because black people are people too. I drew a picture of her in jail and showed it to my teacher, and my picture of Rosa, she wasn't doing anything, just sitting in jail writing a letter. There was nothing wrong with it this time, nobody dying or anything, but the teacher got mad and said little girls shouldn't draw pictures of jails even though Rosa Parks was a hero, and that I could have drawn a picture of her on the bus but in jail. So I did that but nobody wanted to listen to me, they said, my drawings were bad and that learning should only be in school. So now I only draw at home. Mommy and daddy like my drawings. So does Aubrey, my sister. Brad thinks they're scary and he doesn't understand half the stuff but he knows who Rosa Parks is so he liked my jail picture so I gave it to him. Todd thinks they're good but doesn't care to see them, Peter hates them. They're my other brothers. I have three brothers and one sister. Do you like cookies?" Jack had an eyebrow cocked while she spoke at the speed of light before he fell forwards laughing.

"You must be feeling better," he said.

"A little cold but fine now. I love cookies."

"You know I'm a lot older than I look."

"You look older than Peter, but not as old as Todd. Peter is thirteen. Todd is sixteen. He can drive. So can Aubrey. She'll be done with school in six weeks, and then she's going to college. It's sad because I love Aubrey. I'll be the only girl."

"What about your mother?"

"She's a mom, not a girl."

"Well, we can still have fun right?"

"Yeah! You won't be mean like my brothers are! Do you like history?"

"Actually, I was going to say, when I mean I'm older than I look, I mean I'm three hundred years old."

"Really?! Cool!" Morgan awed. "Hey, a lot of the stuff I read about is that old, and some things two hundred, and some things one hundred."

"Yep, and I was there when the Titanic sank, and when Abraham Lincoln was President, and when Rosa Parks was on that bus."

"That's so cool! See anything else?!"

"I saw lots of things, but I think we should save that for another time. I made a promise to your brother and you need to sleep." Morgan's arms dropped into her lap and her bottom lip curled into a pout.

"All my friends never stick around..." she said sadly. Jack stood up and crouched in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder so more ice trailed down her shoulder. "Your hands are still cold. Your eyes are cool."

"Hey, I promise you... I'm coming back all right?" he told her, his eyes softening so she could see he intended to keep his promise.

"Soon?"

"Well... sure," he said. "But I can't stay around very much longer. I can't linger long in the summer because the summer is hot right?"

"And you're cold."

"Right."

"So you need to come back after fall." His hand rested on her head and jostled the strands on her head.

"Exactly. And I'll visit you tons then." Morgan threw herself towards him and caught him in a tight hug.

"Thank you for being my friend Jack!"

"You are very welcome," he laughed.

"Could you tuck me in?"

"I guess we have time for that." Morgan placed her pudgy hand in Jack's cold one and he pulled her up the stairs, while she pointed out the rooms of her brothers and her sister.

"Why do you, your sister, and Brad get your own rooms but your other brothers need to share?" Jack asked as he observed the names on the doors.

"Because Mommy and Daddy only planned on having four kids so they only looked for a house with five bedrooms. But Bradley was a surprise, and they made me swear to _never_ say that to him. It's the one thing they told me I can never ever tell anyone. But they wanted to keep Brad so they moved Peter and Todd into one room and when Aubrey moves out in a couple of months, then everyone gets their own room." Morgan pushed on the door that was hers and pulled off her extra layers of clothing so she just had her pajamas. She threw them into the hamper and pushed down her coverings so she could lay in the bed. Jack rolled the blankets back up and ruffled her hair again. He turned towards her window and lifted the bottom. "See ya, kid." He leapt out into the cold air again, pushing her window closed.

She rolled again and giggled to herself, She couldn't wait to tell her mom about her new three hundred year old best friend!

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**Is leapt a word? People use it as a word all the time I think but nothing on my computer tells me its correct. Yet leaped sounds funny. So I use leapt. I apologize if I'm wrong. I'm an English major but I screw up all the time. So far I'm pretty proud with this story. I'm sorry if the beginning was a little boring, but I cut it short. If you could please review that would be great. My personal preferences may not be ones you all like so I want to take your likes into account as for how the story is going. I also want to know what mistakes I am creating so I can be a better writer. Thanks bunches. Rosie out.**


	3. A Normal Girl

**I'm becoming really impressed in myself with this, although I do apologize that the ending of this one drags a bit. Is Morgan's character all right? I get nervous whenever I create OCs.**

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"He's three hundred years old! He's cold all the time!" Morgan was preparing for school that morning while sharing the details of meeting Jack. Her mother was making her bed while she enthused about the event and pulled a t-shirt over her head. Her father was in his pajama, running a brush over his teeth in the bathroom across the hall.

"Aubrey, I think your sister is reading your vampire books!" he yelled down the hall.

"He's not a vampire!" Morgan protested with flailing arms and rage boiling in her face. "He's Jack Frost, the winter spirit! During Reading Hour I am going to ask my teacher if I can go look for all the books we have on Jack Frost in the library."

"And tell me, if he's three hundred, does that mean he's seen all the stuff in your drawings?" her mother asking as she patted the comforter flat on her bed. She looked to her daughter with a sunny smile.

"Yes he has!" she squealed and began to shove her notebooks and pencils into her purple backpack. "And he's going to tell me all about them! But later... he can't be here a lot in the summer because he makes everything cold. He said he could come back a few times but then he has to leave for a while. But he'll be back a lot during the winter months. And with all the snow we get here, that could be anywhere from six to seven months. " Her mother pressed her lips to the top of her head and stepped out of the room.

"My snowman's gone!" Brad bellowed from down the stairs. Morgan hopped down the stairs, skipping every other step as she went down.

"It probably melted," Todd mumbled before sticking a spoonful of Shredded Wheat into his mouth. He wiped away the milk he dribbled onto his French textbook.

"Nuh uh!" Morgan grinned. "Jack Frost came and took him, like he promised! I saw him last night!"

"He did?" Brad suddenly remembered. "That's right!"

"Jack Frost is something people make up for films and TV shows that end up being crap," Peter added, flipping pages through a motorcycle magazine. "Oh yeah, check out this baby!"

"Peter, please tell me that isn't one of those magazines where there's busty women pressed up again the vehicles?" Aubrey told him sternly while she arched her neck to take a look at the contents, which were, thankfully, clean. She picked up her bowl by the edge and strode towards the sink to let it clatter at the bottom. Morgan watched her sister moved gracefully through the kitchen, wiping at any messes on the table. Her hair was always positioned perfectly, blonde ringlets swaying from the clip that pulled it up. She adjusted her glasses for the third time that morning and flipped open her History textbook. Her fingers only just touched the pages as she flew past them. She lowered the book for Morgan to see and prompted her.

"Morgan, who is that man?" Morgan looked at the soft painting that was inserted in the corner of her book, with neat type stretching around it. She recognized his wide girth and his confidant stance, the crescent of a beard on his chin and that funny floppy hat of his.

"Henry the Eighth!" Morgan declared and Aubrey nodded, shutting the book. "He married six women. Catherine of Aragon, who was actually his brother's wife, but they only had kid, a girl, and at that time you needed to have a boy to take the throne after you died, but the queen was too old to have anymore kids, so he made the Church let them divorce so he could marry Anne Boleyn, but he thought she liked to kiss many other men, so he cut her head off..."

"God, Morgan, do you ever stop?" Peter barked at her. Morgan's mouth slapped shut and she looked at the ground, shuffling her foot.

"I'm sorry, I thought Aubrey wanted to know... you know, to help her for school..." she muttered.

"You're smart, that's cool," Todd told her and she smiled a little. "But sometimes we don't want to hear it, and it's too early in the morning right now. Later you can tell us about Henry the Eighth."

"Come on Morgan..." Aubrey told her sweetly, taking her hand. "I'll take you to school, and you can tell me all about it on the way."

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Morgan had her sketchbook open when they were going over how to do long division, something she was terrible at and didn't care to learn about. History was much more interesting. It taught the true meaning of courage, loyalty, and bravery, and the deepest form of friendship that existed. Morgan once asked her sometimes friend Brianne if she would ever die for her and she just said. "Probably not, but I would die for my gerbil." Morgan thought maybe if they were friends longer she would.

"Morgan Kenter," Mrs. Adahl said with a lowered voice. The doodling young Historian slapped her sketchbook shut and looked up at the frizzy haired teacher with wide eyes.

"Yes, Mrs. Adahl."

"What is the remainder?"

"Um... six?"

"No, Morgan. If you had been paying attention you would know the answer is four. What were you drawing?"

"Nothing ma'm."

"No pictures of people getting their heads chopped of because they stole a loaf of bread?"

"I don't know anyone in history who's had that happen ma'm."

"Well, any pictures of people dying under a mound of molten lava?"

"No ma'm. It's been a long time since I drew pictures from Pompeii."

"Let me see your sketchbook."

"Please, Mrs. Adahl."

"Let me see it." Morgan noticed the ugly yellow lines in her brown suit. She didn't care about clothes, but she knew her teacher had the worst fashion sense around. Aubrey would have a laugh about it, probably. Her hand limply produced the thick spiral bound pages and her teacher opened to the page she had been etching on. A boy with a sweatshirt, feathery hair and frost forming on his clothes. His eyes were wide and he was smirking. "This is something different, he's wearing modern clothes. Not from your history books. Unless he's a child that was killed on the six o'clock news?"

"No ma'm. He's alive and well. A bit cold. Freezing actually. But he controls winter, so he's supposed to be like that."

"Oh?"

"That's Jack Frost ma'm. He's older than you, but he looks really young. He saw the sinking of the Titanic. And Rosa Parks. And Lincoln. And many other things."

"Oh my oh my. Well, it is a change. Moving from facts onto something most girls like. Fairy tales. I suppose that's better than your creepy histories but we're doing math now, all right? Not story time, and not art class."

"Yes ma'm." She tossed the sketchbook back to her and Morgan shoved it into her bag. She turned her gaze to the white, brown, and yellow-green ground outside and wondered if maybe she would see Jack flying past her window. But she knew she wouldn't. It would be spring soon.

~Jack~

The boy of frost and ice gently glided down to the bright green grass on the highest hill in the Warren. He looked at the egg shaped rocks and the little eggs that rolled around on the ground. Somewhere, Bunnymund was working, and it had been much too long he had last driven him insane.

Jack let his hand rest on his sweatshirt pocket while he carried his crook in the other hand. He whistled a cheery tune as he skipped along. He found the oversized grey rabbit seated on a tree trunk painting a new egg blue.

"Seriously, Easter just finished, you can't take one little break?" he asked. The giant bunny narrowed his eyes at him and looked back at his work.

"Work all year roun', remember?" he told him, his Australian accent changing the way he said certain words. "This Easter was nearly a disaster. Almost didn' get anythin' done. Pitch Black ruined it anyways, but the point is I learned ya cannot afford to be lazy."

"I met the most interesting child."

"Oh yeah? Who's that?"

"Well, first she would like me to pass the message that she thanks you very much for the basket and the extra treats."

"Aw, really?" he asked, actually interested enough to set the egg down he was holding and let it walk away for a bit. "Blimey, no one ever does that, thanks the Easter Bunny. North gets letters about gifts which usually ends with a polite note, but no one ever says anything polite to the Easter Bunny."

"Her name is Morgan Kenter, I think."

"Little Morgan!" he exclaimed. "Aw, now that's a right little sheila, there. She;s the only one who sends notes to me. She's so polite, she is. I know Tooth gets notes from her as well, left under her pillow. She usually leaves her an extra quarter or somethin'. She's a little sweetheart."

"I kinda like her. As much as Jamie and Sophie anyway. She's very different."

"She likes to ask North for history books." Jack slumped down on the stump and let his crook fall so a patch of the dirt froze with the touch of the tip.

"Yeah, she has an unusual fascination with history and knows a lot for nine. She's also an artist, but she draws disturbing images from history... although the Rosa Parks one, that was uncalled for, I didn't understand why her teacher was disturbed by that."

"Educational system has gone downhill, mate."

"I think she's really lonely," Jack told his rabbit friend solemnly. "She said she has one friend but only sometimes. Everyone thinks her pictures are creepy and her ramblings about history are weird."

"Mate, as Guardians of children I think it's important to keep an eye on the little lass." Bunnymund said to the ice covered boy.

"Yeah I told her I had to stay away with Spring and the approaching Summer, that I don't really come back til Fall and I will be around a lot after Thanksgiving."

"Well, I would like to the meet her face to face. Properly. Seems she's my biggest fan, that she is."

"Well, then, you Kangaroo," Bunnymund's eyes rolled at the friendly insult. "I think in three days, we should pay our new little friend a visit."

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**I know I have some readers from Australia so I do apologize if I didn't get Bunnymund's accent right. I am really trying to get it as accurate as possible but I am terrible at Australian accents.**

**NOTE: For the curious, but I don't think any of you really care, Henry the VIII's six wives were Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, who is the most famous and probably his most loved one, and she was killed for being accused of have sexual relations with four men: two nobles, a common man, and her own brother, although she probably never did, and probably never even dreamed of doing anything with her brother no matter what the Other Boleyn Girl says. She also only had a daughter. The next wife was Jane Seymour who DID birth a son but she died 12 days after his death and Henry married Anne of Cleves who was divorced on account of being ugly, Catherine Howard was next who was executed for sleeping around, and then the last wife was Catherine Parr who survived him. And of course from these spawned Mary I, better known as Bloody Mary, Elizabeth I of England who took over as Queen when Edward died at 16.**


	4. Bunnymund's Kindest Fan

Pieces of a torn pink foil wrapper bounced on the surface of the bed as Morgan's foot tapped the bedspreads. A soft tune escaped from her lips while her pencil formed curves and line and shapes on her sketchbook to create a car with the top down rolling down the street. Inside the car, a formally dressed man leaned over limply while a fashionably dressed woman held her hands to his head. She filled in the facial features of the people before sliding off her bed and retrieving her box of 120 crayons she received for her last birthday. She picked up the golden box and lugged it over to her bed, but hopped out of the way of her cream tinted carpet as the area in front of her began to sink and form a depression. The depression continued to grow, the carpet rising deeper til the end of it could no longer be seen and it occurred to Morgan that there was a tunnel in her carpet.

"Mommy mommy!" she called, but did not want to leave her room. She looked down it and saw someone zooming up towards the opening. She took four steps back, her box of crayons dropping from her grip and hands flying to her face. Her veins buzzed with intense fear at the thought of what was happening in her bedroom. She scurried to the corner and shook until she saw a fuzzy rabbit with grey and taller than her dad pop out. He was not cute and adorable as Morgan has expected all rabbits to be. He looked mean and serious. A boomerang quiver had been slung around his back and he had strange brown cuffs around his wrists and ties around his feet. But Morgan's fears faded with the site of Jack rising up out of the tunnel behind him, and the hole closed up, making her carpet whole once again.

"Jack!" she cried and her pudgy body waddled over to him. He smiled at her and welcomed the hug she offered him. She shivered from his ice fingers pressing into her back but giggled and stood back.

"I've brought a new friend for you. Maybe he can keep you company now that it's getting warmer," he explained.

"Are you the Easter Bunny?"

"That I am, little lass," he said.

"You talk funny."

"It's the accent," he politely said. "Ever heard of Australia?"

"Yeah. It's in the Pacific Ocean, right? Mommy says the time is different there."

"It sure is, it's tomorrow there," he said to her.

"That's so cool! They're like... in the future!" Morgan giggled.

"You working on something, Morgan?" Jack gestured to the open sketchpad on her bed. Morgan gasped and then picked up her box of crayons, scurrying over to the bed. She crossed her legs and patted the section in front of her for them to sit down. Jack took the spot immediately, but Bunnymund just stood beside the edge.

"Whatcha got there, mate?" he asked, leaning over to see the drawing.

"It's President Kennedy the day he got shot," Morgan said. "And that's his wife, Jackie. She loved him a lot. She's trying to put his head back together, see?" Bunnymund looked over at Jack who pursed his lips. A private exchange happening between the two of them. But it didn't go unnoticed. Morgan's shoulders dropped with disappointment. And she flipped the cover over. "You don't like it..."

"Nah, that's not it," Bunnymund told her. "You have a real talent for art. It's just not something I am used to see kiddos drawin'."

"It's really unique!" Jack said quickly.

"You think?" Morgan responded, her spirits starting to lift a little.

"Have you ever drawn anything that doesn't have anything to do with history?"

"Well... for school projects, yes," Morgan said. "And maybe when I was little... My aunt gave me some books on the first Thanksgiving a few years ago, and my mom told me it was all true, but then Aubrey told me that wasn't true, in fact that the pilgrims were cruel to the Native Americans. Mommy told me she never heard that before, and daddy said the same thing. I just thought it was so weird how we're taught stuff that's supposed to be fact and it's not real and we all think it is. I guess the same thing happened with Columbus. Since then I've been drawing history because we should all know what really happened. Kids focus too much on cute and fun stuff and eat their turkey dinner and play football and have fun with the holiday without knowing the real reasons we celebrate it. It's dumb."

"You don't celebrate Thanksgiving?" Jack wondered.

"I do!" Morgan corrected in defense. "I like being with my family. But I think they should still _know_. Oh, hey, Bunny, thanks for the fox. He's my favorite ever. And so soft. I named him Bumble."

"Bumble?" Bunnybund wondered after a moment of beaming.

"Seemed to fit. He looks clumsy," she stated with a smile. "But I love him."

"I'm glad. I saw you had pictures of foxes on yer walls, thought ya might like a mate."

"Jack, are you leaving for the summer?" Morgan asked with the trace of a whine in her tone. He chuckled.

"Not quite yet. I still have to tell you some stories, right?" Morgan nodded. "I'll come back one more time for you, all right? Then I vacation in Antarctica."

"Oh you get to see penguins!" Morgan clapped at the exciting thought.

"I do. They're a lot of fun."

"Gotta hop on back to the Warren, love," he said to her. Morgan reached for a hug and his fluffy paws tickled against her neck when he returned it. She laughed and he playfully pushed her back onto the bed.

"And I'm going to go before it starts snowing in your room," Jack told her.

"Okay, but before you go!" Morgan flipped her sketchbook and shut her eyes as she tugged at a page with some of her artwork on it. She held it out to her frost-covered friend and he stared at it for a moment. The contours were close to perfect dimensions and she etched out the smallest of details most children couldn't catch in a drawing. She knew where to put each web of frost on his jacket and stared at the portrait of him with genuine admiration, instead of one given to a child when you're simply pleased with their effort.

More than anything Jack felt he could cry if the water in his body were not ice. A light curve of his lips showed his satisfaction and he surprised Morgan with an attack of a sudden, icy hug. She shrieked from the cold at first, but then cackled at herself and put her arms around him.

"This is amazing, kiddo," he said to her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Take it with you to Antarctica," she asked.

"Of course I will." She bounced on the bed when he dropped her and went to the window, pushing it up. Two thumps with Bunnymund's large feet opened up a tunnel in the carpet again and Morgan gasped at the magnificent use of his foot.

"See ya, kid," He said, and dropped down into the hole. As it had done before, the carpet closed up again and Morgan turned her attention to the boy halfway out her window.

"You better come back one more time!" she ordered. He looked to her and chortled at her bossiness.

"I promise!" he told her, and Morgan was satisfied with his answer. With a flick of his hand from his head as a goodbye, he let the wind catch him and Morgan watch him drift away.

* * *

**I'm sorry this is so short but I wanted to get the next part up before bed and I had homework to do and I'm about to past out so I hope you like it anyway.**


	5. The Bennetts

**Thanks for the support you've been giving me. In this chapter, as you probably guessed, Jack visits the Bennetts again. I rewatched ROTG (because why wouldn't you?) But also, I wanted to pay closer attention to details so I make sure my facts on things are straight. And one thing is the dog. If I got it wrong I am SORRY. TRULY sorry. If I found out I am wrong I will change it, but I could have sworn the greyhound was named Abby, but yet they called it a he? At least I think they did? So I don't know if it's a boy with a name usually reserved for girls (as happens with the name Sandy for dogs) or if it's a girl and they just referred to the dog as he because people have a tendency to do that with dogs I think... anyway, if you know, I would like to know.**

* * *

_~Jack~_

Jack intended to be around for three more days before he headed to Antarctica, but he had other people he was intended to see before he left for the summer. He would come back the end of September to change the leaves, but he really was not encouraged to do anything really fun until the middle of November (but he didn't always listen. Sometimes he started an early snow fall, sometimes he left ice around. A couple of times he got really bored and had it snow on Halloween but he had a tendency to feel bad for the kids who were out trudging through the snow in their awesome costumes. And the Great Pumpkin was never fun when he got angry.) He hadn't seen much of Jamie or Sophie since they got rid of Pitch Black, so he wanted to hang out with them a little before he began his annual ice racing with the penguins.

When he landed at his window, Jack touched the end of his crook to the pane. Not only did it create a tapping noise, but the end of the hooked staff created fern patterns in the form of ice crystals, weaving up the glass. A child's face under a mess of brown hair popped up at the window, and Jamie flashed his teeth at his friend, a gap in his teeth where he had lost a tooth. Jamie hurried to open the window for him and he slid right in.

"Hey Jack!" he greeted while his hair was ruffled. Jack shoved his free hand into his sweatshirt pocket. "Hang on a sec..." Jamie pulled the door open a crack and poked his head out the opening. "Sophie! Come here!" The young boy smiled at his friend again.

"Hey kid, I wanted you to stop by and see you two before I left for the summer," he explained.

"You're leaving?" Jamie repeated with sadness. There was a whine as the door opened wider and a mess of yellow hair hanging on a tiny heady and body stepped into the room.

"Zhack!" she squealed and pattered quickly to him. He was suddenly infected with laughter and he snatched her up when she ran to him. Jack spun Sophie around and she wailed with terror and joy at the same time. He let her go so she landed with a bounce on Jamie's bed. Her shrieks reached a frequency not good for human ears, much less for the brown-patchy, white greyhound that was whimpering in the corner.

"Sophie, you're hurting Abby's ears!" Jamie snapped. Sophie shut her mouth and looked over the dog, who's pointed ears stood up once again. Her tongue lolled out her mouth when it stopped and the skinny tail beat against the floor.

"Heh. Thorry," she giggled sheepishly. Jack slumped to the floor and crossed his legs.

"What you been up to?" he asked.

"Candy, chocolate. Eggs!" Sophie explained, and held up two fingers for emphasis. She moved her hand along so it looked like a rabbit jumping.

"Right. Easter."

"Why are you leaving?" Jamie asked, still stuck on Jack's original comment.

"Ah, not forever," he said. He flipped his staff around and leaned against it. "Summer's on it's way, Jamie. And I control the cold and the snow. If I hang around here, it will be cold. I leave every summer so it can get warm, but I come back in the fall. I bring in the mild cold in the fall as well, and turn the leaves."

"Oh... I guess... that makes sense..." Jamie was a little crushed, but then when he realized he would be back and this was something he did every year, he smiled again and his normal cheerfulness was back. "But we'll hang out a lot when you back, right?"

"Especially in the winter!" Jack added. Sophie laid down and pushed her body down the edge of the bed, sliding to the floor. She bounced over to him and plopped right into his lap. He jabbed her with a finger and she shrieked in surprise.

"What have you been doing since Easter?" asked Jamie while Jack pretended to use his hand to attack the two year old in his lap.

"Little bored, really. I'm able to make it snow a little, but Bunny and I have a bit of a truce Easter Day and afterward. I can't make it snow in large amounts and can't make it too cold, except at night. A little ice, some morning frost. Once May hits though, I have to let everything melt... sometimes if I'm still around though, I'll... create some flurries in some of the colder places. "

"Got you!" Sophie giggled when she latched her slender arms around his wrist.

"Agh..." Jack pretended to be in pain. She laughed at him. "I would rather not for a couple of years though... with just making amends with Bunny and everything. I actually did spend some time in Harrisburg."

"What's in Harrisburg?" Jamie asked.

"There's a little girl there who's a bit... lonely," he said as Sophie slowly lost her energy. Her eyelids drooped at Jack smirked at the drowsy toddler. He put his arms around her tiny body and gently rocked her. "I shouldn't say... _little. _I mean, she's a little older than you. Just a couple of years. I've been keeping her company."

"Do you like her better than us?"

"Jamie!" Jack exclaimed, followed by a surprised chuckle. "I'm not going to be picking favorites."

"I get it. Guardian and all. Like a parent," Jamie said.

"Exactly."

"Well, you're _my_ best friend," Jamie told him. For the second time that day Jack was touched. "Does she see you?"

"Yeah, she's a believer. And so is her little brother."

"Wow, Harrisburg. That's an hour away. People must be talking about you a lot for it to get that far already. Hey, just think, at this rate, by the time you get back, lots of kids will be able to see you." The encouraging thought gave a light, bubbly feeling in Jack's chest. The idea pleased him and he became agitated at spending five months in Antarctica – where nobody lived - having to wait around before he could even come back for a little bit.

"That makes me feel really good, you know that, Jamie? Thanks for that." Jamie shrugged in his humbleness.

"What's she like?"

"Different," he told him. He looked down at the small girl again, who's mouth was wide open and an unpleasant drop of saliva was beginning to trail down her cheek. "She likes history."

"Really? But it's so _boring_."

"To some people. For a child her age to like it to the degree she does is different, but cool. And she's really good at drawing. Look." Jack wriggled away a hand from Sophie, who flipped and clung tighter to him, and rummaged around his sweatshirt pocket, removing the sheet of paper with his portrait on it, now stiff from ice crystals. Jamie took the frost covered picture, which became more bendable with the heat of his hands.

"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen anyone draw that well."

"She's talented." Sophie's heavy breathing grew louder as her drool froze into an icicle when it hit Jack's knee. Jamie shook his head and with a grunt, lifted his sister and set her on his bed. Abby, the greyhound, had her slender nose pointed at Jack's face. At first, the ice boy jumped from her instant appearance. Then he laughed at himself and when he touched her nose, she gave him a goofy grin and leaned into the nose rub.

"She seems intimidating but if you give her attention, she's useless. Mom says she's a horrible watchdog. But that's okay. We don't really need her to watch out for us since we have the Guardians." Jack stood up on his skinny legs and took his crook with him. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Can't stick around, kid. Gonna go to Russia and get some last minute fun. Maybe hit Minnesota. They're a fun place this time of year."

"It must be cool to get to see the whole world like you do."

" I don't get to Africa or Australia much. Bunny probably likes I stay away from Australia as much as I do. But yeah, some things are pretty cool. I enjoy some of the ice castles I get to see. It's so cool how humans can make spectacular things out of ice without magic." Jack stood at the window and prepared to jump into the wind current. "When Sophie wakes up, give her a hug for me and tell her I will come back and see her again around Halloween." Jamie confirmed that he had heard him by giving him a thumbs up. "Take care, kiddo." Jamie watched his winter friend spin into the gust of wind sailing past the house and marveled once again at how cool it was that Jack got to glide on the wind.

* * *

**One of my favorite things about Jack is how he is to little kids, and that big brotherly stance he takes, so I enjoyed writing this chapter. Harrisburg is a real town (is it big enough to be considered a city? I know in many countries there's a huge difference between city and town. The US, where I live, is not one of the countries so I don't know: I've never been there) in Pennsylvania, which if you look at the globe in ROTG is where the Bennetts live. I didn't want The Kenters to be familiar with the Bennetts or even live nearby, but close enough where Jack could go back and forth in a night if he had to so he can interact with them more. The general location of Burgess is about an hour away by car from where Harrisburg is.**

**I want the story to move at a realistic pace, but I also have a HUGE time period to cover in this story so I'm not going to be doing like 20 chapters for a year or whatever. Plus with summers, that's going to be about five - six months right there we skip. The next chapter will be before Jack leaves when he visits Morgan again, but after that will be a passage of time, when Morgan is in fourth grade. I may be entering in some ever so slightly more mature themes then, and it will just keep getting more mature then (but nothing to even push the T rating, I swear. It's more themes than content. Maybe a little content, but I do want to keep the child-like innocence of the story)**

**I made Jack tell them about Morgan because they will end up interacting. I just don't know how or why yet. We'll get there. **

**And I put the Minnesota mention there for selfish reasons. I'm a Minnesotan and every Alaskan I've met who's been here during the winter has said they have never been in a place where it's so cold before (for reference) and we have the most insane winters. All day today my blood has been ice (I currently have a blue hoodie, with the blue hood up, and tightened around my face. Was like that all day. Indoors.) and there's three feet of snow outside. And this is an average winter day here. Basically I have been yelling at Jack for the past three days because I want to blame someone for the snow. And yes, it has snowed in May here before. It has snowed in May five times since I've been alive and I'm 21. It's only a couple inches and then it's 70 F the next day (20.2 C? I think?) So I felt I needed to put that in there. Because I'm angry. I dislike the cold very much. And snow. But I only hate snow because it's cold and wet. I hate wet more than I hate cold. I'm like a cat.**

**And I know there's at least five of you who want more so I'll stop, work on the next part and upload it before bed. Homework done, still time to do another chapter, and I might actually get to bed on time. So proud of myself right now.**

**Rosie over and out.**


	6. Keeping Promises

**Last one tonight! And last one seen while Morgan is nine. She'll be ten next chapter.**

* * *

Bumble the Fox was trapped under headlock while its owner held it captive to her chest which rose and fell which each slumbering breath. The blue light from the moon's glow painted the floor where Jack stepped as he snuck into her room. He had not expected to stay out so late because as every child should, Morgan had a bedtime and he didn't want her to lose sleep from talking to him. Still, lack of sleep would be a lesser cruelty than to have made a promise and break it. So he stepped in while she slept and pursed his ice white lips thinking of the gentlest way to wake her.

For a moment though, he watched her dreams. Sandman's golden, sparkling grains spun around her head and molded into pictures. He watched herself coloring, and then saw images of people in strange wigs and many layers of clothing. He chuckled lightly, realizing she was dreaming of history. The picture changed again and he saw Morgan's face come into view, and then running towards something. After a while of running, a very familiar boy hugged her, took her hand, and threw her onto his back. Jack looked at the moonlight washed carpet with embarrassment. A small girl cared about him enough to have happy dreams about him.

He rounded her bed and put his hand on her shoulder. Her teeth shook and in her sleep, she pulled her whole body under the covers to hide from the cold. Jack frowned. In times like this, being cold was a bit of a hindrance.

"Kid," he said. "Morgan."

"Mrrrrbbllrrgggg," was what came out of her mouth.

"Morgan, wake up. I've come to tell you a story." The picture above her head changed to her mother.

"Mom..." she said faintly. "I don't want the shovel." The boy screwed up his face at the mention of a shovel and saw the sand take form of her mother handing her a shovel. What kid dreams of a shovel?

"No, it's Jack. Morgan," he tried again.

"Jack?" His image popped up again. He rolled his eyes. He didn't want to image what waking her up for school must have been like.

"_Morgan_!" His whispered loudly, and the could air that wafted from his mouth tingled her ear. Her fingers moved to slap her ear and then she squinted. The dream sand evaporated above her. She scratched at a particle of golden grain in her eye. Seeing she was awake at least, he showed his sparkling teeth in the form of a smile, but she didn't share the same sentiments. Instead, she gave him a dull stare and dropped her head, face first, back into her fox-printed pillow.

"The person you are trying to reach is currently busy with sleep. Thank you. Please call again," she grumbled with exhaustion.

"That will be in five months," he reminded. "I couldn't get here earlier, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for waking you up. But I'm here now." Her head shot up and her nose twisted as did her eyebrows so she was nearly snarling at him. "I've got some history stories?"

"I sat there for three hours, staring at the window. I made you cookies... actually, can you even eat food? I'm sorry if you can't I tried... no, actually. I'm not. You don't deserve cookies. Night." Her head launched back at the pillow. "Tell Sandy I want my dreams back on your way out."

"Morgan... I was in _Russia__. _Do you have _any_ idea how far away that is?"

"Probably a long time. Which is why you leave early." She sat up again simply to give him an evil look and then collapsed on the pillow again. Jack put on a whimsically fake pout and shoved his snow white hands into his sweatshirt front pocket, crook under arm. He took dramatic steps towards the window, while pretending not to look at her.

"Fine... I guess I will never... tell you my first had accounts with... the Boston Tea Party..." Her shoulders twitched. "Civil War..." The blankets shifted. "Jack the Ripper." Quaking under the covers. "Martin Luther King and the March on Washington." Her entire body flipped this time. He grinned, knowing she was struggling to resist. "There was also Women's Voting Rights and the Titanic..." An anguished groan came from the covers. "JFK..."

"FINE!" Morgan burst out. "Finefinefine!" Frantically, she pushed away her covers and her chubby body wobbled while she sprinted to her friend and squeezed his middle so he wheezed. "Pleasedon'tleaveIwanttohearyourstories I'msorryforgivemeIforgiveyouth ere'smorecookiesifyouwant..." Her pleas all spiraled out in a long breath and she panted immediately after speaking.

"That was almost harder to understand than Sandy," he said with mixed confusion and amusement, but mostly confusion. "Hey, I'm not leaving." He dropped to his knees used his forefinger to lift her head to his face. Looking into his ice blue pupils calmed her and reminded her he was not going to leave, like he promised. She giggled as he scooped her up swiftly and jumped over to the top of one of the bedposts. Morgan dug her nails into his neck. Her breathing quickened as she noticed how easily it would be to fall. And Jack was very tall, and Morgan very small, so it made everything that much scarier. "Do you really think I would drop you?" Her muscles relaxed at the sound of that but then Jack began to teeter. His pupils dilated as he began to fall and Morgan yelped as he landed on his back on the mattress, with the girl still hanging onto his neck.

"You did that on purpose!" she accused between her giggles, and slapped at his chest.

"Shucks, you got me," he said as he positioned himself to sit. Morgan crawled into his lap. "What do you want to hear about first?"

"Well..." There door creaked and there stood little Bradley, digging out the dream sand from his eye apex.

"Morgan I heard screaming and – Jack!" Seeing the spirit of winter woke him up instantaneously and the jittery boy invited himself onto the bed. "You're here, you're here!"

"Yep! He's going to tell me stories!" Morgan boasted pridefully.

"About what?!"

"A lot of the things I read and draw about! You don't like history so you would be bored," she was too quick to say.

"Not if Jack tells them!"

"How is it better than if I do?"

"Because you're not cool."

"Bradley-"

"Hey, okay, there," Jack interrupted. "Do you want to argue or hear the stories?"

"Stories!"

"Stories!"

"All right then," he said and plunged into his storytelling. He tried to go in order and started with the Boston Tea Party, how he could tell on the wind about commotion going on in Boston Harbor, and gave his account from his view as he lingered above the ships and watched the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Mohawk Indians, shoves crates of tea into the harbor. He told about the few people he had saved during the Civil War, skipping over the stuff he didn't want to repeat to them, and told them how inspiring it was to be around wen people were getting fueled up about the Emancipation Proclamation. He skipping over Jack the Ripper, remembering Bradley was listening, not wanting to say much about how Jack killed with him in the room, and who he killed (which Morgan most likely didn't know much about anyway) and went on about the Titanic – which he himself did not witness, but he got a lot of grief for a while for some other spirits wondering if maybe he was the one who put the iceberg there (he insisted he did not, it was an earth creation and not a spirit creation) – he talked about the various movements for Women's Suffrage across the country and how it was wonderful to see women able to vote. He told about the controversy around the assassination of JFK and the different theories he had heard (which included a few well-known ones, and some that never made it past a few people because they were so ridiculous) and then how he personally sat atop the Washington Monument to and listened to King's "I Have A Dream" speech, along with the hundreds of thousands of people who were in attendance.

"You have lived a really long time!" Brad yelled.

"Indeed I have," he said.

"Are you immortal?" Morgan asked.

"Basically, yeah."

"What's em-mord-all?" Brad attempted to say.

"Never die," Morgan told him with a snippy tone.

"Oh. Can I go to bed now?"

"Yeah, I think you can go to bed."

"Morgan, can I have a water first?" His sister growled but dropped to the ground and pushed Brad along. She looked to Jack and waggled a finger at him. "Don't leave." Jack stretched out his legs and leaned back against her pillow. The door shut and a light patting on the steps could be heard.

A few minutes later and the door hinges whined again, indicating Morgan's reappearance She carried in her hands a small, plastic, red bucket with a couple stacks of sugar cookies with colorful designs of eggs and bunnies on them. "I asked mom to try and find the winter cookies with the snowflakes on them, but by this time, the stores no longer have them. So you get Easter cookies. _If_ you can have food. I don't know how that works."

"If I want to eat food – and I usually do, I love the taste of food – Yes I can. It turns into ice and snow anyway," he explained.

"Instead of going to the bathroom?"

"Yep." Her chin dropped so her mouth made an "O" to show her shock.

"That's cool and weird and gross all at the same time."

"Stop teasing me and give me a cookie." Morgan raised the bucket to him and it iced over in his hand. He chuckled sheepishly and it could be heard cracking into pieces as he threw it into his mouth.

"Did it turn to ice?"

"Yes, but I can still taste it. It's like a... a Popsicle that way."

"Cool." Morgan gnawed on a cookie too. "So you're immortal."

"Yep."

"Were you always this way?"

"No," he sighed. "Want another story? It's also history. My history." Cheeks fat with food, she nodded her response. "Okay. I used to be a human. But I died. 300 years ago."

"What?!" she shrieked, and coughed on the food particles halfway down her throat. Jack tapped her back and she swallowed.

"Yep. And this is how I became who I am. I was skating with my sister on a pond about an hour away from here, and it was a bit too thin. I wanted to skate with her, but she was scared, so I tried to talk to her. The ice was breaking under her so as I spoke to her to calm her down, I slowly grabbed this thing." He held up his hooked staff. "And I used it to get a hold of her quick and tossed her to the other side of the pond. Problem is, I fell through the ice and I'm not sure if I froze to death first or drowned. Anyway, a while must have passed because the ice had frozen over again and the first thing I saw was the moon. I rose through the ice in the lake and I was Jack Frost. My name used to be Jackson Overland. The moon – the Man in the Moon, he's real too – he told me that, but that was all I had to go on, and I had this thing and it had all these powers and I had all these powers, and my hair turned white – it used to be brown like yours, but a little darker and I've been this way since."

"Did you see your sister again?"

"No, I... didn't," he admitted with a sadness. "Truth is, until a few weeks ago, I actually didn't know I was ever mortal. I didn't remember any of this."

"How did you come to remember?" Jack peered up at the sliver of orange at the edge of the horizon.

"That is a very long story. One that I have to tell you another time."

"That's not til October!" Morgan wailed, twisting his sleeve as he got off the bed. "Please! Now I want to know!"

"Morgan... Bunny and I work together and come to agreements when I can be around and when I need to leave. I made a promise to him." Morgan dropped her arm. Her bottom lip stuck out, and tears collected on the brim of her lids.

"And... and you keep your... promises..." Morgan remembered. She balled her fists and it was plain that she was trying to be strong. Try as she might, tears exploded from her eyes and her quieted wails made Jack search around to room to find something to make it better. His teeth snagged the back of his lips, watching the poor girl fall under grief's curse. He knelt before her and stammered for her to stop, but it of course didn't work. Instead, he simply caught her in a hug and her cries softened slowly.

"That's a long time... and I just met you..." she said in his ear.

"I know, I know..." he said. "I know it doesn't seem fair but I am coming back, It's not much to go one. But you know one thing about me, don't you?"

"You keep your promises."

"Exactly." Her cries decreased to mere sniffles now and heavy breathing.

"I'm scared for you."

"Why?" he said lightly. "I go there every year. It's like my second home. Penguins waiting for me."

"Can I come with you?"

"No, it's much too cold for you. Way too cold. And your family would miss you. And Bumble." Morgan smiled with a nod as she looked to her red fox. She threw herself to him for another hug.

"Jack Frost, you're my best friend and I think I love you." His icy fingers combed the warm brown strands of her hair. He pressed his lips against her head and a gentle shot of ice sparked in Morgan's brain, but only for a moment. He pulled her fingers away from his waist just as the yellow horizon was becoming brighter.

Jack jumped into the sky beyond her window and turned to wave back at her before he was enclosed completely by the distance.

* * *

**I have truly talked about a shovel in my sleep. At least according to my friend. Apparently it was a girl shovel from Connecticut.**

**Jackson Overland really IS Jack Frost's real name, according to traditional folklore. I've been doing some researching. He also is the one who changes the leaves in the fall, which is why he comes back in the fall.**

**As for tomorrow, I hope to at the very least get one chapter done. I work on my essay tomorrow, but I also only have one class on Friday, which is at 1 so I could stay up late and type a chapter but we'll see. I would really like to graduate next year so I've been super good at getting my assignments done this year. I work on Friday and only four hours the weekend, so I don't think I'll get something up Friday, but I should get a TON of writing in this weekend.**

**Let's hope Sandy treats me with magnificent dreams. Rosie out.**


	7. Jack Frost Is The Coolest

**You guys are the greatest. I'm getting awesome reviews and the response to this story is phenomonal. You guys really know how to make a girl feel special *fans self* Here's a virtual hug to all of you *Hug***

* * *

_OCTOBER_

_~Jack~_

With the gentlest touch from his staff against the very top of the trees, the magic Jack possessed flowed down the limbs, the branches, and the veins in the leaves and the once bright greenery faded to yellows and oranges. As he glided with the wind currents, he swung around his crook, its power changing the temperature of the wind. He had left Antarctica the end of September and spent the last couple of weeks cooling down the air and changing colors on all the deciduous trees across the globe. Orange orbs of various sizes were sitting on on almost every doorstep and as he zipped through towns, advertisements for colorful customs and promises of sales and discounts on candy and chocolate. Occasionally he would find a group of young children talking excitedly about what they were going to be, and then he would come across a group of teenagers discussing parties and some not so innocent things they planned to do. Posters for haunted city wide street walks and haunted houses popped up on lamp posts. This time of year was fun, and after some time in Antarctica, it was always enjoyable to come back and see people preparing for Halloween.

Having already covered the areas of the world with a touch of chill, he drifted on the wind back to Pennsylvania, where his home was, and where his favorite people lived. The wind carried to Burgess, which was adorned much the same way as every other town, but in a way that seemed more quaint and charming. He laughed, seeing some familiar children running to the costume shop. Occasionally someone would look up at him and point. Some would wave. There was the very rare greeting of "Hey Jack!" as he glided past. Pride bloomed in him. He was getting some recognition, and word of his existence was spreading. Children were _believing _in him.

He landed at Jamie's window and for a second, thought about the possibility of his first believer no longer being able to see him. He was still old enough that he had plenty of time to believe, but it also was not uncommon for some kids to stop believing around the age he was now. He was pretty sure Sophie had not stopped during the summer; she was so young, but Jamie might not believe anymore and that scared him a little. Bunny would tell him if that was what happened, it was a part of life. But they were used to it. They were used to being believed in and not, but this was Jack's very first believer. He did not have the experience of people seeing him and a few years later not, and until that last Easter, none of the guardians or the spirits of the world had really spent a lot of time with kids, much less formed bonds with them. He dreaded the moment he would appear at his window and no longer see him

But Jamie was a different kid. He believed when no one else did. He was once the Last Believer, and it was him that ultimately kept the world from turning Pitch Black. He might even be one of those that held on til 14, 15. Jack just told himself that he was going to need to believe in Jamie as much as he needed Jamie to believe in him. So Jack knocked at the window, but no one appeared. He frowned, and then jumped over to the next window, where the blonde two-year-old had been running around while holding a small airplane. He rapped at the window and she stopped, tossing her head around to find the noise. When her forest green eyes fell on the window, her hands punctured the air and the toy plane clattered to the floor. Sophie threw her whole body at the window a couple of times before it gave way and opened a crack. Jack tugged it open more and swung inside, playfully throwing Sophie onto the middle of her mattress. Her giggles cause her to roll around and she used the bed rails to pull herself up.

"Again! Again!" she demanded.

"Again?" Jack asked, standing in front of her.

"Yeah!" She clapped and held out her arms to be picked up.

"Okay," he agreed and he nabbed her from where she stood. He ran around the room a couple of times before plunging her into her bed again.

"Jack," she said as he tapped her nose with his cold finger.

"I just nipped your nose," he said,

"Nip," Sophie repeated.

"Do you know where your brother is?"

"Punkins!" she told him.

"He's getting pumpkins?"

"Friends and Punkins."

"He's out with his friends getting pumpkins."

"Uh huh."

"Does he still believe in me?"

"Yeth." Sophie crawled over the bed rails and grabbed Jack's freezing hand. She pulled him along, out of her room and walked with him down the hallway.

"Sophie, what are you doing?" Came the voice of Mrs. Bennett.

"Jack Frost!" Sophie told her. "We play!"

"You kids are really into this Jack Frost guy."

"He nice."

"Well, you have fun, honey." Sophie kept on pulling Jack's hand and pushed him into Jamie's room and pointed to something attached to the bulletin board. It was a single piece of notebook paper, with writings on it. On the top was the letter A written in red. Jack removed the tack that affixed it the board and looked it over. It was titled "My Favorite Memory."

"You can't read this all ready, can you?" he said to Sophie doubtfully, wondering how she knew to show this to him.

"No," Sophie giggled. "Bu is Jamie! is Sophie! Jack!" She pointed at the letters on the page that spelled ou and twirled with pride.

"You can spell my name."

"No Frost..." she confessed.

"Well, that's okay," he said to her. "I'll teach you, and I'll teach you other words."

"Yay!" Jack looked over the piece of paper and walked towards to Jamie's bed to sit while he read.

_My Favorite Memory 10/03_

_My favorite memory is when I met my friend Jack. To lots of people he is invizible but I can see him. He showed up in my room and made pictures on the window of the Easter Bunny to tell me he's real. Then he made it snow in my room. The reeson why this is my favorite memory is becase then I helped Jack and his friends the Gardians who are Santa and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny and we saved my friends and the world from the Boogieman and Easter. It was so awsome and cool. But it also made Jack my friend. And that is why that's my favorite memory._

Jack smiled, glad to see Jamie still believed, and this was dated not long ago. He put it back on the bulletin board and looked over to the little girl.

"Thank you, Sophie," he said to her.

"Welcome. Jack bye bye now?"

"Yeah, Jack bye bye," he agreed softly. "There's someone else I want to see and I don't know when Jamie will be home. But I want to see him again. Give him a hug for me, okay?"

"Yeth, Jack. Jack come back?"

"Yes, Jack come back soon. Promise."

"Hey, before I go... what are you being for Halloween?"

"Sophie Ice Princess," Sophie said. "Sophie want magic ice too."

"That is a great idea!" he told her excitedly and picked her up, spinning her around. "You know what? You will be the most beautiful ice princess ever. You will probably control the ice better than me too."

"Jack be Prince?" she wondered. He set her down and lowered into a bow.

"My lady, it would be an honor to be your prince," he said. He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. She yelled with delight and clung around his neck to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Sophie love Jack forever."

"And I love you," he responded as he attack her stomach with wriggling ice fingers. After a quick fit of the giggles, she sighed and he set her down.

"Bye bye Jack."

"Bye bye Sophie." He pushed against the window and fell into the air. Sophie watched the air catch him and slowly waved to him while he sailed away.

_~Morgan~_

The slime from the pumpkin in front of her made her drop the knife again and she growled for what was about the third time now. Morgan balled her fists and punched at her carpet. She shifted her knees and held the blade firmly above her target. Grinning with pride that her little arms were able to get the knife all the way through the rind without any help, she made to slide the knife out... except she didn't get very far. The lip of the handle caught into the inside an she lifted it up on it to get it out. Several times in fact. Her cry was less a teary, sad sob and more of an angered and frustrated emotive wail. She stood up while holding the small hilt, deciding the pumpkin was not going to let loose when it came with it. Another grunt of unsatisfactory work. In her final attempt to get the blade out, and her sudden decision that she just didn't care about the pumpkin anymore, she pivoted on her heel and flung the orange sphere in whatever direction it would go. Unfortunately, that direction was in the area of one of the four of her walls, or her desk, or her drawers, or anywhere else that would smash the pumpkin on impact and make for an easier and free cleanup (albeit messy) but instead right at her window. The pumpkin created its own exit by hammering into the glass and it gave way by exploding into thousands of tiny, jagged shards. Most of the shards went out with the pumpkin where it ruptured upon meeting the ground below. A few small pieces of glass fell back into the carpet, and the edging of the window was now uneven glass triangles and a few squares.

Morgan leaned over her window sill as she minded the glass to assess more the damage she would be facing with her parents rather than actual damage when she turned to her long awaited friend racing towards her on his highway of wind.

"Jack!" she yelled to him and waved her arm. She pulled it in quickly when she remembered there was glass ready to slice her open. Morgan took to sitting on her bed and watched her hands with shame as he barrelled in through the hole the pumpkin created.

"Morgan...?" he started to say.

"MORGAN PAIGE KENTER YOU GET DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" came a shrill, gravelly voiced that sounded vaguely female. Morgan hissed and covered her ears.

"Coming mom!" was her shaky response. She uncovered her ears and then raised her red rimmed eyes to look at Jack.

"I threw a pumpkin out the window," was her simple response.

"Why?"

"Because it made me mad."

"How did a pumpkin make you mad?"

"It was actually and accident. I think. Maybe accidentally on purpose. Not sure."

"MORGAN!"

"And when did your mother turn into a monstrous creature?" Jack inquired, a little terror coating his voice.

"Some kids fear their dads when they're angry. For me... it's my mom..." Morgan sighed, and scurried down the stairs to meet her fate. Jack was a little nervous about her facing embarrassment, shame, and a little hurt alone so he followed behind as she hung her head the way down the stairs. The dusty blonde haired woman who must have been in her forties had her slender hands pushed against her miniscule waist. Her face was nearly the color of her lipstick and her brows were twisted into something similar to what he'd seen in a mythical monsters book. He almost wondered if he shouldn't run too, despite her inability to see him.

"Could you explain to me why Todd said he saw a _pumpkin_ fly out of your window and why we heard such a loud noise?!" The strain on her face showed she was trying hard to remain calm but the pulsing vein her neck proved she was too angry for calm.

"I... I was carving my pumpkin and it... I couldn't get the knife out..."

"Okay first of all, I _told_ you if you wanted to carve a pumpkin by yourself-"

"But the carving supplies are dumb! The blade is too thin, the saw too wobbly..."

"Let's deal _first _ with the fact you tossed a _PUMPKIN_ through a _CLOSED_ window in _MY_ house!"

"It was an accident!"

"What were you _doing_ to make it an accident?!"

"The knife got stuck but it wouldn't come out! So I swung it around and..."

"Why would you swing it around?!"

"I was hoping it would hit the wall instead! I can clean a pumpkin up. It's not hard."

"Okay, but we bought that pumpkin so you could carve it?! Why did you want to destroy it?!"

"If it's not a surface I can easily put a face on, it's not worth it! Art should be easy to me!"

"A pumpkin a different medium though... and you've done it before! You know what? I don't even _care_! All I care is that there is a _smashed pumpkin in my yard_, and a _broken window_ that is now going to cost me a lot of money and it is going to _freeze_ in your room now! You're doing all the dishes for a week, grounded for a week, and you don't get another pumpkin!"

"Okay, what's the point in grounding me for a week if..."

"I'm taking away your art supplies for a week."

"_MOM!_" Morgan squawked in distress. A soft, cold touch stretched around her shoulders while she incoherently spoke and her face drowned in tears. "Mom, you... why.. if you... can... what is... that is not... my... you are..."

"Morgan's in trouble!" sang Brad from behind them.

"Shut up!"

"MORGAN DO YOU WANT ANOTHER WEEK?!"

"No, but he... I can't..." Her words disappeared completely under the rivers flowing from her eyes.

"Go outside and clean up that pumpkin. I'll take care of your room. You should find everything you need in the garage." Morgan's small, broken steps carried her to the door attached to the garage and she located a broom, a dustpan, a pair of gardening gloves and a bucket. She dragged the supplies with her around outside, tightening her shoulders to keep the cold out of her sweater.

"Do you need me to calm down the cold for you?" Jack asked her.

"I just don't care," she responded with dejection. Her hands gripped the edge of the broom and she barely pushed it against the glass. Jack realized she was going to have trouble getting anyway with that and then tapped his crook against the mess. He froze the pumpkins and the glass into a large ice sphere. Morgan's eyes opened a little with amazement at how quickly he was able to do that. He picked up the large ice ball and shot up straight into the air. When he reached a good height, he released the ball and it fell right towards the bucket. Morgan hopped out of it's way but it landed perfectly in the bucket.

"That's two points for me!" he cheered and glided back down to Morgan. "Feel free to applause."

"Woot for you," she said with depression laced in her voice again. Her body collapsed into a sitting position and her eyes stayed on the ice -pumpkin-glass mess sitting in the pail. "My mom has never been so mad to take away my art stuff." It occurred to Jack that the five to six months he had been away had changed a lot of Morgan's personality. She talked a little different. Older. She was more reactive to things and a little trick could not just change her mood as it did for most kids. He couldn't understand how much older she had gotten in sick months. Her face even looked a little older. Mostly it was a little thinner, although she still carried most of the pudge on the rest of her body. Most of it though, meant that she lost a little. The face still had very child-like features, but things were beginning to even out into a more adult look. Her hair was a little longer, which actually helped make her look older, and she was about an inch taller. Her tones in her voice changed too.

"You're different," he told her.

"My mom hates me." She didn't even use "mommy" much anymore.

"That's not true," he assured her with a chilly tap of the hand. She ripped it away, but he was sure it wasn't the cold. "I don't even mean that. You _look _different. Even sound a little different."

"I'm older. I turned ten last week. Getting older means looking older."

"Not just that. Some of your attitudes."

"Oh. Um... in June my parents gave me the... erm.. well, uh..." A scarlet flush brushed onto her cheeks. "sex talk." The cold that Jack contained just seemed to freeze at that very instant. His lips puckered into something similar to a sour face and he only blinked.

"Um... uh, okay? If you're going to go into detail... I... I don't want to know what they said... I already got mine from my parents before I died... so..."

"No. Ew. No. It was gross. It was just... yuck!" Morgan shuddered. "Mostly I was annoyed for two weeks that so much of history. Jack the Ripper stuff and Henry VIII with his wives. They all involved... that... stuff... somehow. It made me mad because I didn't know it so the stuff I knew wasn't all the way right."

"That sounds like you."

"My point is once I knew that, mom's been talking to me more like an adult lately and I guess... I've been talking like it too. Acting like it." She patted the extra skin around her middle. "But I'm still chubby!"

"Oh, stop..." Jack told her with annoyance. He reached out in front of him and there was a surge of ice crystals materialized in his hands. Morgan peered over to see what he was doing and he only smirked as the crystals continued to grow. They spiked up like wicked daggers before they conjoined and began to make something spherical. He picked up his hook and grabbed it in the middle. He traced even lines around the sides and Morgan gasped when she saw he was creating an ice pumpkin. He used the staff to create a wide opening in the top for some sort of light.

"What did you want to put on the pumpkin?" he asked.

"Vlad the Impaler."

"Oh, Dracula?"

"No, you weirdo!" she scoffed. "The historical inspiration. He was a scary guy. And real. Makes him scarier." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Put your hand on mine." She looked at him strangely but wrapped her fingers around hand shaped icicles. Her teeth chattered for a few seconds at his temperature. He told her to guide his hand so he could form the face in the pumpkin, and she pushed his hand along, creating wide eyes, a sharp nose, and a sausage shaped mustache covering devious lips.

"He does look creepy in ice," Jack observed.

"But it will melt!" Morgan whined, sounding like that child in her again.

"Put it in your freezer until Halloween. And then take it out, put only a glow stick in it. The forecast for Halloween will be 31 degrees so it won't melt, and no snow."

"November's going to fun isn't it?" she challenged and he laughed.

"November is going to be _so_ much fun."

"Haha!" she squeezed him while she looked at her pumpkin. "Jack Frost, you are so cool!" Her cheesy pun made Jack release a small chuckle.

* * *

**NOTE: The spelling errors in Jamie's note are intentional. For his age, or the age I guess him to be, those are the most commonly mispelled words. I figure Jamie would have some words wrong, but mostly get simple words right.**

**For a reason unknown to me, this chapter took a really long time to type because I kept trying to call Jack Frost Jack SPARROW. I don't even know where it came from but... yeah. I had to go and change everything And I kept typing Morgan's name as Morgen, the German word for Morning or Day. I blame it on the Lizzie Bennet Diaries feels from today. I had an entire chapter dedicated to Morgan getting the sex talk because this is a growing up story and I want you to see all the stuff to contributes to her personality changes and I personally DID change when I got it. I was treated more adult, just as Morgan says so... plus I thought it would be hilarious for Jack to be like "Oh they're going to tell you the Guardians are real... WAIT NEVER MIND ABORT ABORT BYE" but... it didn't do anything, it was really just filler and for amusement, so I scrapped it and just mentioned it. Plus it would seem to be kinda out of place. Oh, and I truly do have a plot, I'm just developing Morgan and letting her grow til I get to a point. ROSIE OUT :)**


	8. The Last Tooth

About a month from the pumpkin incident came the first snowfall. For Halloween, Morgan was dressed as Queen Elizabeth I although nobody knew who she was of course, and the kids who stopped at her house all thought the ice pumpkin was awesome. Now, in the middle of November, she was hanging onto Jack's middle as he zipped on the wind, beckoning the heavens to open forth and send some winter joy across the earth. Morgan screamed and yelped as he spun and flipped against the currents.

"I got something really cool to show you!" he promised.

"I don't want another loopy de loop!" she screamed at him. He shaped his brows into an expression of mischievousness and she knew what he was about to may not be the safest thing. "Jack, _no_. What you're planning, it's not nice!"

"Aw, come on, would I hurt you?"

"YES!"

"Would I hurt you fatally?!"

"JACK!"

"Here we go!" He swung her from his body, over an open snowy area where there had been no people to see her fall. He used his crook to start a path of ice and then shot back down to Morgan to catch her before she cracked her head open. He carefully put her on the trail and told her to sit down.

"I don't want to," but Jack pushed her so she was sitting. He started the path and gave her a good shove, so she was sliding against the slick path. Her shrieks were moderately quiet and joyful until Jack turned the ice path to go down the biggest hill Morgan would probably ever see in her life. It had an eighty foot drop and her voice hit what was probably the highest note on the music scale. Once at the bottom, the slide curved up and she flew up into the air. Her arms flapped at the moment she realized she was going to fall back to the ground. She screamed, but it lasted only two seconds. The frost boy collided with her and had her safe in his grasp.

"I hate you forever," she told him.

"I almost believe that."

"I will stop believing in you."

"No you won't."

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The next week of school was the last before Thanksgiving and Morgan was slipping away into a sleep, the teacher's voice slipping away while she remembered the story Jack told her the night before about him becoming a Guardian.

_"So this... Jamie Bennett... he saved the whole world?"_

_ "From their bad dreams, yeah. It was because of him we were able to keep going and we found the strength to defeat Pitch Black."_

_ "And that's why I had all those bad dreams? And everyone else was so grumpy?"_

_ "It's possible Peter is always grumpy," Jack teased. He had been hanging around enough to get to know the family well. Except for Aubrey, who was at college, and a small part of Morgan's little grumpiness she had been having lately. "But yeah. It's okay, we took care of him."_

_ "Will Pitch come back?"_

_ "I don't know. He's always around, but he can't hurt you if you don't fear him."_

_ "I don't need to. I got the Guardians._"

She still didn't meet Santa yet, who was apparently called North for some strange reason, but Christmas was close so she was determined to meet him then, and then there was the Sandman. The one she was worried about was the Tooth Fairy. At ten, she had one baby tooth left and one last chance to meet her... well she supposed Jack could introduce her, but she must always be busy. Unlike everyone else who only had one big holiday, the Tooth Fairy probably never got a day off. Jack said she was fun.

She asked about Jamie and Sophie Bennett. Jack really seemed to like them. He was only at her house about once a week now because he took care of the weather now, but he didn't occasionally pop in and see Jamie. He said he felt he didn't need to visit Jamie as much because he had lots of friends now and he was always out doing something, but Morgan was grateful she got so much time with Jack. Brianne was very unreliable.

"Hey," whispered her sometimes-friend who sat behind her. Morgan turned swiveled her body and looked at Bri's strangely shaped glasses she liked to say made her look distinguished. They were oval and slanted and the white frames looked terrible against her charcoal sheen of hair. "You never sleep in history."

"Jack was telling me stories again..." she explained. "Took a while."

"Again?!" she scoffed in a quiet voice. "Morgan, drop it. It was fun for a while, but my mother told me things like the Easter Bunny and Santa and the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist like three months ago."

"So you've been saying. They're all real. I've met the Easter Bunny-"

"'He's Australian'," Brianne mimicked. "So you've said."

"I will meet the others. And the Man in the Moon is real too."

"Okay, now that is _really_ ridiculous. Even when I was three I didn't believe that."

"Are you going to Romania again for Christmas this year?" Brianne's father had come to America for college and met her mother so he remained.

"No, it's too much money. Try again next year."

"Do you want to exchange gifts?"

"Do you want an ice ball or a snowball?"

"That's not funny Brianne!" she said to the cackling girl. "He really does exist. You'll see. You just need to learn to believe."

"Jack Frost is just a stupid tale!" she scoffed. "That makes you stupid too." Morgan slumped in her seat, and trying to catch up to what the teacher was saying about the French and Indian War, but she was actually feeling really stupid. She noticed long ago that there was something different about her and that was why everyone hated her, especially her grotesque drawings, but she was seeing how much she differed from everyone else when the past few days, kids were being told these beloved people didn't exist or catching their parents buying Christmas presents (and already?!) or something. She refused to stop believing. Her best friend was a Guardian, and he was friends with all the others. She put her head down and let her eyes glance up at the teacher, watching her excited expressions as she shared her vat of information.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The tiny white particle of bone glistened in her hand, blood still clinging to the roots. Her very last tooth. After this, her gap would fill in and all her teeth would be adult. She held it tightly while her mother came in to tell her goodnight.

"Your very last tooth, huh?" her mother said with a smile.

"Yeah," Morgan said breathlessly.

"That's exciting. It's a sign of growing up."

"But I don't know if I want to grow up." Mrs. Kenter took up the space beside her on the bed and stroked her hair.

"Oh, honey, I know some of the things that happened seem really scary... but there are so many things that happen as an adult that are great too."

"Mom, I'm not going to talk about sex again," Morgan warned furiously. "Once was enough."

"Oh no..." she laughed. "No, I'm done with that now. But falling in love."

"Gross," Morgan said.

"You won't feel that way in a couple of years." Morgan shoved her hand under the pillow to put the tooth there.

"I doubt it." The light went off as her mother stepped out, blowing a kiss to her. The moment she heard the door to her parents' room shut, she flew from her bed and scurried to the shelf to get her art supplies. She was going to stay awake and meet the Tooth Fairy, and she needed to be wide awake to do it. The best way to do that was to draw her pictures. She gathered her materials and threw them on her bed and started in on a picture of Joan of Arc as she burned at the stake. Her focus became very narrowed as she zeroed in on the feather flickers of the flames around the disheveled body, and – very important – drew a large crucifix standing out of the crowd in front of Joan. Her detail was spent on the gallows and less on the crowd, determined to get the shading right on the folds of her dirty garments.

A high pitched buzz tickled her ears and pulled her a way from her artwork. She looked around for where the noise came from but the room was blank. Her eyes went back to her picture, but then she heard it again. This time she snapped her neck back up and caught sight of green feathers disappeared into her toy box that was beginning to rarely get used.

"Tooth Fairy? Are you here? It's okay! I believe in you! I know I'm not technically supposed to believe in you but I see Jack Frost all the time and he told me-"

"You can see Jack?!" a peppy female voice enthused. The top of the box popped open and one of the most gorgeous females she had ever seen flew above her, her translucent fairy wings lighting buzzing in that high-pitched tone. Emerald, sapphire, and golden feathers covered her in a slimming way, as a body suit would, the colors corresponding and positioned in an artistic fashion so they faded in and out of colors. She had a bird-like nose, a little hooked, and a wonderful shade of magenta lined her eyes. As expected, her teeth were flawless. A tiny marshmallow sized version of her floated near her head, but it was less human looking and had a real beak.

"Yeah... I've been seeing him since just after Easter. He visits me once a week. Sometimes five minutes, sometimes all day."

"Oh, I just love Jack!" she squealed. "That's wonderful that you can see him! And, you've been spending time together? Wow, he's got himself a friend! Oh he's been so lonely for a long time... and of course it would be you! The kindest ever! You leave me notes! It's not often people do that, only when they want extra money. Which is a little rude."

"You're more beautiful than I ever imagined!"

"Why thank you! You really are so kind!"

"Who's that?" Morgan pointed to the mini fairy.

"Oh, that's Baby Tooth! I have thousands of these fairies! Truth is, I don't actually... um.. do this much anymore. But I personally come for your sweet notes."

"I didn't write one this time, because I wanted to meet you," she confessed. "I won't get to see you again, I think. This is my last tooth." Morgan held up the Tooth and the feathered fairy took it.

"Yeah, that is a sad point in life... but you know what? You know Jack, and you see him a lot. You could always ask him to take you to Tooth Palace..."

"Really?!" Morgan's excitement boiled up again.

"Yeah, sure! I would like to see Jack again too... he's got such wonderful teeth." The mini fairy gave a dreamy sigh, and Morgan had an internal itching of annoyance in the inside of her chest.

"Someone's a little bit in love with him."

"What?! Me, ah no... no no no... of course not, I just really like Teeth and he's got... you know, because, snow and white and frost and... the sparkling and... hey look, money!" Tooth pressed four quarters into her hand. Her attention was now on the shiny coins and Tooth sighed with relief.

"Thanks Tooth!"

"Come see me again, okay, sweetie?"

"I will! I'll bug Jack about it!"

"Counting on it!" The two fairies were able to float right through the window without opening and Morgan watched the beautiful fairies take off for another house. She thought she was wonderful and couldn't stop buzzing from her excitement of seeing her.

It really bugged her she was as fond as she was on Jack, though.

* * *

**Yes, Morgan is developing a childhood crush on our Jack. It happens. But it's not going to play a part of the story til... much much later. I think I need to go to bed now because I feel like I'm going to start getting sloppy. Good news though! I found out I work later than originally thought so I might be able to type one chapter tomorrow! See you then!**


	9. Frustrations with Learning

**Jack's not in this chapter but he will be in the next one**

* * *

The recent discovery of the usage of chalk for artistic value had created a disaster in Morgan's room. The carpet had recently become very colorful and her mother soon became slightly agitated at the rate they went through paper towels. When Morgan moved on to cloth towels, she was once again reprimanded for taking all the washcloths in the house. Tired of dealing with her mother, who she noticed was becoming more irritable the older she got, Morgan moved her chalk drawings to the kitchen table between the hours of dinner. Her father said it was all right to occupy the kitchen, as long as she had everything cleaned up by the time dinner started.

It was hard to work in the room anyway. She didn't mind the mess, but she hated how the chalk got all over her clothes and it was hard to wash out. Her mother didn't like it either. Plus, since her window had gotten fixed, she found it was colder than normal and frost often found it's way on the inside. Jack _promised_ he wasn't doing that, and he tried to pay extra attention to keep snow and frost out of it, but it didn't work. It was hard to maintain the chill and the interior of her bedroom at the same time. Eventually, they decided it was must have been poor work on the window itself, and was due to the workmanship, which Jack could not help.

Now she was trying to use the edge of an grey stick to try and create an image of the torture room in the Spanish Inquisition. Her mind was so focused on the colors she was blending she never noticed when Peter sat down on the other end of the table.

"What do you know about the Holy Roman Empire?" he asked her.

"It was holy and it was ruled by Romans and it probably had an emperor," she vaguely told him. But then she stopped her hand from rubbing against the paper's surface and her mind drifted away from her work. "Wait. Say that again."

"What do you know about the Holy Roman Empire?" Her head jolted up this time and she stared at her brother, who was definitely probably the meanest of them all, and it occurred to her he was genuinely wanting her help. However, this apparent event in history was something she wasn't familiar with.

"Nothing," she muttered shyly.

"You know nothing about it?"

"You realize there's thousands and thousands of years of history?" Todd commented as he headed to clear out the trash. "Even Historians can't possibly know everything."

"But this is the Holy Roman Empire," Peter argued. "And Morgan is the residential historical expert."

"That's not exactly something they teach kids under twelve," Todd said. "Morgan doesn't spend hours looking up random events in history on her own, she hears a snippet about something or learns it in school, and then spends all her time obsessing on that particular event."

"That's stupid," Peter grumbled. "How am I supposed to do this report now?"

"How about go to the library like everyone else?"

"This is due tomorrow!"

"Well, you should have started it earlier!" Todd barked. "You're not using Morgan to do your homework for you."

"Well, I want to learn about the Holy Roman Empire anyway," Morgan said and closed her sketchbook.

"I'm thinking that finding books for your age group on that subject will be difficult."

"That I'll find one at an accelerated reading level," Morgan stated, putting her chalk back into the box. Todd removed the trash from the bin and began to tie it at the top. He turned to the sink and ran a washcloth under the water so he could toss it over to the table. Morgan looked at him grateful and began to clean up her chalk mess.

"Do you want to go to the library, Morgan? I'll take you."

"Yeah!" Morgan said.

"Take me too so I can get this done," Peter demanded.

"I'm sure everything you need is in the textbook you never open. All you do at the library is prey on hot girls and use everything you hear from Morgan to sound intelligent. You can stay here."

"History is the most worthless subject though!" Peter slammed his textbook down in frustration. "It's in the past, who cares? It's better to pretend it never happened."

"Excuse me but tell that to the Holocaust victims!" Morgan screeched as she stood up and puffed her cheeks with anger. "Tell that to the soldiers from Vietnam! Tell that to-"

"Morgan, calm down. Those are just the words of someone who's yet to have a girlfriend who then turns around and breaks up with him," Todd said with a devilish look to his brother. He swiped a ring of keys from the hook near the door.

"Hey, that's not funny!" Peter shouted.

"I think it is!" Morgan giggled. Peter slammed his hands against the surface of the table and his eyes darted angrily between the two of you.

"You guys suck," he spat at them.

"Ignore him, Morgan," Todd told his little sister. He gestured to her to leave out the door. Before doing so, she looked back at Peter, slamming his textbook shut.

"Loser!" she called.

"Morgan," Todd warned. Morgan scurried to the car.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I don't understand some of these words," Morgan admitted, as she scanned over a six hundred page account of the whole history of the rise and fall of the Holy Roman Empire.

"That's kinda because it's a college reading level," Todd chuckled as he tossed the dusty blonde hair from his eyes.

"You're smart, explain it to me."

"I'm not... Morgan, I'm not reading 600 pages to you."

"Well, can you tell me what the Holy Roman Empire is?" she begged. Mild irritation flashed across his face when he rolled his eyes to the ceiling and blew out a small breath. He shuffled his shaggy hair around as he painfully watched Morgan.

"I don't really know. I mean I do. I know that for a while, the Romans controlled most of Europe, and that's a very basic idea of what it is, but I also remember the history being far more detailed than certain. I bet you don't even know the entire account of the American Revolution, or the War of the Roses."

"War of the Roses? I want to learn about that too!"

"Oh boy..." he huffed. "That's also really detailed. Morgan... the stuff you know, it's mostly battles and events that were really short. Think about... well okay. Think about this. World War II. How many battles about it do you really know?"

"Um..."

"Exactly. But you know about the Holocaust, and you know about Pearl Harbor and how that introduced America into the war."

"V-J Day."

"They're teaching kids about V-J Day?"

"No," Morgan laughed. "It's me, Todd. Remember? I heard Peter make a joke once that V-J Day sounded really dirty and it sounded more like-"

"RIGHT," Todd interrupted hurriedly. "I get it. You looked it up. Don't listen to Peter, he says really offensive stuff sometimes."

"I know," Morgan sighed and looked back at her book. "I just wish I could understand this."

"My point is, because of all the content and it's a lot to take in, sometimes histories of an entire topic are not put into juvenile learning books. They just put in certain events, such as The Boston Tea Party instead of writing about the whole of the Revolutionary War including the battles and stuff."

"Except the war hadn't officially started yet," Morgan reminded, taking her very comfortable mode again. "It sparked things, but it didn't-"

"I get it!" Todd laughed loudly and received a nasty look from the woman behind the counter. "What I'm saying is try not to take everything in at once. People unfortunately don;t accommodate for children who want to learn this. But maybe... we can see if there's a documentary on the Holy Roman Empire?"

"I don't have a TV in my room!" Morgan whined, flailing her arms with the frustration of not being able to learn what she wanted to learn.

"Just use the one in my room!" Todd offered. "If it's okay if I use your room to do my homework."

"Don't blame me if Peter comes in to snap a picture of you sitting with my fluffy animals."

"Hey, fluffy animals are cool. I'm not ashamed." Morgan grasped the thick book and waddled over to the crescent shaped desk, setting it on the desk. The librarian's name was Patricia and at least once a week Morgan had come in to either read some new historical book or was looking at a book while drawing. She had quickly come to realize what a strangely intense interest the girl had for history.

"Patricia, do you have any documentaries on the Holy Roman Empire?" Morgan asked and the middle-aged woman turned to her computer and began to clack at the keys.

"I do. It's a few years old. It was a part of a series about European Dynasties. Would you like it?"

"Yes please!" Morgan looked out the window at the snow started to grow heavy.

"Oh I hope I can get out..." Todd mumbled while he also watched. Patricia wrote down a series of letters and numbers with dots in between to find the documentary.

"Look up stuff on Jack Frost too! The school library didn't have anything." she demanded suddenly.

"Oh?" Patricia asked. "That's different. "You don't ever ask about fictitious characters."

"He's not fictitious!" she angrily sad.

"He's kinda become her invisible friend," Todd explained. "She is always talking about all the fun they have." Patricia was back at her computer, pounding at the keys.

"Usually kids make up the invisible friend. Not take an already existing concept," said Patricia. She moved her mouse on the screen and hummed to herself while she searched. "There's a crime show involving someone named Jack Frost."

"He doesn't solve crimes!" Morgan cried.

"A movie about him trying to ruin Christmas?"

"Lies. Next."

"A movie about a snowman."

"Jack's not a snowman!"

"There's a series about fairies and Jack Frost is mean to him. Look, there's even one about a fairy named Morgan!"

"It's possible Jack _might _be mean in a teasing way... but not that's not him."

"Well, there's this one... a boy is lonely one winter, and then he see Jack at his window and they become friends and have fun. But it's a book for really little kids."

"I don't care! That sounds really good!" Patricia wrote down more numbers and led the way between the shelves, finding the movie Morgan wanted and the thin, blue, picture book. A moment after checking them out found them on their way home once again. Morgan flipped through the kids book on the way home and found that it was a sweet story, a pretty close idea to what Jack acted like, but the illustration was completely wrong. It made him look like a white pine tree wearing a rain poncho.

On her way up the stairs, she could hear Peter pounding at his keyboard and swearing under his breath. She giggled, pleased with herself. Todd had really stepped in and taken the place Aubrey normally would have taken and left him in a state of frustration, and it served him right. But remembering Aubrey upset her a little. She tossed the children's book over to the desk and sighed, staring at the documentary in her hands. The ends of her dark waves brushed against the case and her desire. Aubrey never knew about Jack Frost, not really. Todd was nice about it, but he made it clear he didn't believe. She was certain Aubrey would never believe, but she would at least pretend to and talk to him for Morgan's amusement.

She moaned and fell forwards onto the bed so her brother in the next room – Peter – wouldn't hear her and declare her a crybaby.

* * *

**The deal with Morgan's window happened at my old house. There used to be a narrow walkway between the bed and the window and my sister used to sit on the window ledge and put her feet on my bed... and then one day her bed went through the window and it broke. Since then we fixed it but the temperature in that room was never the same because it wasn't fixed right. There is literally ice and frost on the INSIDE of the window. I'm talking ICICLES. It sucked.**

**As for the books, I did a search on my own library's website to get an idea of what a fairly sized library would have (As Harrisburg, where Morgan lives, is a pretty decent sized place, similar to where I live and probably has a similar sized library) and you can probably guess a few of them. These are all real books and the one Morgan gets is called Here Comes Jack Frost by some Japanese woman and it looks pretty cute. But the fairy series... this DOES exist and it is kinda disturbing. Jack Frost is like terrorizing all these fairies, and my library has... 75 of these books, each one about a different fairy and I swear their mission is to use every single American or Anglo-European female name in the world for these fairies. I have one with my name (EVEN SPELLED THE SAME WAY! THAT NEVER HAPPENS! :) ) and there was one that was "Kate The Royal Wedding Fairy" (wonder where that inspiration came from?) and then there was "Lucy The Diamond Fairy"... if that wasn't taken from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds I will eat my hat. And I will record myself doing so. And show you guys**.

**I want to try and give a little insight on Morgan's family too. It occurred to me that you guys don't really know them well so I'm going to try and work that in. I'm going to try to get another chapter in tonight before I need to go to bed. I probably may not get to work on more tomorrow. I work and I need to go to bed as soon as I get home because on Sunday I have an EARLY appointment to get my kitty fixed... I feel a little bad taking his manhood... :( **

**With that image, Rosie out. **

**BTW: My real name is NOT Rosie. But it is my internet name.**


	10. This is a Family

**For this chapter keep in mind: OHANA! **

* * *

Using the trick Morgan had taught him to open the door from the outside, Jack jumped into the bedroom of the young artistic historian and spotted a very different person sitting on her bed. For a moment, he tried to process the image of her older brother Todd, laying on the bed with a Calculus book open as stuffed animals gathered at his feet. He blinked repeatedly, not being able to understand what was going on. Todd glanced up at the window and tsked at it. He threw the book aside and stepped right through Jack's body. He hated it when that happened. He knew certain individuals couldn't see him, but that simple act was the most painful reminder.

"This window is a real problem..." Todd complained under his breath. He pushed at the pane and made sure it was firmly against the bottom of the sill. Jack crept away to the door, which unleashed a cry of annoyance from Todd, his complaints about how everything in the house was made wrong dying behind him. He walked down the halls and passed by Peter's room, where he heard the stabbing of keys and grumbling about history being stupid. Morgan was _definitely_ not there, or there would have been arguing. In Brad's room, he heard airplane noises. He decided to stop in and say hi to the small boy. It had been a while since he had spoken with him. He knocked at the door and then came the little boy's voice.

"Come innnnn!" Jack pushed the door open and was bombarded by Brad's bouncing up and down. "Jack, you made it all white outside!"

"Yes I did!"

"Cool!"

"What are you doing?"

"Setting up my army." He pointed to the tiny green soldiers lined up on the ground. "They're going to fight the dinosaurs." He pointed to the other group of various dinosaur statues. Jack caught his laugh and was successful in keeping his thoughts to himself.

"Why do they want to fight the dinosaurs?"

"They stole their unicorns."

"Oh," Jack said as if he understood what he was saying, but then just chuckled. "Kid, you are awesome."

"I know! But so are you!"

"Where's your sister?"

"Ohhhhhh," Bradley responded dramatically. "In Todd's room. Peter yelled at her and Todd told him to stop being dumb so she's sad." There was not a single word of that sentence that made sense to Jack. It was similar to the battle of the American troops against the Prehistoric army for the ownership of the unicorns.

"Okay, why is she in Todd's room, why did Peter yell at her, why is she sad about Todd defending her?"

"Um... well, she didn't know what the Holy Roman Empire was..." Jack could see Morgan getting upset over that. She didn't like it when everyone seemed to have a knowledge of a certain topic and she knew nothing. "And Peter wanted to know stuff about it for his homework but she didn't know and he got mad and Todd said he was being mean and he took her to the library to learn about it and she came back and then remembered Aubrey and missed her and she was all sad. She's in Todd's room because she's watching a movie and he has a TV so Todd is doing homework in her room. She's wrapped in a blanket and has her fox with her and juice and a plate of snacks mommy brought her."

"She's upset about Aubrey?"

"Yeah. I miss Aubrey too."

"Do you want to make her feel better?"

"Um... okay!"

"I think you should go in there and give her a hug and tell her you miss Aubrey too," he advised the small boy. Brad did not seem to think that was a good idea. He pursed his lips and wore a funny expression while he thought about it.

"Hugging my sister is weird."

"Nah, not really. I hugged my little sister," Jack assured coolly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, and I loved her very much. But that was a very long time ago."

"Well... I guess if you did it, and you're cool, I guess it's okay. Come with okay, though?" Brad pushed the door open and Jack followed him down the hall to the second to last door. He heard sounds of a drawling man's voice speaking very formally.

"_... Barcelona led an embassy to Parlamore, where Charlemagne was holding a grand assembly to impress the recently defeated Saxons..._" the TV speaker-drowned information confirmed that Morgan indeed was in the room before the door was even opened. Inside the room, the flashing colors of the TV was the only light and Morgan gnawed on the edge of her blanket as her eyes shifted through the imagery on the screen. Bumble was clutched between her knees and at the edge of the bed was a plate with crackers, a few cookies, gummy candy, and dried fruit. Her snacks reminded Jack of a bird's meal a little, and it didn't appear like she had eaten much. Bradley plunged at his sister and encapsulated her in a lazy hug.

"I miss Aubrey too!" he declared. "Don't be sad!"

"Augh, you weirdo why are you hugging me!?" she protested as she leaned her neck away from him.

"Because you're sad."

"I'm trying to watch a _movie_!"

"That guy is boring," Bradley said to the screen.

"You're boring."

"Morgan, come on," Jack urged. "Try being a little nicer, okay?" With one arm, she squeezed Brad. He beamed brightly and bounced off the bed, padding into the hallway and around the corner. Morgan looked over at Jack and he could feel the collapse of ice in his chest when he saw the red lining her eyeballs and the pitifully flat expression. He set his staff on the floor and made room for himself beside her. She let herself fall sideways into his lap. Ice coated her strands of hair as he tugged at her dark strands.

"When does Aubrey come back to visit?"

"Christmas," she huffed. "Seattle is so far away! Why can't she go to school in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia where she could visit us more often?!"

"Aubrey wanted to go to Seattle for school."

"But why?! It's so dumb. Why leave everyone you love?"

"Maybe she wanted to love more people."

"That's definitely Aubrey. Everyone loves her. It didn't take her long to get a boyfriend there too. She started dating him at the end of October. His name is Ryan." She shifted her head in his lap. The ice boy was impressed at her unfaltering attention to the TV and the boring narrator. It always surprised him to remember this little girl truly loved everything about history, but as he listened to the background noise, he found himself incredibly restless and wanted to do anything to get away from the dull voice relaying the events of the conquering of Europe.

"_... which would push his frontier beyond the Pyrenees. In 778, he led a large army into Spain..._"

"Stop," Morgan said lowly, reaching her hand to grab his shaking knee. "You're ruining the movie."

"I can't believe you're watching this," he said to her.

"It's interesting..." she mumbled. Even though he knew her focus was engaged, he couldn't help but there was still more to her somber tone. Aubrey leaving was really hitting her hard right now, but Jack couldn't even picture the girl's face. He looked around the room for some sort of indication, scanning over the small little display of baseball trophies and awards for math competitions. He spotted a picture of a brunette with a round face shoving a cherry pie into Todd's face and wondered if maybe that was her, despite not looking anything at all like Morgan, or her mother. When on the other wall, he saw the same girl kissing Todd firmly on the lips, he decided that most likely wasn't Aubrey.

"What's Aubrey like?"

"Super nice, fun, encouraging, happy, smart, caring, loving. I dunno, she's Aubrey," Morgan yawned. "She's studying Environmental Science. I'm not clear on what that is, but it sounds really smart and really nature-y. And Aubrey loves nature."

"Well, I love nature."

"You love nature when it's cold and wet and snowy. It's not the same thing." She fell silent again and the program continued to talk about Roldan's death and how it apparently was a huge setback for Charlemagne. Another ten minutes of subjecting himself to listen to the triumphs of the leader made him realize the small girl was sleeping in his lap. His eye roll was more irritation at not being able to move and having to listen to an incredibly boring account of how the empire came to be formed. Jack wriggled out from under her and stared at the TV for a minute to figure out how to turn it off. When he had successfully silenced the droning program, nasally sighs were quietly being made behind him. He looked back at Morgan who was still asleep, but tears still found their way out of her eyes.

"No no no no," he demanded and hopped back on the bed, taking her into a cradling position in his lap.

"Aubrey..." she sniffled. "Miss you..."

"Hush..." he whispered. "Hush..." He slowly swayed her body despite knowing it wouldn't work and hoped some type of osmosis would make her acknowledge his words.

Aubrey had only gone off to college. She hadn't died. Well, by now, Jack's sister was dead. Ice pulled at whatever kind of heart he still had. Since spending time with Morgan, he began to truly understand what kind of family they were and how they interacted. They had their problems and dysfunctions as any other family did, but he could feel love radiating between all of them. Even Peter, who was always angry at something. If he had known who he was after he died, he would have done everything possible to get her to believe in him and see him. He wanted that. He wanted a mother to yell at him when he did wrong. He wanted a father to wrestle with, as he had seen with Brad and Mr. Kenter. Most of all, he wanted a sister to protect. He wanted to be able to be relied on for advice on what to do. He wanted to play trick and have little arguments. He wanted to tell her everything was going to be all right and take care of her when she was sick. He wanted to warn anyone who dated her that they better not break her heart, and give them hell if they ever did.

He held Morgan close to him and could only think of what they felt, when he died. Where they upset? Did his mother weep? Did they find his body? That was one thing he didn't know... if his body was retrieved and he was the soul, or if he was actually his body. He felt real. He could pick up things and Morgan's body was definitely burning hot against the freeze of his own, but then again non-believers could also walk right through him. So were they able to give him a proper funeral? Or were they left knowing he was in the lake but never where? He hated that he had abandoned them. Did his sister ever get scared? Did she ever miss him as Morgan missed Aubrey? He wanted a family... needed a family. He wanted siblings to protect and fight for.

He pushed hair out of her face. She was silent now, the tears frozen on her face due to the close proximity of his cold hands. He smiled as he looked at her, hugging her close to him. Jack hated himself for leaving her like that. Who was it that looked after her? Did she ever marry? Was he good to her? Did she have kids? Was he ever an uncle? Was she happy? A plethora of questions plagued his mind, but he resisted his urge to let his emotions pour out. He teased her and they had their fights, but she was the most important person ever in his life and this scene with Morgan made him wonder if she was ever left crying in her room for him. He didn't want that, and he never wanted to do that to Morgan.

"I know I'm immortal," he whispered to her even though she wouldn't hear him. "And I know I can't promise I will always do the right thing or always make you happy. But as a Guardian I will protect you, and I will be here to listen to your problems. I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you... and if something should upset you, I will fight for your happiness. You have become a precious person to me, Morgan, and I wish you truly were my sister sometimes. I wish she could have met you. I will always be here. I will not leave you lonely... even when you stop believing in me. Even when you're eighty, I will forever keep on protecting you. It's not supposed to be that way. I'm supposed to guard the children... but you are family to me, and the one thing I have learned from watching you all is despite the grief you give each other... you stay by your family. And I will Morgan. I promise I will." He held her close to him and smiled as the little girl who had finally rid of the sadness that disturbed her sleep. For several moments he simply watched her still face, but her content with her current state also made his own eyes grow weary. He fought against it, but eventually he had to let them fall. Before he slipped away into a sleep, he faintly heard a small response. It was incredibly soft and hard to tell if it was sleep talk or conscious, but it lifted him all the same.

"I know..."

He set her down the length of the bed put his hand against her back, deciding the night could warm up a little for just one night, and fell asleep with his arm keeping a protective grasp on his family.

* * *

**I want to make a note about something I feel I should have said long ago. I personally do enjoy history, but nowhere near the extent Morgan does and I definitely can't sit and read an entire book on the Rise and Fall of the Holy Roman Empire. I actually find the Roman Empire extremely dull. Tbh, I really only enjoy British History and snippets of American History, namely the American Revolution. There are parts to European History I like but not a lot. Morgan likes EVERYTHING. Why am I saying this? I just want you to know I research most of the stuff I talk about, I don't know it from the top of my head. The stuff I can pretty much guarantee I know is anything about British History I bring up or the American Revolution. Otherwise I research it. I do thoroughly research so if you come across anything that you know is wrong or doesn't sound right or whatever PLEASE TELL ME! I don't know this stuff and I would like it to be correct!**

**The documentary Morgan is watching is "Dynasties: The Holy Roman Empire" and I quoted snippets of the real programming, found on Youtube.**

**I searched everywhere in the hopes that William Joyce had come up with a name for Jack's sister or that the mythology of Jack had a name for his sister or that is was in the credits or something. Lots of people on Tumblr seem to think it's Emma, but I can't find something to back that up. Lots of people think Pippa is her name, but that was the girl with the hat (who is voiced by the same girl.) Someone said in the mythology her name was Tanja and Jack called her Tannie but this was only on a fan's blog, and only one place so I didn't use it. So she remains nameless for now. Anyone want to direct me to where I could find her most probable name?**

**The last part wasn't creepy, was it? I was trying to make it like when you're little and you have a nightmare or you're upset about something and you ask to sleep with your mom or a sibling or something.**


	11. Making Connections

**It seems to be the general consensus that Jack's sister's name is Emma, so Emma Overland it is!**

* * *

_~Jack~_

An especially snowy morning in December found Jack in the Burgess area. It was still early hours, most kids still in bed and parents only just waking up to find their vehicles hiding under a mountain of snow. Jack laughed at the few he saw actually go outside and curse whatever deity they believed in for making them spend precious minutes scraping away the snow. He drifted on the winds and landed at Jamie's window again, knocking at the glass till the child stirred and rubbed his eyes.

"Jack?" he moaned and glanced over at the red lines on his clock. "It's not even six yet! What are you going here?" He padded to the window and pushed it out so his friend could come inside.

"Turn on your radio."

"Why?" But Jack didn't answer. Jamie twisted the knob on his alarm and through the scratchy static he heard the charismatic DJ voice. A few minutes of it was boring news reports, but then the news of the weather came on.

"... all of Pennsylvania is being covered with snow and it's still coming down in blankets. I have just received the announcement that all public schools across the state are now closed. Please check with private schools within the next hour."

"A snow day, Jack! Awesome!" Jamie cheered. Jack laughed at his enthusiasm as he bounced around the room. He grabbed his door handle and flung it open, running down the hall. "Mom! Sophie! The radio said there's no school!"

"I didn't think there would be," came Mrs. Bennett's voice. Jack walked into the hallway and looked down the stairs to where she was standing, a purple coat with a decoration of snow hanging on her shoulders. "It's really coming down hard. Unfortunately I still have to go into work so I have to find someone to watch you."

"Has dad already left?"

"Yeah, hey you should talk to your Jack Frost friend and get him to get work closed!" Mrs. Bennett joked with a smile.

"Consider it done, Mrs. Bennett!" Jack yelled down to her, despite her not being able to hear him and looked over to Jamie. "Where does your mom work?"

"The Burgess Central Bakery," Jamie mumbled, giving him a very skeptical look. Sophie's bedroom door opened and the little blonde girl toddled out into the hallway.

"Snow, lots of snow!" she said and then pointed at Jack in front of her. "Jack make it snow."

"That's right, little one," he laughed. "And I'm going to make it snow more so your mommy can stay home with you."

"Yay!" she cheered. He disappeared through Jamie's window again and drifted on the currents til he spotted the small white building with black lettering that read "Burgess Central Bakery." He glided down and ran his crook across the front and back door, leaving ice in the hinges. Next, he iced the edges of the windows so they wouldn't open and then jumped onto the roof. He slammed the end of his staff against the chimney and a pile of snow was summoned from the heavens and it shot down into the fire pit below. He watched a car approach and stoutly man emerge from it. He shuffled through the heavy snow, and Jack wondered at first who would dare venture into this even for work. Why didn't he just tell everyone to stay home?

Grunts and yells from below came from the man as he tried to open the employee entrance in the back. When it hadn't opened, he moved around to the front, which also refused to open. Attempting to open each and every window left him disgruntled and then he peered through the kitchen window and saw a pile of snow on the coals. He yelled and stomped his foot before producing a cell phone and holding it to his ear. When he heard him say something about the Bakery being closed today he grinned to himself and jumped into the wind currents again, carrying him to the Bennett house again. Once again entering through Jamie's room, he heard his mom shout from downstairs.

"Jamie! Sophie! I'm not going into work!"

"Yay!" cheered Sophie. Jack ran down the steps and into the kitchen where Mrs. Bennett had been cooking a hot breakfast. Sophie was sitting in a booster seat and tipping sippy cup to her mouth. Jamie was chewing happily on some bacon. He turned to Jack who had just appeared in the room, grinning knowingly.

"Why?" he said with a smile.

"All the doors and windows are frozen shut, I guess," said Mrs. Bennett. "And there's snow in the fireplace. That's going to be annoying to clean up later but I don't have to worry about finding someone to watch you now."

"Looks like you should thank Jack for that," Jamie pointed out.

"I will! Thank you Jack Frost!" Mrs. Bennett said to the area above her head. Jack tried not to laugh, but it escaped him in small amounts. He knew she didn't really believe, but it was more than he usually got from parents.

"Lady, I'm not like an angel or something. I don't live in the sky," he chuckled. "But thanks anyway. You can really thank me by giving me some of that bacon." Jamie took a piece of bacon and held it out for Jack who ran to take it and chewed on it greedily.

"Jack eats funny," Sophie said.

"Hey mom, after breakfast, can I go play outside? Caleb and Claude are probably building some really cool fort at their house or something! And I'll call Monty, and maybe Pippa and Cupcake will be there."

"Okay honey... as long you take your sister with."

"Mooommm!" Jamie protested. "My sister?"

"You like playing with her in the snow," she reminded.

"But not around my friends!" Abby the greyhound snuck up to Jack and tried to snatch the remainder of bacon from his hands.

"Abby, no," he said and popped the last of it in his mouth. "Do you know how long it's been since I've had bacon? Ask Jamie for some." Her pointed ears laid against her head and she whimpered sorrowfully.

"Abby..." Jamie whispered, tossing a small piece over. Abby leapt up and caught it in the air. "They'll make fun of me for having a little sister around!"

"I don't think so... Pippa might enjoy her! Cupcake would too. She likes unicorns and pretty things right?"

"Unicorns!" Sophie yelled excitedly. "Unicorn unicorn unicorn!"

"Bring her with," Jack urged. "You can play with your friends and I'll help keep an eye on Sophie." He sidled to where the little girl sat. He rearranged the bacon and the eggs and the fruit into a smiley face for her and she squealed in excitement. "We'll have fun, won't we kiddo?"

"Play with Jack!" she yelled.

"That's right, sweetie," said Mrs. Bennett, finally sitting down to enjoy breakfast with them. "Playing with Jack Frost. You're going to play in the snow." He huffed. Sometimes it could be incredibly annoying how unaware parents were of him.

_~Morgan~_

The snow had been just as bad in Harrisburg but unfortunately, unlike Jamie and Sophie's mom, Mr. and Mrs. Kenter had to go into work. All of the Kenter kids were staying at home. Peter, for once in his life, had agreed to go outside and play with Bradley in the snow, and they were currently working on a snow man. Todd and Morgan both stayed inside, each working on projects separately. Todd's however, was homework. Morgan's project was something she was preserving for Christmas. Because Todd was always a kind brother who was more than happy to share things with her, she had asked to use his computer and found that she was struggling to find what she needed.

"Todd?" she begged quietly.

"Yes, Morgan," he said while he completed a page-long equation.

"Are you too busy to help me?" she continued with shyness. He slammed his book shut and hopped off his bed.

"Of course not," he told with kindly. Morgan beamed. "What are you doing?"

"Well, a... a friend of mine..."

"Brianne."

"No. Someone else." Todd looked at her quizzically. "I made another one. A better one, actually."

"Oh! Okay, good for you!"

"Anyway, a friend of mine has um... " she searched for her words carefully. "Some articles about the death of someone, and it's really interested him as to what happened to them, if there's still family around."

"Someone who likes history. I should have figured."

"The boy's sister lived and he wondered if there's descendents still around."

"How did he get the articles?"

"I don't know. Just found them."

"Okay, well, then we need to to go to a website that traces ancestry," Todd explain, and reached over to take the computer from her. He paged through websites on a search engine and brought up a website that specialized in searching family trees and the history of them. "Okay, what do we know?"

"We want to trace the girl's family tree," Morgan said. "She was born in 1703, according to my friend. She was born in Burgess, Pennsylvania. Her name is Emma Overland."

"Okay one second..." A few clicks. "Hey look there's something! Emma Overland... brother Jackson Overland... what's this? 'Jackson Overland died at the age of fifteen while he and his sister were ice skating. He fell through the ice after saving Emma from the same fate and died shortly after, either from the cold or drowning. There are a few accounts that claim Jack Frost, the spirit of winter, is actually Jackson Overland, having been selected after his death to bring fun to children in the winter months.' That's really weird. Now you're really going to be interested in this."

"What does it say about her?"

"Well... she lived to be 73."

"Wow!"

"But she died in Lancaster."

"Why was she in England?!" Morgan shrieked as she pushed her brother over to get a good look.

"No... she... Lancaster, Pennsylvania," he clarified as he winced from her shrieks.

"Oh, why was she there?"

"Her husband was born there, it says," he read. "I assume he lived there."

"In history, often the woman was to leave her family and join her husband in his place of residence," Morgan recalled from her historical knowledge. "So is she buried there?"

"Yes. She had six children. Two sons, four daughters."

"What about them?"

"One of the daughters died of pneumonia at the age of five. One girl had no children."

"So two sons, two daughters left."

"There's a note here says the oldest son was said to have fathered illegitimate children with... six women?!" Todd read, first his eyes expanding and then reclining in his chair with a chuckle.

"Oh boy," Morgan whispered, understanding what that would have meant.

"But it says it was never truly confirmed. They... all had husbands according to this."

"Married women on top of it..." Morgan said to herself. "So he never married."

"Doesn't look like it."

"The other son had three children – all died young from a fever and his wife died in childbirth with the last one. The other two daughters married and had children. One had two, one had four. Do you need me to read anything from these?"

"Just tell me where they lead."

"Well, family trees connect to other family trees, which connect..."

"Okay, where do the direct descendants end?" Two more clicks.

"The last direct descendant of one daughter died in 1964."

"And the other one?" A couple more clicks.

"Alive and well."

"Name?"

"Well there's two. Someone must have decided to move back to Burgess because that's where they live. The direct descendant ends with Jamie and Sophie Bennett."

* * *

**I was not going to make the Bennetts a direct descendant of Emma, but there are some very good points out there that convinced me this actually was the case. Jack is really drawn to Jamie, and Sophie a little, more than any other the other kids, and Jamie is really quick to believe in Jack. If a snowflake landed on my nose the first thing I thought of would not be "Jack Frost nipping at your nose." And then there is his incredibly strong belief. But I think the thing that really convinced me was the fact they looked EXACTLY alike, Jamie and Jack's sister I mean, and in an animation I don't think that was an accident. Is not realistic to think through 300 years all of them would have stayed in Burgess so I had to move them around a bit (what Morgan said about when a woman marries a man is true. Plus if Emma, as we are calling her, died in Burgess I think he would have come across her grave by now.)**

**I will try my darndest to type up a new part and upload it tonight but I have to get to bed early so I can get my cat fixed (poor baby Crawford kitty). Otherwise, I hope this fulfills your need for the night. Rosie Posie out.**


	12. Snowballing

**Looks like I did get another part uploaded! :) **

* * *

_~Jack~_

A clump of snow flattened against Jack's face. Once a gasp of surprise left his mouth, he turned on the perpetrator and chuckled evilly. He flung several snowballs at Pippa, who squealed with a mixture of fear and enthusiasm and scurried away from his barrage of snow. Having a real snowball fight – with several people who could see him – was far more exciting than he ever could have imagined. Instead of questioning where it came from, they always retorted and that always made for a much more interesting time than looking around and staring. Most of all, he enjoyed having fun with people he cared about.

"Woo!" Sophie called as Jack missed Pippa, but knocked Caleb over into a snow mound. Cupcake laughed and Monty crept up behind him, adjusting his glasses first, and got her square in the back. He laughed, but ran around a snowman to hide from her aggressive attacks. There was a thunder of laughter from her as she formed a large snowball and aimed it for the snowman, lobbing off it's head and Monty ran away. Sophie was standing on the outside of the action, enjoying the scene of her brother and friends running around, trying to kill each other by execution of snowball.

"Don't think we forgot about you!" Jack warned, running right after her. She screeched and tried to jump away, but his icy fingers caught her in the middle and safely plunged her into a snowbank. Her mirthful cries pierced the air and Jack swore he felt a strange warmth rise up in his chest – even though he was nothing but ice and frost – at the sound of her voice. Her hands grabbed at snow and she attempted to form a lump from it. A sliver of snow with a bump in the middle was all she managed, but through her toddler eyes, she saw it as the greatest snowball. Jack slowly moved, but made it seem like he was really trying to escape, allowing Sophie's snowball to hit him in the chest.

"Uh oh! I'm hit!" he said and fell backwards into the white blanket that froze the ground. Sophie crawled onto him and poked his face.

"Silly Jack," she said. "You faking." He grinned ans shot his hands upwards, restraining her small body to his chest while she yelped happily.

"You got me," he said. "I was only pretending so I could kiss the princess!" And he smothered her with kisses all over her face. Sophie laughed in between her protests for him to stop kissing her. He eventually did, fluffing her hair while she clung to her neck.

"Sophie love Jack."

"Well, Jack love Sophie," he said, and pulled himself up with her. She climbed down from him and took his hand. They both watched the crowd pulverize each other with their frozen ammo. Jack leaned down into the snow and quickly created a couple dozen balls, gesturing for Sophie to take them. "Ready?" She nodded. "Go!" The two of them sent their friends running, screaming, and laughing all their way towards cover.

_~Morgan~_

Todd had printed out the long family tree per Morgan's request, and the sheet containing the info relating to Emma. She wished she knew what Emma looked like so she could draw her for him. It was so weird that Jack's friends, and his first believers, were actually his family. Distantly, but they were still his family. She released an exasperated sigh and fell back onto her bed, staring at the spackled ceiling above her head. What she had planned was going to take a lot of work and a lot of help.

Movement outside her window told her that Jack was arriving. She shoved the sheets of paper under her bed. She wobbled her way towards the window and opened it, but he didn't fly in. In fact, he seemed to just vanish. Morgan stuck her head out, searching the skies and streets for Jack.

"Jack?" she yelled into the wind.

"I'm around the corner of the house!" came his voice. "Come outside and bring Brad!" A little suspicious, she shut her window and called to her brother. The two hopped down the stairs and bundled up, Morgan stopping to help with his jacket zipper. Waddling from the weight of all their winter gear, they stepped out the door and Bradley cheered happily. In front of them, Jack was leaning very smugly against a familiar snowman.

"You brought him back!" Morgan exclaimed with surprise.

"Of course, I did," he replied nonchalantly. "I promised, right?"

"He looks exactly the same!" Brad said. "Jack, you're so cool."

"You're more right about that then you realize," he chuckled. "Now, to business." A white orb sailed towards Morgan who didn't even register what it was till it caused her to teeter around for a minute.

"Jack!" she squawked.

"What?" he said innocently, shoving his hands in his pocket. "I'm just minding my own business..."

"You're going to get it!" Two were flung towards Jack, each Kenter flailing one at Jack. He dodged the both of them, but never saw the one that actually wasn't aimed for him. He felt to the ground and Bradley guffawed at the wide-eyed Guardian. Mrs. Kenter, unaware that she hit someone, groaned at what looked to be a failure.

"Ugh! I was aiming for Bradley!" she yelled.

"Mom?" Morgan said. "What are you doing?"

"Having fun, what does it look like?" she asked as she balled up another wad of snow. She was charging to get out of the way, but Jack had other ideas. He sprinted to the girl and moved her right in the line of fire, ducking behind her.

"Jack Frost!" Morgan snarled to the boy behind her. Mrs. Kenter raised her arms in the air and yelled triumphantly. Another white clump exploded on Morgan's head and she stared up to see Todd leaning out his window, scraping what was left of the snow on his window sill into a ball. "Todd, that's not even fair! You're not outside!"

"I have snow, I can still participate!"

"Yes you can!" Jack said, hurling a ball in his direction. The snow smacked right into Todd's face and they watched him fall backwards in his room. Brad's laugh was now louder than ever, until Peter surprised them with a three-in-one, pinning Brad into the snow. He wailed at first, but then laughed and started on a snow angel.

"Kids!" Mrs. Kenter called. "Look!" She pointed to the blue Lincoln rolling around the corner. They looked at their mother for confirmation on what she was suggesting. When she nodded, they gave her more looks of confusion.

"What if we hit a window?" Morgan screamed, not forgetting her own history with windows.

"Are you kidding? I hate that car! If we break the windows, maybe I can convince your father to get a new one!"

"I'm on board!" Jack agreed, and began a pile of ammo, quickly forming spherical shapes in the snow. As it moved closer, the kids that were outside, and their mother, formed as many snowballs as possible. As the car turned into the driveway, with Mrs. Kenter's command, they launched their creations at the blue clunker. In a matter of seconds, the car began dotted and lined with snow, Jack, failing the most at the trunk of the car. Mr, Kenter ran away from the car, grumbling but a small laugh escaping from him. He charged into the crowd and instead of throwing snow, pushing a wad of it right into his wife's face. She laughed and then pulled him in for a kiss. The kiss ended the fight, as Peter groaned, Morgan rolled her eyes and walked away, and Bradley just made a sound that sounded like throwing up.

Jack met Morgan in her room a few moments later, watching her squeeze frozen snow out of her hair.

"You are really lucky," he said too her, sitting with legs crossed on her bed, his staff spread across his lap. "Your family is amazing."

"We have our times when we enjoy each other at all once," Morgan commented, wincing at the pulling of her hair. "It's rare though. But it was fun. Why did dad have to ruin it? Ugh, I hate it when he kisses her in front of us like that."

"I guess I don't understand what's so wrong with an expression of his feelings for your mom." She set down her brush and sat by him on the bed.

"It's because it's my parents. It's yucky. If it were your parents, you would be the same. I bet you even did."

"When I was really little, maybe, but I don't actually remember truly being grossed out by it." He shrugged.

"Of course, you've been fifteen for over 300 years now. You're stuck in an age always thinking about girls."

"That's not even true," Jack teased, grabbing her pillow and lightly tapping her with it. "Thinking about girls that way is a little different now. Dating pretty much will never happen."

"Why?" Morgan asked curiously without understanding.

"You really have to ask?" he scoffed jokingly. "The only people who can see me are those who can believe me. The only people who believe in me are kids under the age of twelve. Even if I could get a girl my age to believe in me, it would be difficult. I stay this way forever. She would grow into an adult and go on with her life. Dating me would be strange. I don't think that way because I gave up on it."

"But when you were human..." Morgan prompted.

"There was a girl I had my eye on..." Jack remembered after a moment. "Yeah she... was redheaded." Morgan raised her eyebrows. "A year younger than me. She was the minister's daughter. He thought I was a little too troublesome though."

"Did she like you back?" Morgan asked with a childish innocence. "What was her name?"

"Sybil," he recalled, and there was a small flash in his eyes of fond recognition. Saying her name seemed to stretch his smile. "And yes. She said she had something she wanted to tell me, and kissed me behind the church. Emma saw and told my mom. She was a little annoyed." He laughed at the memory, but then he stared at Morgan's bedspread. The memory was a little hard for him, in a different way than remembering his sister was. The pattern on the blanket iced over where he clutched it. He missed his sister because he knew what she was like, but he longed for something that would never happen, with a girl who was now dead.

"What about other guardians?" Morgan inquired.

"That's... I don't know, it's a complicated matter," Jack explained. "There's not a lot of us. I mean, there's a lot more than you know. I mean, spirits of childhood, not Guardians. There's about thirty of us around. That's not a lot to pick from."

"So there aren't any your age?"

"Age is a little different with us... Mother Nature is... well... she's a little terrifying to be honest, but she's just so _motherly_ it would be strange. If anyone dated her it would be..." he shuddered at the thought. "She can be kind, but not always. She's unpredictable. Katherine is actually about my age. I mean as far as what I'm frozen as but... we don't really interact. Plus, Nightlight would never let anyone near her, I don't think. They're best friends. Lucy... well, she's pretty. Gorgeous in fact but she's... a light-bearer. About warmth and lighting up the dark. I'm... cold. We're too opposite."

"And Tooth? I can tell she likes you..."

"She only likes me for my teeth..." Jack teased, but touching his mouth with a flicker of fear in his eyes. "I would like to be appreciated for more than my teeth!" Expecting a laugh, he sighed a little when she only rolled her eyes at his joke, but he figured maybe she didn't quite understand. He smirked and pulled her towards his lap. "Why are you asking about this, huh? Why do I need a girlfriend when I have you, wonderfully weird Morgan? You're better than a girlfriend."

"I'm your sister," Morgan said while poking him in the nose.

"Yes you are." He pressed his lips to her forehead and then moved away from her, towards the window. "Going to head out for the night, but I'll come by and see you later. Promise."

"You don't need to say promise all the time, you know? I believe you now." Jack smirked and stepped on the window sill.

"Oh, when I was getting that snowman at the North Pole, North talked to me. He got the letter you sent him and he said you'll be very happy." Morgan's cheeks fattened from her grin. "Also... stay up looking for him. He's planning a visit." A buzz coursed through Morgan and caused to her to be jittery. Santa was going to visit her! There was still two weeks til Christmas! How was she going to handle it? She wished Jack would have waited to tell her, this was also she was ever going to be thinking about now! Her mind ran through what it would be like to be _the _Santa Claus as Jack jumped away from the window.

She had the greatest family in the world.

* * *

**Mother Nature, Katherine, and Nightlight are all additional guardians in William Joyce's books the Guardians of Childhood (for those who haven't read the books or know of their existence. I haven't either, but I am doing lots of research for this story. I would like to though) Lucy however is not, although her folklore I think makes her a very good candidate so she's one of my own additions. She was a martyr for refusing to marry, having been burned at the stake. Dec 13 is her day and Scandinavia typically celebrates her, although other places around the world have smaller celebrations for her. She is associated with Light, and after she donated her wedding dowry to the poor and died, legend says she was later seen on a ship, with a wreath of candles and robed in white, delivering food to the poor. Apparently she is also the patron Saint for the blind, which I did not know, because since she wouldn't burn, her eyes were removed so it was easier to burn her . I apologize if my knowledge on this is skewed, my church celebrates Santa Lucia day and so my knowledge is mixed with a little research and what I have learned over the years. I really think she would be a great addition because she cared about people and died (indirectly) for doing so. Not only that, where Jack became in control of winter and ice after falling through that very thing, she also is associated with light, the thing that killed her, as well as light being associated with seeing.  
**

**I have big plans for where this is going and I wish I wasn't so busy so I could type, like, ten chapters a day! I am as dedicated, excited, and anxious for what happens in this story as you guys, my wonderful readers!**


	13. Christmas Spirit

**I _may_ have spent precious time not doing homework or typing this story to watch ROTG a third time. I already want them to make a sequel. But I don't at the same time because I'm afraid of it sucking terrible, as sequels ten to do... and it should focus around Groundhog's day, because there isn't enough films centered around that holiday. Thoughts?**

* * *

The light flicked off while Mrs. Kenter warned against staying up too late to see Santa. Morgan said she wouldn't, smiling all the way through her lie. Once the footsteps faded, she tossed up the covers and scurried to lift up the window. Having been hanging out in a nearby tree, Jack jumped right in and spun her around in a hug.

"Merry Christmas!" he greeted.

"It's not Christmas yet," Morgan reminded. "Another hour yet."

"Aubrey seems happy," Jack commented. The day before, Aubrey had come home, having spent the first week of her break from school in California with her boyfriend's family for Christmas. And it was true, she seemed to laugh at every other moment and she nearly danced when she walked. There was a glow beaming out her expression and she could not stop talking about Ryan. Even Mrs. Kenter grew tired of it and tried to switch to school a couple of times, but that ended up back to Ryan.

"If that's going to be when I date, I never want to," Morgan replied with annoyance. She played with the ears on Bumble. "I don't even know why I missed her..."

"Come on, that's not true," Jack reminded her. "Sweet older sister, always encouraging and supporting you, remember?"

"Except she would find a way to bring Ryan into it," Morgan sighed, taking the little fox and hugging him to her chest. Jack shoved both hands in his sweatshirt front pocket and pursed his lips. Morgan watching his fingers rummage around before he extracted a maroon drawstring bag.

"Forgive my wrapping," he said. "This is the first year I've given Christmas presents in... a long time..." he thought. Morgan gave him a sympathetic look, but it lasted a very short amount of time. The thought of a present to open had distracted her from trying to be kind. She tugged on the edges of the bag and tipped it, spilling out several silver and gold colored circles. They tapped against each other, and the patterning and handiwork was a little crude. She examined them closely and shouted excitedly.

"Ancient Roman coins?!"

"Well, they're replicas-" but Morgan interrupted him with the death clench she wrapped him in, shouting her gratitude. A moment of thanking suddenly led to her being quiet and shoving Jack away. She stared at him suspiciously and held up a coin.

"Wait, if no one can see you, how did you get this?" she accused cautiously.

"Calm down, I do have connections to the North Pole, you know!" he defended with a chuckle. "I had the Yetis make them for me..."

"Yetis? Instead of elves?" Jack nodded. "Well, that's a bit of a downer."

"They're pretty cool actually. I'll show you around sometime." Morgan decided to believe him and pulled him in for a hug once more. When he coughed, she released him and sheepishly laughed.

"These are awesome. I love them. They're so cool!" She walked to where her desk was and set them nearby her art supplies. "Yours is coming but I'm working on it. Did you deliver gifts to Sophie and Jamie?"

"I got Sophie a bunny that looked like Bunnymund. They're kinda pals. And Jamie got a new remote controlled vehicle."

"Awesome." Jack contorted his body towards the window, his attention being caught. His lips spread into a grin and he snatched Morgan's, dragging her down the stairs. He tugged her into the living room and placed her right in front the fireplace and he took a spot in the chair. Morgan stared at the fireplace with wide eyes until she heard it rumble. A crashing thud sounded and then black clouded the room. Morgan's hand flew up to her eyes to protect them from the soot. When the blackness drifted to the ground and the cloud vanished, she slowly moved her hand and spotted the big man she had been itching to see her whole life. He was generally the same as all his pictures said he looked like; long white beard with round cheeks and a rosy red nose, but his attire was a bit different. He wore a long red coat, as all the stories side, but the lining was brown fur and he wore a hat made of the same fur. He carried a large red sack with him and immediately began his walk to the colorfully lit tree.

"Santa!" Morgan exclaimed in a loud whisper. She covered her mouth, remembering to be quiet.

"Be right back," Jack said as he disappear from his place on the couch. Morgan barely even heard him. The big, jolly, man of gift-giving turned to her and his smile tripled the size of his round cheeks. There was definitely something of an intimidating presence to him but he also was completely friendly and... jolly.

"Morgan Kenter!" he laughed, his belly shaking.

"Oh Santa, please tell me I was on the nice list!" she begged, allowing herself to go to her knees. With meeting the holiday icon so many other children struggled to see, she regressed and appeared a lot younger than ten. "I tried, I really did." He simply laughed loudly.

"Morgan, You do not need worry so much," he told her with amusement. "True, you challenged the naughty list, once, maybe two times. But your name is on nice list."

"Oh, thank you Santa!" she called, clutching his leg. He sighed and slowly lifted her to his feet.

"In fact, I see what you do for Jack at North Pole for his Christmas present," he whispered. Morgan's eyes widened with interest. "It is very nice of you. I wish I thought of it."

"Did you bring me some cool gifts?!" she asked with a quiet voice.

"Ah ah ah," he said while he wagged his finger at her. "You find out in the morning."

"Santa...?" questioned a small voice. Morgan spun to see Jack clutching the hand of the littlest Kenter. His sleepy eyes were now popped open at the big red man.

"Thought maybe he would want to see too," Jack explained with a shrug.

"Bradley..." he said. "The last two months took you off naughty list. Very close, but you made it."

"You mean those are real?" he wondered nervously, holding his small turtle toy for comfort.

"Very real. So be better next year, okay?"

"Yes, Santa! I will!" He set the last gifts under the tree and stepped back to it them marvel the stacks crowding the trunk of the tree.

"Morgan, you give this to Peter? My idea of joke," he told her, passing over a black lump with Peter's name on it. Morgan smiled evilly and took it in her hands.

"I will."

"Jack! You make more friends!"

"Yeah, I did, North," Jack commented, now lounging on the couch. "There's more kids who can see me now. Hey I've been better this year. Do I get gifts?"

"You still make top of naughty list," North answered.

"Ah, figures. Well, I'll probably be there for a couple more decades yet."

"Wouldn't be Jack Frost otherwise." The big man gave both kids a pleasant bow and made to tuck back into the chimney. "It has been pleasure." He spied the cookies and milk that were waiting for him on the mantle and munched the three of the small round things down quickly, and drowned the milk in one sip.

"Thank you Santa!" said Morgan excitedly.

"Thanks Santa!" Bradley said, waving obnoxiously. The man popped back up the chimney and they heard clopping of reindeer on the roof. Shortly after was the sound of a couple dozen bells and then his trademark "Ho ho ho!" Morgan grabbed her brother's hands and they jumped up and down together, declaring their mood through hushed yelps.

"Morgan? Bradley? You two are waiting for Santa Claus, are you?" came the voice of their mother. A moment of embarrassment and guilt snapped them back to what they were supposed to be doing and Jack pushed them upstairs. He held back Brad's covers and let him jump in, then found Morgan crawling into bed and pushed back her covers.

"What are you doing for Christmas, Jack?" she asked with concern lining her curious tone.

"Go back to the pond, I think," he stated calmly, but he couldn't hide the bit of sadness.

"I don't think you should be alone on Christmas..."

"Well, I'm not going to bother anyone on Christmas. My gift to everyone, I guess. Unless some family gets involved in a big snow war or something. I might join in then, but I'm letting people be alone with their families."

"I think you should go and visit Jamie again," Morgan told him slyly. "They would like to see you."

"I just saw them yesterday though." She shrugged. "All right, well... I will then. Because you want me to."

"Santa's name is North?" she asked, remembering what he had called him.

"Nicholas St. North, yeah. It's a part of his last name."

"Huh. So Claus isn't in Santa's name at all, The Tooth Fairy is more birdlike than I thought, the Easter Bunny is a little scary and Australian..." Jack guffawed at her comment about Bunny. "Anything else I should know?"

"Yes, you need to get to sleep." He lifted the window and called. "Sandy!" Jack backed away and someone shoved themselves through the opening. He was an incredibly short, incredibly round man made of the most vibrant golden sand imaginable. He seemed entirely made of sand, even his hair which stood up in straight stick. But he had a very expressive face which Morgan adored as he looked at her with innocent delight.

"This is the Sandman?!" she squealed.

"That it is," Jack said. "Gonna take off and leave you alone for 24 hours Morgan. See you later, though, and Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Jack!" He stole out her window and she focused on the Sandman now, who was conjuring up some glittery sand.

"Can I request a dream?" The Sandman smiled and nodded at her. "I want to dream that Jack was alive... and really was my brother." For a moment, Sandy dropped his sand while his mouth opened at her response, but then he shrugged and formed another ball of sand. He let the sand drift from his hand gently and float towards the girl. The moment, the rope swirled around her heard, weights pushed her eyelids down and images of Jack, with brown hair instead of white, filled her mind and she watched him rejoice when she was brought home from the hospital, helped her walk and talk, saw her off on her first day of school, comforted her when she skinned her knee as she tried to learn to ride a book, and helped her with her English homework. It was one of two things on her Christmas list that Santa – or North, rather – could never make come true. The other was bringing Emma Overland back alive.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Christmas did go smoothly. Morgan received more art supplies, books, and films on her favorite subjects in history and a few girly and cute things she requested as well. Her parents received many household goods, where Peter received video games, posters, and some movie collectibles. Bradley got a lot of things having to do with outer space (he was currently on an outer space kick. Last year it was dragons) Todd got things for his car, a book of math problems, and some sports memorabilia. Aubrey received clothes and food, and anything else a college kid needed all the time. But Christmas had not distracted her from what she planned for the next day. All through the meal, she tried to listen, but grew silent with her plans she was conjuring in her head. When everyone was chewing at once during their large meal at her aunt's place, she leaned over to Todd and softly spoke to him.

"Did you have plans with Hannah tomorrow?" she prompted, referring to his three-years-in-a-row girlfriend.

"No, we spent our Christmas yesterday," he told her. "Why?"

"Do you feel like lugging your little sister out of town?"

"Sure," he laughed, taking a sip of the cherry cordial. "Is it time to go to the Unknown Historical Artifacts Society again?" Morgan had a goal of going to a hardly-known small institute that presented found artifacts from nearby towns in Pennsylvania. It was only about twenty minutes away."

"Listen... it's for the thing I'm working on," she told him cryptically.

"The tree?"

"Yeah, that. I would like a ride to Burgess."

"Burgess!" he choked out. "That's an hour away, Morgan!"

"I know, I'm sorry..." She could have cried from the pain of the guilt she felt. "But it's incredibly important."

"Are you going to see that family?"

"Yes."

"Ahh... I suppose. I can bring my equations book and wait in the car for you..." he responded in defeat.

"Todd, you're like, the best brother ever."

"And I hate it," he grumbled jokingly with a wad of food in his mouth. So when the meal finished, Morgan snuck to the corner office in her aunt's house and pulled up the sites she had been perusing. She used the information of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett to look up their phone number quickly and then punched it in on her aunt's phone by the computer.

"Hello? Bennett residence?" came the voice of a woman who was probably in her early thirties. She sounded a bit confused and irritated at being called on that particular day of all days.

"Christina Bennett?" Morgan asked, her voice cracking with her confidence. She was not used to talking to strange adults on the phone.

"Oh?" The voice softened at the recognition of a younger voice. "Yes, this is she. Is that you, Pippa?"

"What? No, my name is Morgan Kenter. I live in Harrisburg I'm... a pen pal of Jamie's."

"I didn't know he even had a pen pal..."

"Well he does... anyway I need to speak to him I..." she breathed anxiously. "I forgot to call yesterday and I was supposed to. I need to talk to him."

"Hold on..." she heard muttering at a distance. "Morgan... pen pal... call..."

"I don't have a pen pal..." She heard Mrs. Kenter get on the phone again.

"He said he doesn't have one."

"Well... he does, we just haven't been writing long... tell him it's the one Jack introduced him too!"

"Jack... friends..."

"Oh that one!" came some recognition from the other voice. The muffled sound of the voice being passed over echoed and then Jamie's voice came on the phone. "Hello."

"Jamie! My name is Morgan..."

"You mean Jack Frost, right?!" his tone was more hushed now.

"Yes... is he with you right now?"

"Yeah, he's hanging out upstairs."

"I don't know if he told you about me..."

"He did a little. Said you like history."

"I do. Anyway there's something very important I found... doing history research. Both of you have to see it. My brother is driving me to Burgess tomorrow. Is it okay if I come to your house?"

"Hang on..." A clunk as the phone was set down. A few moments. "Yeah, that's fine."

"Don't tell Jack though! But do tell him to come to my house tonight."

"Okay. Merry Christmas Morgan." A yell for Morgan from downstairs traveled into the office.

"You too. Bye!"

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**My fingers are already itching to write the next chapter, but I have a show to watch yet, and I'm so tired from having an early appointment today to get my cat fixed, but I may not be able to get something up tomorrow because I have to write like three papers and I am so conflicted and asdfghjkloiuytrewqasxcvbnmkl iuy76t5r4e. Blegh. See what happens I guess.**


	14. A Final Rest

The floor was beginning to grow warm from all the walking Morgan did back and forth. A gust of wind whistled past and she glanced up to see Jack landing on her windowsill. He swung his feet around, ready to come inside, but Morgan was already pulling herself up to his lap.

"So you're talking to Jamie now? How did you get a hold of his number and – argh, what are you doing?"

"You are going to fly to Lancaster and you're taking me with you."

"Lancaster, England?!" he guessed with an argument already forming why this was a terrible idea. Her hand swiped the back of his cold, spiky hair. "Ow!"

"No, you nitwit. Lancaster, Pennsylvania!" she chastised.

"Nitwit?"

"Just go." Jack shifted the girl on his back and pushed off of the window and into the current. She wrung her hands while tightening her arms around his neck. He coughed from her nervous grip but refrained from saying anything to her. Whatever Morgan was after must be pretty important to trace Jamie's number down, make sure Jack knew to be there, and sneak off in the middle of the night without any kind of hesitation.

"Why are we going to Lancaster?" Morgan removed a folded sheet of paper from her pocket with one hand, tightening her grip with other hand. Jack hacked, attempting to catch his breath. Her elbow nudging his face. "Uhh..." She stared at picture she drew, using her aerial directions to guide her.

"Can we turn over here?" she gestured to a wooded area.

"Yeah but can you..."

"Do it."

"Ok-ay!" he shouted, and turned against the current, slowly floating down. The closer they glided towards the wooded area, the more Jack realized it was actually less wooden than it originally seemed. There were greyish blocks in sequential order in the opening between the trees. "Is that a cemetery?"

"Just go towards it."

"Why are we going towards a..."

"Jack!"

"I am starting to see the resemblance between you and your mother." Morgan rolled her eyes but silenced herself as Jack landed in front of the headstones. "Isn't it illegal to be in a cemetery after dark?"

"Nobody can see you and as my big brother, you will protect me," she stated plainly, hurriedly starting down the path that had been thinly veiled with snow. Several of the headstones in the front had fresh flowers sitting at the foot of them, and had names cleared of snow. The further they walked down the path, the fewer tombstones had flowers in front of them, and many of the ones that did have flowers. Some of the tombstones had bouquets that were thin, dried, and lacking in petals. The names were now covered in snow and the craftsmanship of the stones were not as glossy and looked a little eroded. While Jack continued to question her motives, Morgan kept her eyes on the stones, watching as they grew much more simplified in detail and weathered. She turned down the path quicker than Jack could process what she was doing and then jogged to catch back up to her. She scanned past the stones, her eyes darting over every name unfamiliar to her. Then she spotted one. The one. Her pace slowed and she puckered her lips in thought. Her eyes were fixated on the stone, but she now had her ears open to Jack's words.

"I understand you like history," he was saying. "Some of this tombstones might be interesting to see, but why in the middle of the night? You get a little crazy sometimes when it comes to history and facts, kiddo, I'll admit that, but this is a little bit-"

"Jack, I brought you out here for you," she interrupted with a voice a little too mature sounding for a ten year old.

"What do I want with a cemetery?" he almost laughed.

"Because this is your sister's final resting place..." Her response came in the most silent of voices, but the answer seemed to be the loudest thing Jack had ever heard in all of his 300 plus years.

"What?" His voice was short and quiet, barely even a question and more of a request for clarification. The gentle snow fell against the ground and the silence was great enough that every individual flake could almost be heard hitting the ground. Morgan took a generous amount of the icy air into her lungs before shifting to star at Jack. He seemed younger in his nearly paralyzed state, looking to her carefully to search for an explanation.

"When Emma married, she moved here. She was 19 years old. She had six children. Two boys, four girls," she informed with a slightly somber tone. "Her husband's name was Joshua Pearce. He was a doctor."

"I was... an uncle...?" Jack carefully said. The word "uncle" seemed to catch on his tongue and he panted heavily, a smile struggling to appear on his face. "To six kids...?" A gentle smirk broke on Morgan's face.

"Her headstone..." She extended an arm to the rounded slab of granite sitting at the end, third one in. "It's right there..." Jack did not move. For a moment, Morgan wondered if his body of ice had finally merged with the rest of the snow. Then his left foot raised and he began to sluggishly move in a daze to the stone. Jack stared at the stone, scared to really let himself believe what Morgan was saying, but his eyes traced the writing and it did indeed say Emma Pearce. The birth date, 1703, confirmed Morgan's words and he slid against the snow in front of it, falling to his knees with emotion collapsing on him. Morgan appeared behind him. As a young child, she was still unclear as to what helped made people feel better when someone they loved died, but she put her hand on his shoulder. She barely noticed when the ice stabbed her hand as he reached over and placed his hand over hers.

EMMA PEARCE

1703-1776

_Loving wife,_

_Loving mother_

_On this day 15 September in the year of our Lord 1776, Emma Pearce joins her husband, Joshua Pearce, parents Annalise and Henry Overland, and her brother Jackson Overland in the Kingdom of God_

"It is her..." Jack muttered through gasps for air. Icy patterns of ferns appeared over the stone as he touched his name "joins... Jackson Overland... that's my name..."

"She lived a very long life for her time."

"She probably never had any fun and cheated death..." Jack teased. He swung his body to face her and a thin coating of icicles rimmed his eyes where he had been attempting to cry. "How did you find her?"

"Todd's computer knowledge and my love of history..." she stated. "I just remember hearing these stories on TV about people finding out their history through websites and thought maybe I would try it." She sat down in the snow beside him. "I thought, this way... at least you get to see where she was buried."

"It was a... a really good idea..." he uttered, words failing him. His fingers formed more ferns of ice against the name of her husband. "I don't suppose it told you if he loved her?"

"History is only facts, Jack. Unless a diary or letters are found, it is super hard to find how people felt about other people," she told him. "I can keep looking. I think it's fun. If you want me to. I just don't know where I would start looking. I like history but I am not a historian or an arch... an archy... and archa..."

"Archeologist."

"Yeah. I'm not one of those," she told him sadly. "Pennsylvania has gone through many things in 300 years."

"He better have loved her," he mumbled a little aggressively. "And he better have loved her a lot. Emma deserved nothing less."

"I don't know that. I'm sorry, Jack," she apologized.

"Don't apologize." Jack struggled to get his normal voice back, clearing ice particles from his throat. "You have done more than I could ever imagine." His arm extended around and squeezed her firmly. "I picked the best person to call family." Morgan beamed brightly and then stood up.

"I'll leave you alone for a sec." Her feet could be heard making soft crunches against the wet, white earth.

Jack rocked himself in front of the stone that had his sister's name clearly etched, despite being rubbed down by winds and rain for a couple hundred years. He knew the first part of her life, had burned into the front of his mind and since finding out who he was before he was Frost, memories of her played through his brain every day. Now he had an ending, and she lived so long for her time. He imagined what was in between. Often marriages were business arrangements, but he hoped, needed even, for her marriage to have been full of love. He refused to accept any other ending out of her life. Then he thought about her children, and what they would have been like. If he had known his previous life before, he would have given them the greatest snowball fights ever, performed every trick humanely possible to get them to see... and then get their mother to see. He wished he would have known before.

He exhaled, knowing that nothing could be done about it, and Emma lived life the way she was supposed to – full and natural. She was warm-bloodied, not made of ice, and had a family. She was a fantastic mother, he knew that much of her. She had a husband who hopefully loved her. She lived and she died in old age. Unlike him. He could only feel happy for her. TO wish her to be with him now only seemed selfish, and she wouldn't want him to sit and think about what ifs or blame himself for anything. So with a satisfied curve of his lips, he touched two fingers to them and then pressed his kiss to the top of the stone.

"Good-bye, my little goose..."

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**I don't know if it's pathetic that I made myself cry but I did. I really wanted to get this chapter up, but now I really need to get to sleep. Rosie Out.**


	15. Reclaiming Family

**I would like to say to user who's name was put as simply "O.o" for pointing out my completely atrocious grammar mistake in an earlier chapter! I know there are probably many scattered (I type incredibly fast so I don't always catch them. I do reread but it's so easy to miss stuff in your own work) throughout my work, so if you find one please tell me! I really want to find my mistakes!**

**You guys are fantastic, have I say that enough yet? No? That I will say you again. YOU. Are fantastic. YOU ARE BLOODY FANTASTIC and I love each and every one of my readers.**

**Right now it is just barely 3-26, and I have a story due on Wednesday 3-27 for Creative Writing. My mind is full of ideas for my fanfiction but not my assignment. My assignment is a 3 page story about a character accepting a ride from a stranger and what happens then. If you give me an idea and I use it, I will create a cameo character of you for my story :) Let's see if I get any. (Please don't make it a kidnapping. I don't want it to be something incredibly common). IdrilPuck, you don't get to play, sorry. I usually end up putting you as a cameo in every one of my stories. Sometimes you become an even bigger character. So sorry, because it will probably eventually happen anyway for you.**

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All the way home, Jack had been incredibly quiet, but it wasn't the kind of quiet that told her he was furious through the tenseness in his cold skin, or that he was sad by how close he gripped her to his back. His head was not bent to tell her he felt guilty, and he had not been looking around anxiously to indicate he felt awkward in anyway. Instead, his shoulders eased below her grip around his neck. Occasionally, he would knock her foot with his hand to teasingly remind her to not hold too tight. When they first set off, he had been very solemn, but now he was just seemed so relieved, and that was exactly how Jack felt. A 300 year old pressure that had been suffocating his intestines had vanished. He felt lighter as he jumped across the wind. Morgan had helped decongest his guilt and worry.

She fell asleep before they reached her window, and Jack offered an eye roll and a chuckle she was not aware of. Treading across her carpet carefully, he positioned himself over her bed and shook Morgan off his back. Unattractively and with very little grace her body slumped onto the bed and he grimaced at the noise he had made through her. He leaned over and pushed her arms so the fell over the side, making it only slightly easier for him to remove her coat, which he was successful in doing despite the mini fight it gave him. Tossing the lumpy winter wear to the floor, he moved on to remove her boots and took them in his hands. Jack's finger's formed frost on the trim of her comforter as he threw it over her. For a second, he was concerned about her getting a little frostbite, but the warmth of her skin instead melted it quickly away. For the final touch, he set the small fox by her shoulder and then collected the outerwear he removed from her.

A part of him buzzed with slight anxious at the idea of someone coming out of their room and seeing Morgan's coat and boots floating above the steps. He reached the bottom and quickly set her boots on the rug by the door and flung her coat on the rack. At the squeak of a door opening and the sound of Mrs. Kenter's voice whispering, he flung himself back up to Morgan's room and disappeared once again out her window.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

Her parents never suspected that she had left in the middle of the night. She was so proud of herself, Morgan began to come up with plans for doing it again and where she would go. Maybe Jack could even stretch it and get her New York and back in a night. Of course, even though he liked to stretch rules, he would probably never do such a thing. New York could be incredibly scary for a girl of ten all on her own. Well, she wouldn't be alone, but nobody else knew that.

Once again, Todd answered his cell phone with a voice that was about two octaves higher than his normal voice. That was his happy voice. And not just his happy voice, but his Being-Sweet-On-His-Girlfriend happy voice. He only used it when he was being especially flirty with her and it got incredibly annoying. She plugged the ear buds of her brother's mp3 player into her ear. She had her own, but until she was older she wasn't allowed anything over two gigs, and she wanted room for her audiobooks.

Her audiobook had only reached the start of the War of the Roses when her brother's reliable but clunker of a car drifted into the driveway belonging to a deep red house, that had a foundation slightly similar to a barn. Morgan clutched the folder with her papers to her chest and waddled to the front door, ignoring her brother's sharp requests to shut her door. The harmonious ring of the doorbell was followed by a kind woman, at least ten years younger than her own mother, greeting Morgan at the door. Her short brown hair was tied back and she had glasses similar to Aubrey's.

"Are you Morgan Kenter?" she asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Bennett."

"It's so nice to meet you!" Morgan felt a little uncomfortable. Her tone of voice made Morgan feel like she was a small, fluffy animal.

"You too."

"Uh... well, you can just head on upstairs if you like. Jamie is the second door on the right. Is that your brother?" She looked past Morgan to the athletic built man leaning against his car, He was still on his phone and shuffled the dusty blonde from his eyes. He nodded to Morgan and pulled his phone down from his ear. Morgan rolled her eyes again, sensing Todd approaching them. Todd was so adult-like, going to talk to the parents while the kids played. Even though a playdate is not the reason Morgan was there. Recognizing her instructions to Jamie's room as an invitation to come in, Morgan walked past Mrs. Bennett and looked around for a staircase. She climbed up it and pushed open the door that she was told was Jamie's. As she opened it, she heard an incredibly familiar voice and an only slightly familiar voice caught up in details about the Christmas dinner enjoyed just the other day. Jamie was saying something opened his Uncle Greg accidentally dropping the casserole and how Abby humorously eats everything.

"She was so sick after that!" Jamie laughed, but there was some sympathy in his voice. "Poor girl was up all night throwing up! She only started feeling better this morning..."

"She looks like it exhausted her..." Jack was looking at the greyhound curled up peacefully in the corner. He watched a pudgy body under a mop of brunette enter through the door. He twitched at her entry, a little startled but mostly surprised. "Morgan! What are you doing here... and how? Do you know each other?"

"Not until recently," Morgan admitted, looking to Jamie for permission to sit on his bed. He nodded and she climbed onto it. "I arrived here with Todd. He drove me. I came here – oooh, this is extra bouncy!" She lightly moved her legs so she made a jumping motion with her body but her feet never actually left the bed. He only smiled at her. "Anyhoo, I came here to give you your Christmas present, and I wanted Jamie to be here too."

"Why?" Jack asked. "And I thought the cemetery was my gift." When Jamie did not seem confused, Morgan assumed Jack told him.

"Partially," she told him cautiously. "But this is the real one." With a real jump this time, she folded her legs underneath her and landed in a sitting position on the bed. The folder in her hands flew open with the turn of her thumb and she spread out the documents in front of her. "You see Jack, I love history and-"

"Really?" he voiced with a sarcastic grin. He propped his staff up against the wall and smugly crossed his arms. "You were the last person I ever expected to like history."

"Quiet," she told him fiercely. He chuckled at himself. "Anyway, something got stuck in my head. About your history Jack. And I thought about it a lot."

"And because it involves history, you could not let it go until you looked it up," he recited. "I'm aware of the pattern by now."

"Anyway, Todd helped me because I stink at computers and finding stuff online. I like books better. It's all together in one source. Only minutes of searching instead of hours." She looked down at her papers and suddenly found oxygen clinging to her esophagus, from more anticipation than anything else. "He went on this thing where he was able to track people's ancestors." The word ancestors made Jack perk up and he screwed up his brow, a sign that he was listening intently. "This is how I knew all the stuff about your sister, but it also told me something else." She handed the several sheets of his family tree, and pointed out each sheet to him. "This is the first page, this is the last. If you follow the branches up from your sister, the expands out, but eventually, as far as direct descendents go, it ends. Except for this line heading straight up." She pointed to the line extending from Emma, flipped through the papers to demonstrate how the lines kept going up, and then prodded at the last page. "Look at the last direct descendents right there." Before she had ever said anything, Jack's eyes had already grown twice their normal size. His eyes of frozen cyan seared into the names at the top of the page. A hushed rattle sounded from the cracking of the icicles formed on the edge of the paper from his grip. His expression did not change from his fallen jaw and saucer eyes for two minutes. Impatiently, Jamie drummed his knuckles on the robot toy near him.

"This isn't possible..." Jack finally responded. He brought the paper closer to his expanded eyes, believing he was reading it wrong. "I mean it's... out of all people..."

"Could someone tell me what is going on?" Jamie demanded. Jack thrust the paper at him and it became a little damp as the frost melted in Jamie's hands. His eyes grew wide, although nowhere near as wide as Jack's, and he looked up at the frozen over boy in front of him, a toothy grin pulling at his cheek.

"Wait, so this means... this means..."

"Jack, you are Sophie and Jamie's great great great great great great great great great great great great great great Uncle!" Morgan declared, as if she was Oprah saying that they all won free cars. After saying that, her tongue ran over her teeth. That word was starting to sound weird in her head now.

"You're my uncle?" Jamie squeaked for confirmation.

"Very distantly, but yes! We're family!" Jack shouted, running to the boy and swinging him into a tight bear hug.

"We should tell Sophie!" Jamie cheered, and the boys and Morgan ran into the hall, bursting through the door into the sunshine and happy pink room, trimmed in a few dozen butterfly decorations. The toddler was caught off guard moving her plastic mini people around in her magenta dollhouse. Their enthusiastic cries terrified her with their suddenness, but their excited tone was contagious and soon she too was bouncing with joy, even though she had no idea why.

"Hey, my butterfly princess!" Jack greeted, picking her up from the bed to spinning her quickly into a dip and pulling her back up again. Morgan bit the inside of her lip to ignore the pull of jealousy below her sternum. She wanted to be the one Jack called princes. She puffed her cheeks and told herself it was stupid to be jealous of a little girl, practically a baby still.

"Jack!" she laughed.

"Guess what?"

"Bunny?!" she wondered excitedly. She was asking if the Easter Bunny was there.

"Too early for that, I'm afraid." He tossed her up in the air a few inches, nothing too dangerous. "No! Remember when I told you I was really old? Older than your grandparents?"

"Yeah!" Sophie seemed to think this was why she should be excited. "Because you magical!"

"Well I had a sister a long long long time ago."

"She magical too?"

"No, she's not magically, so she's not here anymore. But she had kids, and they had kids, and they had kids, and they had kids, and they all kept having kids!"

"Many kids."

"That's right!" he praised and plopped onto Sophie's bed with her in his lap. "And there was lots of kids until now and guess who the kids are now?"

"Who? "You! And Jamie!"

"Me?" Her lips contorted into a smile with a pink flush in her face.

"Yes! That means I am your uncle. Sort of. But your uncle from a long time ago!" Sophie did not seem to like this idea. Her lips turned so she now wore a out and a thin glossy moisture coated her eyes. "What's wrong, Soph?"

"Um... I... Me not Jack's princess anymore..."

"Oh, no no no, Sophie, that's not true!" he told her quickly before the waterworks started. He squeezed her small body against his chilly chest, feeling her shiver beneath him. "It doesn't matter who I am or who you are. You will always by my princess. My Butterfly Princess!"

"Yay! Sophie princess!" Her tears cleared up instantly and she pressed her lips to Jack's cheek.

Jack's celebrations pleased Morgan. A soothing warmth bubbled up in her chest, but it was conquered by a stone dropping from her throat and falling into her gut. She could feel the heavy weight pressing against her muscles while she realized that Jack was now with his family – his real family. Now that he had them, he had no use for her. He probably wouldn't even care anymore. With Jamie, it wouldn't have been so bad. But he had Sophie. He had a little princess, he didn't need another one... and Morgan was not sure if she liked being his favorite historian forever.

While they reveled in their celebrations, she went back downstairs to see if Todd would take her home.

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******So if you are going to do my little contest, just PM me so no one else sees it! :) If I end up not uploading another chapter tonight, please don't hate me... I had very little sleep last night so I am considering passing out after I upload this... Or I night put on ROTG again and fall asleep to it... Dunno yet. Anyway, love and chocolate chips and fleece sweaters and chinchillas to you all. Rosie out... and maybe sleeping.**


	16. I Chose You

**I actually did not want to type this chapter. I am incredibly sleep deprived but I got all my homework done, I still had time... I could have gone to bed early but I could not do that to my readers. I think mainly it's because I've been stuck in the month of December FOREVER and I really want to get out of it. **

**Just so you know I am going into February after this, skipping some time. Very soon, Morgan will be eleven. And that's not going to last long because in my plot nothing happens while she's 11. Not much anyway. Stuff is really going to start going down soon though. Just bear with me for a few more chapters.**

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When Morgan had gone missing with Todd, Jack's icy skin tingled with worry and the conclusion that Morgan must have been upset with him. She didn't often get upset with him, but he understood that as girls got older they seemed to also get a little moodier. When he reached her window, she was already in bed. He took this to mean she purposely went to bed in order to avoid speaking with him. He decided to talk to an expert, someone who understood how little girls worked. So he tossed himself up into the currents and the wind carried him the long way to the Tooth Palace. It was a magnificent place. It was located in the most dangerous parts of a mountain range, where it was rough and jagged, but it was a sight to take in. The sharp mountain tips jutted beyond the sky mist, and the Palace itself was grander than many of the royal places on earth. The palace was composed of several hundred bulbs and pillars painted with the most brilliant of purples, and a little fuchsia in the mix. The lining, accents, and tips of the various attachments to the palace was of a hypnotizing gleam of gold. The palace itself was suspended, so its attachments could jut or stick out every which way. Green and blue small fairies were zipping through the palace to reach Toothiana, who was examining the teeth they brought to her from kids all over the word. Her voice was raised and speaking at a rate about three times faster than an average person, as happened often with her when it came to teeth.

"Oh, it's a bicuspid that seems to have come out using the whole string on the doorknob method!" she declared as a fairy with a similar appearance to a hummingbird held it in front of her eyes. "Wait! Florida, Tallahassee, Oak Street. Go!" An excited chirp greeted Jack before a small fairy flew him with a delighted grin. Like all the other small fairies flitting around, she was small and a green-blue color, but there was a single golden feather on the top of head, unlike the rest of them and more like Toothiana.

"Baby Tooth!" he chuckled as the small fairy nuzzled his cheek. He stroked her feathers with a single finger. The queen was now facing Jack, her wings twitching with apprehension. She shot towards him and fastened her arms to him in an embrace.

"Jack, it's wonderful to see you! How have you been, what have you been up to, are you taking good care of your teeth, let's see them..." As she spoke, she grabbed the skin that blocked what she considered to be a visage of perfection. She sighed forlornly at the frost-like sparkle reflected in all of his teeth. He protested, but they merely sounded like like grunts while Tooth raped his mouth with her fingers.

"Ooth!" he eventually shouted as best as he could.

"Oh, I am so sorry Jack, but they are just so hard to stay away from!" she apologized with a blush on her cheeks. He rotated his jaw to try and get rid of the feeling.

"That might be a crime in so places."

"Sorry..." He stepped into a small gazebo attached to palace and Tooth fluttered around him.

"I don't think Morgan's happy with me, and I really don't understand why," he said, kicking at absolutely nothing. "She gave me a Christmas present, which was tracking down my sister's descendant's, and-"

"Wait a second, Morgan found your sister's descendants?!" Tooth squealed. "This is amazing Jack who are they oh I bet they're amazing they must be to be related to you you have a family now that's so great I can't-"

"TOOTH! I. Am. Talking!" he interrupted with irritation forming around his eyes. Her wings stopped buzzing so incessantly and she lowered herself to the ground sheepishly. A nervous smile was plastered onto her face.

"Sorry. Continue."

"If you must know they strangely enough happen to be the Bennetts."

"That's actually not so strange."

"It's not?"

"Think about it," Tooth said, crossing her legs in a ladylike way. "You were drawn to Jamie more than anyone else, and you wanted to be the one to take care of Sophie. Jamie believed in you so quickly and he believed harder than anyone else. That connection was fused in his blood." Jack nodded in consideration. "Anyone, what did Morgan do?"

"Well, she wanted to tell me that the Bennetts were my family, but then when we went to tell Sophie – as best as we could – she was gone shortly after I told Sophie she was always going to be my princess."

"Ahhhh..." said Tooth in understanding. A teasing grin pulled at her face and Baby Tooth laughed.

"You understand?"

"More than you could ever imagine," Tooth laughed. "You see, it's not uncommon at all for young children to develop innocent crushes on someone they look on fondly, someone who takes care of them and is always there for them. Since they take care of them, they trust them more than anyone else. Usually it doesn't truly mean anything. It's innocent and they have yet to learn enough about the world to really understand how crushes and relationships operate. It's the exact same reason really small children say they want to marry one of their parents."

"So... wait... are you saying she has a crush on me?" Jack's face was contorted in a way that told Tooth he was a little disturbed. She laughed at his expression.

"Yes, Jack," she said and Baby Tooth nodded. "Don't worry about it, it will go away. She's upset because of a little jealousy. Even though she knows she has no reason to be jealous with Sophie only being two, she doesn't like anyone else being called Princess. She probably wants to be the only one."

"I call Sophie that because she likes Princesses," Jack explained. "I didn't think Morgan did. I call her my favorite historian."

"But historian is not typically a term of endearment," Tooth reminded.

"That's... a little weird that she likes me. I'm... fifteen and she's... ten."

"Age does not always matter to a child," Tooth explained. "They don't see it. Besides it... it doesn't hurt that you..." she chuckled nervously. "You look... well, you have... you're quite the, um, weeeelllll..." Her red face looked incredibly strange among the blue and green feathers around her face.

"Tooth," he started dully. "I know you and your fairies find me attractive so you can stop trying to hide it."

"I did not... we never, what gave you that idea?" Tooth quickly tried to say while her eyes darted around nervously. Jack rolled his eyes. "You have beautiful teeth, that's all."

"Uh huh." he responded through an unconvinced tone. "What do I do then?"

"Talk to her, and then just act normal. It will fade eventually, all childhood crushes do."

"Okay... thanks." Just for her, he smiled wide enough to show off the glittering pearly white. Tooth was suddenly dizzy and had difficult keeping herself upright from being flustered. He chuckled and took off to find his friend.

xxxxxxxxxx

It was early hours of the morning when Jack snuck into Morgan's room. It was thet period of time when it's too light to be considered nighttime anymore, but the sun was only barely lining the horizon with an orange tinge. His shoved his hand into his front pocket and slumped onto the edge of the bed. He knocked at her foot and she moaned, squeezing her pillow to her face.

"Morgan," he whispered. The pillow was pulled over her head. "Come on, don't make me be mean."

"Mrrgghhhkkk."

"Morgan Paige."

"Bring me Sandy."

"No, sleep time is over."

"Do you see the sun?"

"No..."

"Then it's sleep time. Also no school. Which also means sleep time." Jack stretched his arm to lift a fallen decorative pillow from the floor and whipped it against her feet.

"Ow!" she hissed as she bolted to snatch the pillow from him.

"Oh, it wasn't that hard."

"But it's cold which makes it hurt more! That's what happens when you touch things Jack Frost!"

"Sit up and stop being so crabby."

"I am not crabby."

"Yes you are and I know why." Morgan's face tightened from the horror. Her face going paler than him, he decided he wouldn't tell her everything he knew. He gave her a sympathetically smile and threw both his legs onto the bed so he was sitting cross-legged. He tapped his lap and help his arms out to her. Suspiciously, Morgan crawled towards him. Growing impatient, he struck and pulled her small and pudgy body towards him. She squealed and flailed as he attacked.

"Well, you're obviously not too terribly annoyed!" he teased, noticing the bright grin on her face. "I want you to know that is the greatest gift I have ever received. Honestly. You are fantastic and you are incredibly intelligent." Her smile sharpened. "But I also want you to know that yes, they are family, but family does not stop at blood. Just because I found the people related to me does not mean my family is now limited to that. Sophie is a light in my life, but that doesn't make her the only one. A house needs many lights in order to see and do things properly, right?" Morgan nodded cheerfully. "What's even better is most people don't get to to choose their family. And guess what? I chose you."

"Like a Pokemon!" Morgan declared. Jack chuckled and poked her belly childishly.

"Yes I did, and choosing you to be my sister must mean you're pretty special, right?"

"Yeah!" Morgan laughed wildly. Her voice died down and she reached up to cling to his neck. "Hey Jack..."

"What?" She dropped herself from her hug but still held onto him.

"Do you love me? Like you loved your real sister?" He could feel her hopefulness warm the frost coating on his bones and there was a relief in his chest. He couldn't understand how or when, but it seemed he had been waiting for this topic to come up for a long time. With a quick puff of air the shove her hair out of her eyes, he laughed shortly.

"I do love you, Morgan. I love you very much."

* * *

**My mini contest actually had TWO winners, because they had the same idea that I ended up using (Okay I ending up tweaking it, but it inspired me!) So thank you everyone and congratulations to ParadoxMagic and Tatiana Eleyna! Keep an eye on your inboxes guys! I think it's time to let Sandy give me pleasant dreams now... Rosie out.**


	17. Valentine's Day

**Introducing Cupid! I'm liking how I am personifying him, I hope he comes back. :) **

* * *

_~Jack~_

February 14 was the day that always made Jack wonder how he held the record for being on the Naughty list longer than anyone else. He had never did anything super dangerous, and if he knew his weather was going to be a danger to someone, especially children, he would change it to keep them from getting hurt. But Cupid was never on the Naughty list. Why? Because North was a jolly old romantic at heart and thought Cupid was actually being a great help and a caring spirit in trying to unite the hearts of others. Many of the people Cupid united actually ended up breaking up or, if they got that far, divorced so he couldn't understand why North wouldn't discipline him for that. Cupid always defended himself in saying just because you think two people _could_ be together, doesn't mean they _should_ be together, and he could not see the future, nor did he truly know people on an intimate level the way couples do. "I see people who like each other, I give them a push to a relationship, that is all," he always said. Jack always thought if you were going to put people in something as challenging and committed as a relationship, you should probably take an investment in their lives a little bit. Cupid liked to say after Valentine's Day, love was no his business. Love most definitely was his business, it happened all the other 364 days (and every four years, all the other 365 days) as well, and couples got together and broke up every day of the year all around the world. Some break ups were really nasty and Jack thought Cupid at least owed it to the couples of the world to help people get together all year round, help ease break-ups, or help prevent them if it can be prevented. But, Cupid E. Valentino was pretty lazy, and surprisingly a bachelor. (Although on the rare occasion he saw him, he was found to be oogling some human.)

Valentine's Day was more a holiday for adults, but Cupid did enjoy having a little fun with the kids. He liked to drop extra candy and Valentine's into the little boxes the kids had at school, and for the older kids who were only just discovering that they might like a relationship, kids between the ages of 7 and 12 typically, he liked to leave "From Your Secret Admirer" notes. Jack was mischievous, but he thought that was a little low, getting a little heartsick child's hopes up.

So he snorted with disgust at the little red, white, and pink heart balloons shown in the shops and images of a cherub firing arrows at a heart. People had a tendency to misconstrue appearances of the Holiday Spirits, but Jack always felt horrible for Cupid. He was definitely not a baby. He was in his late twenties when he died, and he always bragged about how many a person had come to know the geography of his bedroom well ("many a person," Jack noted, not "many a woman," and it made sense. Cupid's expertise was bringing love to everyone.) Cupid was an incredibly tanned, only a couple inches taller than Jack. Very few people believed in him, but the moment someone over the age of fourteen did, they never stopped believing. His looks of chestnut hair falling lazily in front of his face, dimples to apostrophe his heart restarting grin, and a set of teeth only rivaled by Jack. Remembering his smile, Jack touched his own teeth, pleased to have something up on the Don Juan, but considering everything else he had going for him, Tooth would pick Cupid over Jack, if asked. It was hard to stop believing eyes that replicated the color of the ocean that trimmed island shores and oiled, muscular contours on the skin. The worst part of it all was that Cupid knew his looks were enough to awaken the most promiscuous nature in the most innocent of people and indulged in it.

The absolute worst part of Valentine's Day was that it reminded Jack that the selfish, lazy, lady and lord-killing narcissist was alive and well in the world, maintaining to his duties only for the one day a year. Couples met and exchanged roses, and hearts on a line hung suspended between the buildings in the township. Advertisements for the best deals on chocolates, cards, and flowers were showed in window fronts and the nicest restaurants had a traffic of people outside the doors. He simply rolled his eyes, not for the couples, but of what mischief Cupid was probably getting into at that moment. Despite the mood the holiday put him in, he had the desire to bring a little something to his favorite girls. He snuck into the red house in Burgess while everyone was gathered into the other room and poured some of the juice into his hand. Upon contact, the juice solidified and after about two cups of it, he slipped through a corner window to go back outside. Pressing his hands together, he twisted them and pulled at the frost particles. He broke off half and molded each half into a rounded heart. He grabbed a twig nearby, froze the bark, stripped it from the stick, broke it into, and stabbed each heart with them. He walked on the wind before spying a window box. He yanked on two asters, one orange, one pink, and then drifted up to the window looking in to a room themed in pink and butterflies.

"Jack!" cheered the yellow-haired girl excitedly. Upon entry, he bowed as if a gentleman, and held out a heart Popsicle and the pink flower. "Balentime for me?!"

"Of course!" he chuckled. She hopped as she took them from him and popped the Popsicle into her mouth. "You didn't think I would forget my princess, did you?"

"Nooooooo," she said sheepishly. She kissed his cheek and set the floor on her small table.

"Did you get lots of Valentines at Daycare?"

"Nooooo. Ummmm..." She dragged out the ms as if she were thinking. "I got candy! And mommy got me candy!"

"Wow, that's really good! But don't eat it all at once, Tooth might be mad."

"Tooth Fairy no be mad!"

"Did Jamie get anything?"

"Cards in trash, but he eating allllllll the candy!"

"I figured. He's not quite old enough to really care about what Valentine's Day is really about. Couple of years though." He ruffled her wild hair. "I got another stop to make though."

"Morgan?" Sophie guessed.

"Exactly right, kiddo."

"Do you looooovvvveeeeee her?" Sophie giggled at herself.

"I admit it," he teased playfully, holding up his hands as he played along. "But you know what else I admit?"

"What?"

"I love you too." He swiped her from the floor under the arms and swung her so she was cackling insanely and then lightly tossed her onto her mattress. With a final peck on her lips, he jumped up to her window and spiraled against the wind to Harrisburg.

_~Morgan~_

The strange, static feeling Morgan could feel bouncing around in her stomach was difficult to place. It was uncomfortable, that was certain, but it was also exhilarating. The tightness worried her and she wondered if she was becoming ill, but illness never made her heart beat fast and make her cheeks grow hot. Illness did not force her to grin or itch at her palms. It only grew stronger as she bounced onto her bed and dumped out her valentine's. There was a distant hope in her mind for there to be something special from some boy. Any boy, really.

She first looked at Brianne's, which said "I think you're FUN-nominal, Valentine!" and a bit of chocolate wrapped in pink and white wrapper. Then she scattered through the various lollipops, taffy, and hard pieces of candy, sifting through the cards. Many of the cards featured popular cartoon icons or characters from the latest film franchises. There were some really generic ones, cars, barbies, bears, astronauts. There were a couple of homemade ones she never really got to look at because Jack was rapping on the glass of her window. The static feeling getting stronger gave her a little more skip in her step than she was expecting and she let him in.

"Hey Morgan. I got a little gift for you," he grinned, and held out the heart Popsicle to her, and extended the flower to her with her other hand. She gasped and flung herself to him happily.

"Jack, you're so awesome!" she told him, the Popsicle suddenly in her mouth. A glass that must have been left from the previous night soon became a new home to the orange aster. Morgan shuffled back to her bed and sifted through the cards. One off the homemade ones simply said "Blood is red, bruises are blue. History sucks and so do you." She frowned and tossed the paper into the trash. Her arms hung against her legs listlessly and her gaze drifted to the corner of the room. Wrinkling his grin into a perplexed frown, Jack stepped over to the trash can and removed the paper. He groaned at the contents of it and let the frost crusted note fall back to the trash.

"Morgan, he probably knows nothing about you. If he did, he would never say that."

"They just all think I'm a know-it-all," she pouted.

"Actually, I think it's jealousy."

"How?"

"You're so smart and they wish they knew as much and could do as well in a subject as you."

"They say I talk too much." Jack sighed and looked at the ceiling like he could get an answer.

"Morgan, you just have an interest in something. So intense you can't help but share it with the world. That doesn't mean you suck."

"I just know that... never mind," she sighed and started on a couple of small sized chocolates.

"What is it?" he prodded.

"No..."

"Come on, you know you can tell me."

"Well, I just kept thinking... I'm only ten but it would be nice to know if there's someone who thinks I'm pretty."

"Morgan Paige, I think you are one of the most beautiful girls ever," he nearly scolded. The weight on the bed shifted as joined her. She offered him a grateful grin, but her mood was unchanged.

"Thanks, but you look at me like a sister," she said. "I mean like... think I'm cute, want to hold my hand or something." The emotions Jack was having were a complete mess of an array of feelings. They were all jumbled and he cursed society for her thoughts. It was common for young girls to start to like the idea of what a relationship brings at ten years old, but everything that went with it he blamed on society. It ached him knowing at ten years old, she already did not feel that pretty, and that she was so pressured for someone to like her. And then she receives a small note that makes her think no one does. He was aching for her, angry at society for making her feel that way, and annoyed with people doing such terrible things to kids.

"When you're ten, you don't like to admit you like someone. You're afraid of being teased," he tried to advise.

"But this way is secret," she pointed out,

"Not really," Jack informed. "You would know and maybe you would tell a friend, and they would tell a friend and it would get out. So sometimes kids hide it. Even pretend not to like you. So right now, nobody says anything. When you're older, nobody will care anymore and there will be a few who start showing an interest in you."

"Promise?" Jack grinned. He absolutely loved it when she said that.'

"Promise," he told her, touching her nose with the icy tip of his index finger. Her shoulders shook with her hidden giggling. He slid off her bed and used the end of his stick to open the window. "Where are you going?" She leaned against the frame on the end of her bed.

"Cupid is most mischievous in the evening. I'm going to blow a huge snowstorm through here so couples can't get home to rekindle or experiment their affections tonight."

"Why?" Morgan asked. "What does that mean? Experiment with their affections?" Jack dropped open his mouth for a moment before closing his lips once again. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek and shifted when discomfort kneaded at his chest right below his collarbone.

"Uh... I'll... I'm sure you'll figure it out soon," he told her quickly, shaking off the tension clinging around his shoulders. He ducked his head out of the window. Morgan was quickly becoming comfortable and used to his disappearances, knowing and relying on his promises that he would come back some time. She lifted a hand and raised a friendly wave to him. He nodded to her with a charm-filled smirk. He blew away with the wind and somersaulted into the sky.

As she popped the flavored frozen heart back into her mouth, Morgan picked up the last valentine, one of the homemade one notes. Swallowing with the attempts of ridding of the roughness coating her throat. Despite the pressing in her gut, she unfolded the red paper and looked at the carefully written black words.

_I think it's super cool how smart you are about history._

_You're really nice and awesome._

_I don't think you're weird at all._

_You're just cool_

_Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you like the chocolate._

_Tristan_

_P.S. I believe in Jack Frost too._

* * *

**O.O Another believer! And one who thinks Morgan is cool! What does this mean? Well it will be a while before you find out, I'm sorry. And Jack has deep thoughts on love, why wouldn't he? He's a teenager, which means he's thought about it, but he has an incredibly mature mind. That's what happens when you're immortal, been around for 300 plus years, nobody could see you for the longest time, you see how the whole world operates, and you are left alone with your thoughts. He just doesn't always... act mature.**

**BTW the E for Cupid's middle name is Eros, the Greek name for Cupid. But some of you already knew that.**

**Is it wrong to be attracted to your own characters? Because damn, I made Cupid sound hot. But I suppose that's the point. His name means "desire". EVERYONE is supposed to find him shmexay.  
**

**Cheers, folks. I gots me a paper to write. Again. If you absolutely despise essays and papers, do not take English as a major. It's all you do. Rosie out.**


	18. To Open A Mother's Eyes

**Enjoy some Bennett family :)**

* * *

_~Jack~_

The warm air was in the cusp of settling in and Jack could feel on the wind currents as he drifted through Burgess that soon he would need to take off for Antarctica... or the North Pole. Maybe he would spend his time with North. He could always go and spend a few days with Toothiana, but he was kind of terrified of waking up in one of those little gazebos and finding her fingers prodding around in his mouth.

He had been watching his family for a while and knew that Mrs. Bennett was closer to being related to him. In some ways, she even resembled what he imagined Emma would have looked like as an adult, but often he told himself he was only imagining it, that Emma lived so long ago her features were probably phased out. Still, he saw the way she was with Sophie and Jamie. He started coming to Burgess early to watch her cook breakfast through the window, occasionally Sophie or Jamie would spot him and Mrs. Bennett would play along, writing off their exclamations as a game. But she noticed the trend of Jack and she caught on quickly. She seemed to assume Jack was an imaginary friend of theirs (well, in a way. He was invisible to everyone else practically) and talked about him as parents do with their children have imaginary friends. But she was only pretending because she never saw him. She was his family, and he _wanted_ her to see him. Adults never believed in them, and when they did, in the past, they had been locked away or put on some medication and just regarded as crazy. So, as a rule, they were not to involve themselves with adults, especially parents because mad things had happened before. He learned her name was Helen and she worked with animals in a pet shop. He knew she was caring, and a good cook, but also very sensible. At times she could be strict, but very loving. It took Jack no time at all to be drawn to her, and he didn't want that to happen. He didn't want something to happen to his family because he couldn't resist getting an adult to see him. But it was his family. And it was just one adult. He needed her to know he existed, but more than anything he realized he just wanted someone to be care for him as only a mother does.

That was what he was doing that March morning. He struggled with it the past three days and concluded it needed to be done. She didn't need to let anyone know she saw him, not even Mr. Bennett (Whom Jack noticed had been absent a lot. He wasn't around much when he first met Jamie, but now he never seemed to be around.). Just the kids. He hovered in front of the kitchen window, watching her tip the jug of milk into a cup with a lid for Sophie. She groped for the cup and sucked it down when she received it. She walked past the window and reappeared, setting a plate of waffles in front of Jamie.

"Jack's back!" Jamie called, waving to the window.

"Oh, Jack Frost is here?" Mrs. Bennett promised, lifting a hand to wave at the invisible spirit.

"Jack Frost come to save Easter!" Sophie declared. Easter was around the corner, and she was recalling the last Easter which almost didn't happen.

"Oh honey, there will still be Easter," Mrs. Bennett laughed, walking towards the sink front of the window. Jack raised a hand. His eyes closed tightly with thoughts of doubt creeping up into his mind, but he knew this needed to be done. She had to see him. He pressed his hand against the bottom portion of the window and the ice ferns stretched and cut into each other, forming a crystallized work of art. "Oh my goodness!"

"Mommy?" Sophie called.

"It's just... we must be getting a blizzard or something... the window just... had frost appear on it! All of a sudden!"

"Jack, don't cause any blizzards right before Easter!" Jamie chastised. Jack snickered at the thought of Bunny's aggravated face if he ever pulled another '68 on him. He would not be pleased, and he would probably harm Jack in so many ways. But it would be hilarious, and fun.

"None of the other windows seemed to do that!" she whipped her head around to look at the nearby windows, but they were all clean.

"Jack!" Sophie demanded fiercely, slamming the end of her fork down onto the tabletop.

"No, just stop for a second, this isn't your invisible friend..."

"Only because you don't believe," Jamie pointed out. Jack was beginning to trace lines into the frosted window.

"There's writing on the window why is there writing on the window could someone call a priest I think there's a ghost writing on the window right now," Mrs. Bennett panicked. Jamie laughed at how ridiculous his mother sounded and Sophie kept blurting out to her, insisting Jack was right there. "Jamie, this is not funny!"

"Mom, it's only Jack, if you only believed."

"Jack Frost is just a story, okay?! He's not real!" Her fear was turning into an anger to the children for not understanding what she was going through. Guilt pushed into Jack's heart like he was being sat on. He did not like making her terrified like this. It made him feel awful. "How are you not scared?" Jamie pointed to the window now.

"That's why."

_I AM JACK FROST _

"That's impossible," Mrs. Bennett wheezed, her voice becoming lighter with shock.

"It's Jack! Jack Jack Frosty!" Sophie sang, hanging her fork against the table.

"He's real mom. Just let yourself believe for one minute. Just one minute. You'll see him if you believe." Jack dropped his finger and continued to stare through the frost crusted glass to the perplexed woman at the table. The thick rim of her glasses made her petrified eyes look bigger than they were, emphasizing the brown in her eyes. Her eyelids snapped shut a couple of times, Then her brow furrowed and her lip raised at the corner. A short yelp left her mouth and she pressed her hands together in front of her mouth. Jack could feel her eyes scanning over him, not longer looking through him but focused on him. He grinned to himself.

"Oh my gosh, he's real." Performing a backwards somersault, he strode over to the front door where it slowly opened with a creak, Mrs. Bennett still staring at him from her position behind the door. He offered his hand to her politely. She stoically raised hers to him, but her wide mouthed expression never changed. She took his hand and jumped back like he had one of those tricks where you shake someone's hand and it shocks you. "You're freezing!"

"Well, I don control the ice and snow, you know..." he muttered.

"You're real..." she sighed.

"And you're probably the first adult to believe."

"You can't write on many adult windows then."

"Not really." He took the seat offered to him, and the breakfast she placed in front of him. She was being incredibly hospitable, despite her constant staring at him, He would laugh and assure her she was not crazy. He went in to telling her about himself, how he came to know Jamie and Sophie, the Easter War last year, and how he was related to them. He stopped the middle of the story to help Jamie get on the bus, and then came back with Sophie hanging from her arm. Sitting down again, she took a long swig of her coffee and then banged it down on the table loudly.

"Okay, so you are actually my ancestor," she clarified.

"Yes, m'am."

"And you are _the _Jack Frost? You nip noses?"

"We've been over this, yes, although I don't know how I got that title. I don't really do it that often."

"And the Boogeyman, you fought him?"

"Yes, but make you're not afraid of him. If you're not afraid, he can't hurt you."

"And you're friends with my kids."

"Best friends."

"And I'm going mad?"

"Ye-no! No, you're not going mad..." he chuckled sympathetically.

"I'm talking to someone no one else can see!"

"Lots of kids do too," he reminded her.

"No, no, but... I'm the only adult who... oh my god... hang on." She slid off her chair and reached for the highest cabinet, pulling down a transparent bottle with a reddish brown liquid slapping around the inside. He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, there's no need for that."

"Just a little in my coffee," she said, popping off the top and dumping a few tablespoons into the mug. She pleasantly sipped it and Jack continued on.

"I... I just didn't like my... my family not being able to see me. My whole family." He looked around curiously. "Speaking of family, where is Morris... er, Mr. Bennett?" Her eyes rolled.

"We're not really speaking. I've been telling the kids he's been working a lot. Truth is I don't think we're going to last til Christmas."

"Why haven't you been speaking?"

"Well, see he... no," she stated, putting her mug down. "No, I'm talking to a hallucination. I must have put too much whiskey..."

"Except you were talking to me before you poured the whiskey in there."

"Well. I... just... you..." she groaned. "No, I know what this is. The stress Morris has been putting me through... it's finally gotten to me."

"If you really believed that, then you wouldn't believe in me, and you wouldn't see me," he told her firmly. She hung her head and groaned.

"What does that say about me?"

"It says that you have a far more open mind than most adults," Jack complimented. "Helen." She lifted her head involuntarily to the surprise of him saying her name. "I've been hanging around the house a lot, and I know... I know a lot of things. So you can tell me." She took another sip of her coffee.

"Morris is a good dad," she started out. "But he wants to move to Chicago, and I... I can't do that. So we're fighting about it. I think he's going to take off some day and just move. There's a promotion waiting for him there. He says we'll get more money, but we're doing okay, I don't know why..." Silently, Jack cursed Cupid for not intervening when there was a problem arising. The corners of her lip twitched with the desire to bawl in front of him, but Jack knew Mrs. Bennett was really strong. Emotional, but she was strong at keeping her feelings at bay. Her eyes drifted back to his face and she laughed uncomfortably. "I can't believe I'm telling this to a... a hallucination!"

"I'm not a hallucination," he grumbled. The chair whined as he stood up and circled his icicle fingers around the heat of her wrist. There was a lick of moisture from the collide of their temperatures and she drew back again, rubbing the red spot where the cold gnawed at her. "That's the second time that's happened, you honestly still can't believe I'm a hallucination."

"I just... it doesn't make... scientifically, it can't..." Mrs. Bennett stammered and stared at the red mark on her wrist.

"But I'm real," he told her calmly. Her eyes hung on the stare from his vibrant ice eyes. As she stared into into the frosted oceans hidden in his pupils, something unlocked in her expression and conjured a smile onto her face. A hand extended to Jack's face and water frosted to his eyelashes as his emotions were stirred at the feeling of a mother's touch. Mrs. Bennett flinched at the bite of ice, but did not draw back.

"So, Jack Frost," she started with a light laugh. "You exist. What does that mean for Santa?"

"He's real. And the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman..."

"But last Easter..."

"That was due to Pitch. The Boogeyman."

"The... Boogeyman exists too?"

"Yes, but he's... he's been defeated. For now, anyway. And it's all thanks to your son."

"Jamie?" her voice cracked.

"He believed in us," he praised with an adoring grin. "He gave us strength, and he stood up to Pitch. Him and his friends and... no one feared him anymore." The overwhelming of the flood of information pushed out an eruption of laughter from Mrs. Bennett. She plastered her hand to her forehead and sighed dramatically.

"Well, Jack Frost," she said. "I guess... Welcome to the Family!"

* * *

**It was important to me that Mrs. Bennett believe in Jack because they are family, but I don't intend to make a habit of adults believing in him. Onward to work on the next chapter!**


	19. Easter Bonus

**This isn't a real chapter, I guess. It doesn't do much for the story really, but with Easter around the corner both for us and in the story, I felt obligated to write SOMETHING before I preceded to the next chapter (in which Morgan is yet another year older). So this is just a short bit, some cute stuff. Plus it involves some backstory which I eventually want to get to for all the Guardians. I researched as much as I could for Bunnymund's story but I did make some stuff up. I haven't read the books so if there's actually a story floating around out there please let me know! Happy Easter!**

* * *

Bunnymund smugly hopped noiselessly through the Kenter Household. Bradley was still incredibly young so hiding his basket was simple. He would still spend hours looking for it. Morgan, however, was getting older and cleverer, so every year he would have to find an even more difficult place to hide it. He had considered behind the garbage, but that would not be in good taste to place candy and chocolate near the refuse. He had decided on hiding it outside of the house, behind the workbench in the garage. He was sure Morgan would never think to look there. It was a little cheating because it wasn't in the house but as it was still in an indoor section connected to the house, he did not see how he could not hid her basket there. When he arrived that morning, he had received a note sitting inside her empty and awaiting basket.

_Dear Bunny,_

_Early thank you for the treats you're giving me. I know I will love whatever you give me._

_I want to see you again because you're fun. After you hide my basket, wake me up and talk a little. I know you're busy, but just five minute? Anyway thank you for_

_making Easter so fun._

_Love, Morgan_

He couldn't not respond to her request after a sweet note, so the six foot grey-haired rabbit carefully thumped to her door and stood over her. The little smile she wore in her sleep reminded him of the greatest joy of his job – the joy of the children. He looked on the young girl with dotage for a minute or so and then pressed his grey paw against her shoulder. Morgan felt the fursbrush her arm and giggled all the way into waking up. The grey tufts on her hair clicked with the recognition of the holiday and jolted to cling to Bunny's waist.

"Bunny!" she cried happily.

"Hey there, little lass," he chuckled in his rough voice.

"Did you hide my Easter Basket?"

"That I did," he told her. "You'll never find it this year."

"That's what _you_ think!" she challenged with a laugh. "How have you been?"

"Ah, can't complain, really," he smiled.

"I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Fire away, mate."

"Well... Jack said in order to become who he is... he had to die. He told me that's true for all of you. What happened to you?" His nose twitched.

"Morgan, it's not a very happy story," he warned.

"You died," she reminded. "And what do you think history is?"

"Got me right there, didn' ya?" he chuckled. "In Australia, I had a wife and kids. Lovely woman, she was, and sixteen little ankle biters."

"Sixteen?!" Morgan gasped.

"Rabbit," Bunny reminded and Morgan rolled her eyes. "All right, I guess I can give ya the short version... I lived in a village with other Pookas, large, tough bunnies like me. But the entire village was wiped out and I was the only survivor. As ya can imagine, it gets lonely sometimes so I went out for a walk a time or two, and came across a couple of youngs girls having just lost their parents. They were right upset about it. In order to lift their spirits, I thought of a little game to play for them. Somethin' like a scavenger hunt. We were pretty low on our money, but I saw this neighbor, there were chickens on his land. I thought that eggs may do, so I took a couple dozen. I told myself plain eggs were boring so I painted them in different colors. I also filled several baskets with some chokkies and lollies in 'em." He grinned at the memory. "I watched them search, except I saw a rabid greyhound headed right along and that little sheila, she ran right to it. I jumped for her, throwing her away from the dog but... greyhounds enjoy hunting rabbits. She lived, I'm glad to say, but I didn't. I did speak to her though, I told her she needed to find those eggs. She cried, she did, but I said if she could find the eggs, well then..." he paused for a moment as he thought. "Then she knew everything would be okay, she could hope for the future."

"Did she find them?"

"She did, mate, she did. I remember after Manny chose me, they never lost hope. They always believed no matter how things got, there would be new beginnings."

"Wow," Morgan said. "That's so cool, what you did for them."

"And I would do the same for you in a heartbeat, love," he commented. Morgan grinned and noticed the anxious thumping of his foot against her carpet. She giggled and launched herself to him with a hug.

"Okay, Bunny," she said. "I get it. Thank you for telling me. You can go back to hiding eggs." His gentle fur tickled her skin through her pajamas as he touched her back affectionately. He pulled away and smiled mischievously. He tapped his foot against the carpet, a tunnel appearing as it had a year before. Morgan awed while he dropped himself down and disappeared into the enclosing blackness.

He had made Burgess his last stop, for this was a small girl he had been wanting to see before he made his way back to the Warren. Satisfied with his work at fixing all his eggs to be incognito, he thumped his food against the earth. He plunged into the dark tunnel an kicked and leapt against the moss and the motley of flowers that stretched around the tunnel walls. The end of the tunnel opened up into a room of pink and butterflies dotting the walls. He looked ahead and spotted a mess of yellow strands laying on the pillow in a chaotic manner. He laughed and prodded at Sophie, who woke almost instantly.

"Easter Bunny!" she yelled and pushed her arms against him in an attempt at a hug.

"Hey there, you little ankle-biter," he greeted warmly. "Hey, what's that?" He flipped open his hand and there was a small, plush bunny, about the size of a large fist. It was grey, a littler darker than Bunnymund's fur and it had shiny black beads for its eyes. Sophie silently shrieked her excitement and plucked the toy from his hand. "Sometime I'll bring ya to the Warren when it's not Easter season, all right?" Sophie nodded excitedly. "Good. But when I can't, you have this to remember me by, yeah?

"Baby bunny!" she told him.

"Yeah," he agreed. She clutched the toy to her chest and slid back under the covers.

"Still sleepy," she explained. He tightened the covers up to her chin and patted the top of her head.

"Get some more rest, Soph," he told her. "And when you wake up, there's some eggs waiting to be found and a basket waiting for you!"

"Chocolate..." she said dreamily. Sleep was already slipping in again and Bunnymund's heart warmed at the sight of the precious little child snuggled in her bed. Another tap with his foot, and a drop down led him back to the Warren. The sun drowned the world in morning and all across the globe, children began running around to find Easter Baskets and collect as many eggs as possible.


	20. Interested and Interesting Friends

**ParadoxMagic, you're in this one! Tatiana, still trying to find a place to put you. Morgan is eleven now, but I'm not going to write much during that time. Maybe three chapters. And we meet Tristan! Yes, he still believes in Jack**

* * *

_OCTOBER_

The stapled sheets of paper floated across the desk surface when the teacher lazily threw back Morgan's test. Before taking a peek at her score, Morgan lowered her head and pressed her forehead into the desktop. A rumbling underneath her bottom told her Tristan was kicking her chair again. She rolled her eyes but ignored him.

"Why do you always do that?" he whispered when the teacher was on the other side of the room. "It's a history test, of course you'll be fine."

"Tristan, how many times do I have to tell you – I do not know everything. Just last week I mixed up the birth dates of Elizabeth the first and Mary."

"I'm pretty sure nobody here would even know the dates to start with," Tristan told her dully. The teacher rounded over to his and placed his test in front of him. He snapped his lips shut, but she cast him a warning look. When her back was turned again, he flipped over his test and sighed at the red B-.

"B minus," he told her, waving the paper in her face. "Now I don't believe you have gotten a B in your life, so you already know you'll be better than me." Morgan turned to her paper and, with a wince, flipped it over. At the sight of her score, she screwed up her pout and let her shoulders weigh down with disappointment. Tristan's dark mocha colored hair tickled her skin as he stretched forward to glance at her paper. She sputtered with annoyance at him.

"Morgan. It's an A," he pointed out.

"It's not a perfect A!" she complained.

"So you missed one!" he said.

"I didn't just miss one! I wrote _Fernando Cortez_ instead of _Hernando Cortez_!" she wailed rested her head on her desk. "That's so embarrassing... and all because my mother was playing ABBA during breakfast!"

` "Who?"

"Oh, never mind..."

"Did Morgan get the top score again?" said one kid in the back.

"Joey, I'm not going to tell you who got what scores."

"That means yes." Morgan's jawline bloomed scarlet. Tristan stretched his arms and shoved his pencils and notebooks into his desk. The spindly looking figure of Brianne shadowed over Morgan's desk and pulled her test towards her. She flipped the sheet over and looked over the one wrong answer she had.

"Why did she count this wrong? She normally doesn't count answers as wrong if they're right but spelled wrong," she told her.

"It's because Fernando is an actual name, different from Hernando," Morgan replied.

"Well, it would be very easy to change this and tell the teacher she marked it wrong when it was right," Brianne suggested.

"Brianne!" Morgan gasped. "That's cheating!"

"She would never doubt you. You get everything in history right."

"I am not right about everything!" Morgan slammed a fist against the table and wrinkled her nose with her frustration.

"Morgan, it's okay, you'll fail our biology test next week," Tristan reminded her. He pulled on her purple sleeve and dragged her along into the hallway. Brianne followed out the doors and looked at Morgan with her eyes pleading to her.

"Can I join you guys to wait for the bus?" she asked.

"No," Morgan huffed shortly.

"Are you still mad at me for the picture I drew last week?"

"It was really mean," Morgan added.

"I said I was sorry!"

"I don't forgive you."

"It's snowing!" shouted a little voice around the corner of the hall. Morgan's ears warmed to her smile she was displaying.

"Tristan! Jack's in the air!" Her arms flapped enthusiastically. He flung his backpack onto his shoulders before he turned to look at her, showing he also was grinning.

"Let's go say hi!" he said.

"Oh my gosh, stop it!" Brianne growled. "You're both eleven, you're way too old to believe in this stuff!"

"Jack Frost is real!" Morgan insisted with a sharp tone. She and Tristan walked alongside each other toward the direction of the buses.

"It's precipitation that cycles and the turning of the earth that creates the cold and snow!" Brianne screamed, her black hair contrasting interestingly with her red face. "Not Jack! And Santa is a lie too! Your parents put presents under the tree! Santa doesn't exist!" About three small children overhearing burst into tears. Brianne turned on her heal and screamed back at them. "It's true! I saved you lots of time, so you can thank me later!" Their teacher exited the classroom and began to scold Brianne for yelling in the hallway and being rude to other students. Morgan delivered her schadenfreude in an almost guffaw.

Outside, most of the kids were scooping up heaps of snow and chucking to their friends. The snow wasn't sticking enough to truly create round snowballs, but the lumpiness of them was enough to warrant a few snowball fights. A perfectly formed snowball blasted Morgan in the face so she missed her footing and fell onto her rump. She gagged and looking up to see the icicle boy with the blue hoodie floating about her head.

"Oh, Morgan, when did you get here?" he said to her sarcastically. Morgan's lips curled evilly and she loaded her arms with the wet lumps of snow. She intended to shoot it up to Jack, but a half formed snowball from Tristan's direction struck her in the back of the head and she soaked her clothes with the snow falling from her arms. Tristan laughed loudly at her state, but was on the alert. He lowered himself in a flash and the snowball zooming from Jack instead located a classmate of theirs. Her faded green hair caught most of the snow in the back of her had and the embarrassment of being hit by a wet cannonball caused a little color to appear in her sickly pale skin tone. Jack grimaced, although it was hard to tell if he was grimacing because he hit someone he hadn't meant to hit, or if he was grimacing at her ensemble of dots, stripes, and neon colors in her horrendous fashion sense. Her grey eyes hooked the eye and she smiled widely when she spotted Jack nervously smiling at her. She waved.

"Sorry!" Morgan yelled to her.

"That's okay," she said softly and her eyes twinkled at Jack before she stepped onto her bus. Jack took the opportunity of Morgan's distraction to hurl another snowball at her.

"Jack!" she cawed, with a little aggression. He whistled and shrugged innocently. "How were the penguins?"

"Wobbly," he laughed. "I saw baby penguins."

"Ooohhh, I love baby penguins."

"Is this the... the..." He zipped to Morgan's side and pressed his chilled lips near her hair. Morgan could feel the iced air from his breath and she shuddered under its lack of warmth. "The Valentine boy?"

"Yes!" she said loudly. "Jack, this is Tristan!"

"Hi!" he smiled.

"Do you like history?" was the first question Jack asked.

"A little," he shrugged. "I think it's cool and everything, but I'm not the best at remembering everything."

"He likes books," Morgan groaned.

"Only ones about adventures," he corrected.

"You still like books." Jack lifted one eyebrow at her.

"You like books," he said.

"But I don't like books because I like books. I use books to get information about history. He talks about how some things have cool plots and cool endings, or bad endings and bad plots. He talks about good writers and bad writers." She just shrugged. "I think it's boring and useless."

"If you just read _Treasure Island_, I really think you would like it," Tristan encouraged. She shook her head.

"What do you think about her drawings?" Jack prodded.

"I think they're really good!" Jack smiled at his answer. "I think the ones where people are shooting each other are the coolest." His smile faded a little, He looked over at Morgan.

"Boys," she simply said.

"The snow's here early," Tristan said, glancing up at the falling ice crystals.

"Thought I'd annoy the Halloween spirit a little," Jack said with a laugh. He searched around and spotted the familiar charcoal colored hair behind a glass door. Brianne popped out of the school with her hair hanging low to block her face.

"Brianne got yelled at," Tristan said.

"What did she do?" Jack wondered as he lowered himself to stand beside the two. He let his hand rest in his front pocket.

"She screamed that Santa didn't exist," Tristan said quietly. "She made some little kids cry, and she was yelling."

"We're fighting," Morgan told him sadly.

"You're fighting every other week," Jack reminded her.

"Yeah..." she breathed. "Well, she thinks I'm crazy."

"Brianne just hates anyone who doesn't agree with her," Tristan said. "And she thinks she's better than everyone because she goes to Romania a lot. Which is cool. I can't even put Romania on a map."

"It's by the Black Sea," Morgan stated.

"I thought that was Turkey!"

"There's more than one side to the Black Sea," she teased. Jack felt an involuntary smile rise to his face as he watched Morgan playfully talk with Tristan. "Brianne would eat you if she knew you didn't know where Romania was."

"Well, I'll eat her first." Morgan chortled. Tristan bade them goodbye and rushed off for his bus which was preparing to pull away from the curb. Jack's eyes looked over sideways at the girl. Her hazelnut shade of hair color seemed more vibrant and her face looked narrower yet. She had gotten taller, and therefore the weight around her middle was evening out. Feeling a little strange, he was so used to her being a little girl, Jack noticed small rises of bumps around more disclosed areas of the body. Most of her innocent adorableness lingered around her thought, which Jack decided to focus on. The idea of her growing up made him feel uncomfortably sad.

"Sooo..." he started slowly, and jabbed her arm with his elbow. "Tristan. Got a little crush on him?"

"Psshhh," she hissed through her teeth. Her expression was amused, but pink fanned out on her face. "No, Jack. I only have eyes for you." The gleam of her smile made him laugh.

"Okay, kiddo," he told her, tousled around her hair. "I'll believe you this time I guess."

* * *

**Okay. When I created Brianne I had no idea where Romania was either. Morgan is actually good at Geography too, btw, since it kinda goes hand in hand with History. Whereas me, I'm decently good at history, but rubbish at geography. Like. Completely. I thought the Sahara was in Argentina and there was a tropical forest in Australia (I'm sorry, Bunnymund...).  
In fact I still have no idea where the Sahara is... Well, as my fiancee would say, time to ROCK THE WIKI! (he's obnoxious)**

**And enjoy this ROTG fan music video thingy I made: watch?v=8UGhmjD8aT8&list=UUp5XSCSrQBV7IZIqZCxZ6hQ&index=1**


	21. Never

******To a certain reader who knows who they are - I am not spilling details of the plot! I know it's hard, I get that feeling with Doctor Who - and don't even get me STARTED on my feelings to Sherlock right now! But when it comes up in the story, you will be glad you waited. A good writer does as a good magician - never gives away their secrets. For isn't writing and reading a form of magic?**

* * *

"Mom!"

No answer

"Mom!"

"No answer.

"MOOOMM!"

"WHAT?" screeched Mrs. Kenter from the crack of the bathroom door. "I am preparing to get in the shower!"

"I'M GOING TO TRISTAN'S!" she shrieked up the steps, in a voice that might not have completely been free of demonic possession.

"OKAY! ARE THEY PICKING YOU UP?!"

"NO, TODD IS BRINGING ME! "OKAY, HAVE FUN! I LOVE YOU!"

"LOVE YOU TOO!"

"WHY ARE WE SCREAMING?!" Mr. Kenter shrilly yelled, with a laugh trying to break through his voice. Morgan giggled at her father's participation and raised her arm to twist the handle.

"You're going to Tristan's?" Bradley asked, creeping up behind her.

"I am!" she responded happily.

"Is he your boyfriend?" he asked with a smirk playing on his mouth.

"No," Morgan snapped in defense.

"You're a liar!" he teased and began to skip through the house. "Dad! Morgan's going to kiss Tristan!"

"Bradley! Stop it, you're such a dork!" she hissed at him. He simply laughed and turned to challenge her with his look. It was the look that burned Morgan. A fire raged inside Morgan's veins and she snarled when she charged after him. Worry was traced into Brad's face and he scurried on his chubby legs. Something animalistic kicked into Morgan; she was practically on all fours scrambling after her little brother. He cried and dove behind the chair his father was sitting. Mr. Kenter's arm punched the air and blocked Morgan's path to nab her brother.

"Morgan Paige," he told her patiently. He seemed incredibly calm, but the lines gathering near the Vs of his eyelids told her he was restraining himself from marching up to her room and hiding her art supplies and history books from her.

"Yes, Daddy..." she said in a hushed tone. Within seconds, she turned from a charging jungle cat to an angelic dream.

"Morgan's got a boyfriend!" Brad cackled, and Morgan's attitude changed again.

"Shut up the little dumb-"

"MORGAN."

"Sorry, Daddy."

"Tell your brother sorry!"

"But he-"

"And Bradley, you too!"

"Sorry."

"Sorry." There was a moment between the two when they exchange threats via glares.

"But Dad, what are you going to do if she kisses Tristan!?" Brad wanted to know, still insisting Morgan liked the boy.

"I AM NOT-"

"Well, that's Morgan's business, isn't it?" he told Brad, but looked over to Morgan with a quick wink. Morgan felt twenty feet high with the adoration of her father in that moment. "And you don't have any right to say anything about it."

"Yes, Dad."

"And Morgan, you will not fight with your brother!"

"But, Dad I didn't-" she started to protest.

"And chase him like a wild animal. Let's leave that to the animal kingdom."

"Ugh, fine... whatever." A nasally whine sounded from outside. Morgan blushed when she remembered how she was keeping Todd waiting in he car. She kissed her father's cheek and sprinted towards the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tristan led her into his room where a couple of posters for several superheroes were stretched across the wall, along with a few posters of recent films based on action packed books. Morgan took in the green hues of his room and the clear fascinations of adventures and superheroes. When he was focused on showing her the newest action figures he received, she simply turned away and rolled her eyes. It was hard for her to fathom the ridiculousness of superpowers and why people would like adventures that never happened. It just made her sad.

"Hey you want to watch a movie?"

"What movie?" she asked. "We're not really into the same type."

"You liked that British one. About the Holy Grail?"

"Well, it was funny because it was ridiculous and also making jokes about stuff that happened," she pointed out.

"Well, Disney films then?"

"I haven't seen very many..." Morgan told him plainly.

"... You have got to be kidding me."

"I don't like them. They're false."

"How did your parents raise you?"

"By letting me choose my own stuff. There are actually many shows out there directed to kids about history."

"Does the history channel ever turn off in your house?"

"That's why I don't have a TV in my room..." she sighed sadly.

"Well, you have to watch this," he told her. He shoved a movie at her before she could get a look at the title. "I like it because I like the games and the adventure and the fighting, but there's a little bit of talk of romantic stuff too. Things girls like." Morgan turned the case and scoffed at the title.

"Peter Pan?!" she exclaimed. She flung the movie to the bed. "Tristan, out of all the films..."

"Don't you dare say it's the most unrealistic film," he warned.

"But it has...!"

"Another world beyond the stars filled with fairies and mermaids where nobody ever gets old! You have met the Tooth Fairy! You get visited by a six foot tall rabbit! And Santa? What about Tooth palace? Talk about another world existing beyond the stars..." Morgan was silent and looked at the film again. "Come on, Morgan. Just one visit to Neverland!"

"You're such a nerd!" she broke a smile through her serious face and then picked up the film again. "Fine. You win. But then we watch Horrible Histories."

"We watched that already!"

"Only three episodes!" defended Morgan. They meandered into the living room and Morgan jumped onto the ocean blue couch. She sat on one end and when Tristan started the movie, he sat on the other so there was a cushion between the two of them.

"Do you kids want pizza?" said Tristan's mom from the kitchen around the corner.

"Yeesss!" They yelled in unison.

"How about I order one? Who do you want?"

"Guido's!" Tristan yelled, and then turned to Morgan. "If you haven't had Guido's, then you've never had pizza." The size of the house always amazed Morgan. She understood that she came from a big family and Tristan was just with his mother (Tristan said his dad loved someone more, and Morgan found that really sad. She didn't understand how you could have a kid with someone and then just decide you love someone more.), but she would have gone insane if she didn't have room to hide from her siblings. It was a kitchen with a table, a living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. And each of the rooms was tiny.

Morgan, surprisingly, was enjoying the film. The idea of a place where you never grow up was hard to get a creative grasp of, but she found it moderately enjoyable. The idea of a place that preventing you from growing up sat strangely in her stomach though. The music was also a little annoying, and she wasn't sure how she would feel about pixie dust. Maybe when Tooth came to visit Bradley next she would ask her.

But it was the interpretation of the Natives that got to her.

"That's historically inaccurate!" she bellowed, whipping an accusing finger to the television. "That's not right!"

"Morgan, it;s just a movie."

"I don't like it, turn it off."

"But we all know that's not true. The movie is still good."

"What's going on?" asked Tristan's mom from the other room.

"Morgan is freaking out about the Native Americans in Peter Pan!"

"Oh, that." The woman stepped into the living room, her dyed hair of light brown with tan highlights all ruffled into a mess. She wiped her hands with a rag and smiled. "Morgan, you're not the first person to point that out."

"I'm not?" Her voice went up with her surprise.

"No, and yes, it's wrong. But this is based on something written in the Edwardian era." Recognition flickered in her eyes. "And in that time, they had different views. Wrong, but different. That's why they put in this movie, because it was in the play, and the book. Also, this came out in the fifties, so it didn't occur to them it would bother people. You're correct, it's misrepresentation. Unlike a lot of things, however, they never show them to be really bad, but not in a very nice light. It's a product of its time though, so watch it and enjoy it keeping that in mind, okay?"

"Well... I guess that makes sense," Morgan stated, kicking her legs. Tristan's mother went back into the kitchen to continue the dishes and Morgan decided to give the movie another chance. They paused it for pizza and then they made s'mores using the stove. By that time, Morgan was pleading to watch more of the movie. As they nibbled on the goopy chocolate and marshmallow mess, they walked back to the couch, this time both sitting more towards the middle of the couch.

~Jack~

The Frost boy had stepped through Brad's welcoming window when he found Morgan's room empty. The little boy was very sully and was barely pushing a truck across the floor.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"Morgan tried to kill me," Brad told him without looking up from the bucket of his dump truck.

"That's not true," Jack told her.

"You don't know Morgan. She loves you, she would never get angry with you."

"Okay. Why did she try to kill you?" Jack decided to play along.

"I kept saying Tristan was her boyfriend." He flipped the truck and sighed at it. "That's where she is right now."

"At Tristan's?"

"Yeah. They hang out a lot."

"Hmm." He liked the idea of Morgan liking someone. She definitely seemed happier the last couple of months and she certainly didn't seem that lonely anymore. She still liked to hide in her room and do her pictures, or read, but that was who she was. His emotions for it ran so high, there was a strange feeling in his stomach that he wondering if he was thawing and needed medical attention. He told Bradley goodbye and sailed off into the window for the small grey house on the other side of tone. The positive feelings made him feeling a little lighter, and they inspired him to do a couple of flips. It Morgan truly did have feelings for Tristan, and he figured she did, she just had no idea, then what Tooth said about feelings for him fading was true and maybe Morgan could get out of the lonely rut she was in.

He perched at the window and caught scenes from Peter Pan playing on the screen. He snickered quietly, wondering how Morgan was reacting to it's "lack of realism" She must have really liked him if she agreed to watch him.

Beyond the window, Morgan was busy in a fight using the graham crackers from the s'mores. She laughed at the sudden attack of several pieces being thrown on her. While the credits on the film rolled, she slipped off the couch and onto the ground, gulping for air. Tristan laughed along with her and then offered his hand to pull her arm. Morgan's smiled faded when she was two inches from his face and there was movement in her neck to suggest nervous swallowing.

Morgan's past with people reminded Jack of how terribly she had been treated, how Brianne was clearly using her to gain good scores on history – her worst subject – and actually have someone interested in hearing about Romania and its own history. Morgan stayed friends with her because she couldn't stand to be so lonely, even if she was being used. Now, he was curious as to what Tristan was planning to do. He would have to ask North if he was ever on the Naughty list. He couldn't bear the thought of Morgan befriending someone and then having them crush her, so if she was starting to like him and he hurt her... he wasn't even sure if guardians should think such horrible thoughts about children.

But he was completely okay with feeling paranoid about the way they were looking at each other.

* * *

**It's hard for to ignore the similarities between Peter Pan and Jack. I actually really do love Peter Pan - but as a 21 year old I actually never saw it til... like... six months ago. I'm for cereal. That's actually where Peter's name came from btw. Todd came from Sweeney Todd, Bradley came from a guy from school I have... very interesting stories with and Aubrey came from looking at a fight on tumblr on whether it's eggplant or Aubergine and a picture of Audrey Hepburn.**

**If you like history and you have not seen Horrible Histories... actually, if you just haven't seen Horrible Histories in general YOU NEED TO SEE IT. THE EPISODES ARE AMAZING. It's hilarious, and it's a British history show for children.**

**So... you should really tell me what you thought about this chapter. :) Later, my lovelies. Rosie out.**


	22. Heartaches

**Thanks to elise-hale913 for pointing out my horrendous mistake concerning Tristan's name. I wrote Austin TWICE and it's all my roomie's fault! She kept talking about her cousin, named Austin. **

**I wrote a chapter full of feels, I'm sorry. I watched the new airing of Doctor Who today and I was just so full of feels that I think I channeled it. Anyway, I BOUGHT ROTG TODAY I AM SO EXCITED! Hehe. Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

When Morgan practically begged Jack to stick around and hang out with her and Tristan, he tried really hard to hide his relief and his elation. He enjoyed being around Morgan, and honestly did like Tristan. He was a good kid, very smart, and after several weeks of them hanging out, he observed that Tristan truly did enjoy Morgan's company and cared about her like any friend. As someone looking in from the outside, it was not hard to see that they liked each other. It was hard to say if it was anything more than a childhood crush, they were eleven after all, but Jack had been conflicted about letting things happen. He himself had only had a glimmer of what a crush was like when he was human, so it was three hundred and some odd years before he knew. But through years of observing, he had figured some things out. He knew that every one needed that first love, and that it was apparently one of the most exciting times in a person's life, and the most crazy. It also was very foreboding. He was very conflicted as to what to do. He heard Todd talking on the phone with his girlfriend, he heard Mr. and Mrs. Kenter talk about it. Peter made jokes about it, and Bradley teased her (but he might have said that about any guy friend she had.) Everyone noticed the pull they had to each other. Jack both delighted in it and dreaded it.

The idea of Morgan falling for someone and filling her with happiness made his gut bubbly with joy. He wanted her to have that. However, he knew that as both a first love and being as young as they were, she was doomed to have a broken heart eventually. Broken hearts were the worst for the guardians. A broken heart indicated the true end of innocent, because from there everything went downhill. Their naivete rapidly went away and they started seeing the world as an adult – full of all the things Pitch delighted in. Jack knew it was the course of life, and that's how it was supposed to go, but he had grown to care too much for Morgan. He was afraid of the pain that was certain to come.

He was with Morgan that morning, but when Tristan was heard entering the house, he was ready to make a break for it. He liked to leave them alone; he wanted their feelings to develop even though a weight of impending doom crushed his chest. Morgan demanded he stay: that Tristan liked him and they would have fun. After many bad lies and much arguing, he agreed to stay. Which was how he ended up playing Life with Morgan and Tristan in her bedroom, and he was glad that Morgan wanted him there. The last games he played with someone else were Chess, Backgammon, Mancala, and Hop Scotch. That was back when his sister was still alive, and he was still human.

"Oooh, Jack you're getting married!" Morgan giggled. "Who are you marrying?"

"Tooth," he teased.

"Aww, Jack," Morgan said. "You're going to regret that."

"Why?" he asked with a chuckle, placing a small pink marker into the plastic white vehicle.

"Your whole marriage is going to be her shoving her fingers into your mouth to admire your teeth. 'You may kiss the bride' is going to be 'You may now inappropriate touch the groom's teeth.'" Tristan coughed on his laughter.

"Does she really do that?" he asked. Jack's eyes shifted upwards to show his annoyance.

"'They sparkle like freshly fallen snow!'" he mimicked and Tristan laughed harder.

"You do a really bad girl voice," Morgan joked.

"Hey look at me I am an artist!" Tristan said, waving his card in front of Morgan. "I took your job!"

"Art is only a hobby," she shrugged. "It's not something I want to do for a job."

"Oh?" Tristan asked with a shocked look on his face. He glanced around at the hanging chalk, and colored pencil drawings. Some of the best ones were framed.

"I just like to draw stuff so I see it," she shrugged.

"So then, what do you want to do?"

"Something in history," Jack said along with her, and then felt a rise of pride creeping up his throat.

"I suppose it is obvious..." Tristan sighed. "It's just you're so good at art." Morgan's eyes were highlight by blushing cheeks.

"Well... I suppose I could always use it as something to make money on the side..."

"You really should! I would pay a billion dollars for a piece of your art!" Morgan smiled.

"You don't have to. I will give you one for free." The two kids looked at each for a moment, both with smiles on their faces. Another moment made Jack grow restless with the restraining discomfort.

"Morgan, it's your turn," he prompted.

"Oh!" she gasped and reached over to the spinner. When Jack saw the number, he cackled evilly.

"Now it's your turn to get married."

"You're immature sometimes," she told him, and snatched up a blue peg.

"So who is it?" Tristan fished. The tone of his voice was intertwined with a little too much curiosity, and paired with the grin Jack spotted, it was clear he was hoping for her to say something about him.

"Joseph Fiennes!" she shouted with a dreamy glance in her eyes. She sighed happily and sat back.

"Isn't that the guy who played Voldemort?" he asked.

"No, you weirdo," she scoffed. "That was his brother, Ralph Fiennes! And I've never seen Harry Potter."

"There is _seriously_ something wrong with you!" Tristan told her with genuine shock. He looked over at Jack with a worried expression on his face. "Do you believe this?"

"I haven't seen them in their entirety either!" Jack told him.

"That's different, you're not human. You're busy making everything cold. Morgan, however..."

"Harry Potter is full of magic which is-"

"Not real." the boys said along with her.

"Exactly."

"Morgan, there's always a little bit of truth in fiction," Tristan told her while Jack went his turn. "And because it's hidden, it's a little hard to find. Which makes finding it fun. You liked _Peter Pan_!"

"That wasn't completely ridiculous though."

"You never know if you'll like it until you try it." He looked over at Morgan's green car. "Why Joseph Fiennes?"

"Because he appears in many of her favorite films and has a face that looks like it was thrown into a hottie machine and gave him an overdose," Jack quoted dully. She blushed an giggled. Tristan glared at her as well.

"Did you seriously say that?" he asked her.

"Well, it's true. And his portrayal of historical people is so good!"

"He's already married," Jack reminded her.

"You people are so obsessed with the idea of me liking things that aren't real. So I like the not-real idea of Joseph being single. I also like the not-real idea of me being married to him. So there." The plastic clicked as Tristan spun the spinner.

"Well, filling out forms for you is going to suck then," Jack said.

"Why is that?"

"Because your name is now Morgan Paige Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes..." A thud rippled through the floor as Tristan's collapsed in an attack of laughter.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A good twenty minutes ticked away on the clock before Morgan bounced back up to her room. She had left to say good-bye to Tristan at the door and Jack simply stayed in her room. He glanced over all her drawings, scanned her movie and book titles, expecting something new to be added to her collection since last he saw them. Of course, there was nothing new so there wasn't anything he could look at to distract himself. Morgan always took longer to say goodbye to Tristan than her mother took in the bathroom.

Her humming passed into the room before she did, and when she entered the room, she began gathering materials for a new drawing. She carried them over to her bed where Jack was seated. Her pencil scratched against her sketchpad. She didn't speak a word to him and instead stared at the picture she was forming. The silence passed into awkwardness. It only increased how much Jack thought about little Morgan's feelings towards Tristan and it was becoming incredibly difficult to harbor them away from Morgan.

"Have you told him you like him yet?" The comment escaped his mouth before he could process what he even wanted to say to her.

"Huh?" she asked. "What do you mean, have I told him?" He cursed at himself, knowing he couldn't get away from the words now.

"Morgan, you haven't noticed the way your family has been talking about you?"

"Oh, I noticed that." Her eyes shifted with the tip of her pencil. "Family does that though. They make fun of you. They'll think every guy I'll ever befriend will end up being my boyfriend or something. It's so dumb."

"But... I've noticed it too," he told her. "I'm not making fun of your or anything. You... do like him Morgan. And he likes you." The scratching of her pencil stopped so she could jerk her head up. The corners of her brows pointed down towards her eyes.

"I do not," she said.

"It's really obvious. And he clearly likes you too." The twitching of her mouth indicated her struggle to prevent a smile.

"Oh." was all she said. "I'm sure you're wrong. And I don't like him." More scratching from her pencil.

"I've seen the same old story happen over 300 years. Trust me, I'm right. And you do like him, you just won't tell me for some reason." Morgan sat up fully this time and placed her pencil on the bedspread.

"No, I don't," she said with an anger hiding in her calmness.

"Stop lying. You react very strangely to very common situations."

"I am not lying!"

"Morgan, it's okay to like someone."

"But I don't! So shut up!" her voice was now growing incredibly loud.

"Why won't you admit it?"

"There's nothing to admit! God, Jack, you're so stupid sometimes! I don't understand why you need me to like Tristan so much, he's just a boy! You're just as bad as mom sometimes! What's your problem anyway? Stop bothering me and let me do my work!"

"Except you're drawing a picture from _Journey to the Center of the Earth_ which happens to be, not only fictional and not history, but Tristan's favorite book."

"He's a friend! I do that stuff for my friends!"

"No, you draw portraits of your friends. You _don't _draw pictures of something that is fictional without any prompting for your friends."

"Get out," she told him quietly. The moment she spoke her words to him, they took form of a small blades shooting right into his chest. He could feel the ice crystals in his body cracking under them.

"What did you say?" he said, even though Morgan had never been clearer. He was just hoping he heard her completely wrong.

"I said GET OUT! Jack, I don _want_ you here! Not if you're going to be mean and make fun of me! Go hang out with Jamie, I'm sure he's your best friend in the whole world. I hate you, so just leave! You're so stupid sometimes, like all boys are! I always thought you were different, but no, you're not! So get out and leave me alone with my drawings! If you're still here in five seconds, I will _burn you at the stake_! GET OUT!" Her pained cries threw Jack out the window quickly. He had only just started to turn around when he spotted that she was slamming the window shut tight and was producing a hammer and nails from a box in the corner. He wasn't even aware she _kept_ some in her room, although it made sense considering she hung up nearly everything she ever drew. It was hard to say what hurt more; her words, or him upsetting her. He couldn't understand why she just didn't admit it, why she was so defensive of it. His throat was closing with his desire to cry, but he refused to let the tears even form. He pulled up his hood and shoved his hands in his front pocket, leaving a trail of ice ferns on rooftops as he jumped across the houses. Guilt clenched him, and it was dolloped with some pain as well. She had a little temper so there were times when he argued with her, but she never yelled at him like that. And never once did she ever scream "I hate you."

That was the hardest part to endure. To not be believed in was painful, but for a child he loved to believe in him and yet hate him would certainly kill him.

* * *

**In the middle of typing this, I paused to play LIFE on my computer... I love that game... anyway I personally am not THAT attracted to Joseph Fiennes but he's in a lot of historical films, and also an actor that is generally accepted to be a looker so I thought he would be Morgan's celebrity crush. And yes that is his real name. His full name is Joseph Alberic Iscariot Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes. I would appreciate it if someone would tell me why some British people enjoy having incredibly long names. I think Joseph is a brilliant actor, don't get me wrong, I just... think the name is a bit much.**

**HAPPY EASTER! I might not update tomorrow because I'm going to be out of town but we'll see!**


	23. Loss of Limb

**elise-hale913 is VERY good at finding errors in my work. You have no idea how grateful I am to you, Elise. Please continue to do it.**

**Did I succeed in making you cry? I hope so MWAHAHAHAHA! Well, get ready to do it again!**

**I'm really channeling Steven Moffat, this is terrifying, me no like...**

* * *

_~Jack~_

He stayed away from Harrisburg for a while. He popped along different towns, starting blizzards and creating snow days and getting caught up in snowball fights. And occasionally, he was seen by schoolchildren, but he had no real connection to them and when they had to go on inside for dinner or they needed to go back to school, he got bored very quickly. Creating Frost and Snow was absolutely no fun if there wasn't anyone around to be included in it. So when eight days had gone by, he sailed on the winds back to Pennsylvania and into Burgess. Jamie was still at school, but he hung out at his window until he got home. A couple of brain damaging hours moved by sluggishly until he spotted Jamie walking up the sidewalk a few blocks away, head turning to catch up in conversation with his friends. He drifted on the window towards the sidewalk, landing in front of a house a couple of doors down. He vaguely remembered the girl's name – Tatiana – as she was always out in the snow because she saw something poetic about the winter. A book titled Mythological Folklore was pressed into her face so much that it was difficult to see much beyond the dark gold of her blonde locks. With the passing of the cool wind, she did look up from her book long enough to catch Jack walking past and the emerald circles of her eyes gleamed brighter with his presence. He smirked and waved to her.

"Hey Jack!" he took delight in her recognition. She was nearly thirteen so soon she would stop believing. So he enjoyed it while he could. "This weather is really marvelous today, almost ethereal! Are you stopping by Jamie's residence? What atrocities will you two divulge in today?" Jack could not help but to release a loud chuckle at her conversation. She was also an interesting person for a chat. She spoke in such a strange manner, especially for someone of twelve years old. Noticing his delight, she kept on speaking. "You know, I am wondering how much you know about the story of Persephone and Hades? There's a real romanticism in it, no matter what anyone else says about how Hades professed his affections, and it's real congruous that winter is in season during the time she-"

"I know the story," Jack laughed, still slowly walking down the sidewalk. She was interesting to speak with, but he was on a bit of a mission and he did not have the time to speak, especially given that Tatiana never stopped. "But I see you're point. I gotta fly, though, talk to you later." A nod from her and she returned to her book. The closer he got to Jamie, he was catching snippets of the conversation he was having with his friends. The tough and vicious Cupcake was patting a muscular arm on Jamie's back, which was a contradictory site given how she usually acted, despite the pink tutu and the unicorn sweater. Pippa was nervously adjusting the white cap on her head and the two brothers, Caleb and Claude, shared concerned looks. Monty always looked a little concerned about something, but his glasses magnified his eyes so he was looking especially saddened today. Pippa was saying something, and then Jamie muttered something that only became clearer as he got closer.

"... about desire to get more money to better support us, but I don't get it..." Recalling what Mrs. Bennett said before about her husband, and the sadness Jamie was displaying told him that Jamie knew... or something even worse happened.

"Jack!" Cupcake said happily.

"Hey, Frosty!" greeted Caleb in a tone that sounded more adult than he looked. He playfully glared at him in response to the slightly insulting nickname.

"Hi..." Jamie mumbled.

"What's up, kiddo?" Jack asked to sound dumb.

"Jamie's a little sad," Pippa exclaimed as she twiddled her thumbs and grimaced. "His dad had several suitcases and left in the middle of the night. He woke up to yelling and mom explained to him how they weren't going to be married anymore."

"Your parents split up?" Jack asked with a gasp in his question. He was trying to seem like he knew nothing about the situation."

"Mom said he went off for a better job, but she didn't want to move. She said we made enough money to live on..." Jamie shrugged sadly. "He moved to Chicago."

"I don't understand... why was it such a big deal for him to get this job?"

"Because my dad always loved money more than mom," he explained glumly. "He's a workaholic, because he wants more money."

"So what's going to happen now?" They were coming up to the corner to the red house.

"Mom says she and dad are going to get a divorce, so they'll no longer be married, and then we can go visit dad and he'll give money to mom to help take care of us."

"Are you okay with staying here?"

"I don't really care that much about my dad..." he grumbled with hands plunged into his pockets. "He was gone a lot and he fought with mom a lot."

"What about when Sophie was born?" Jack inquired.

"They were happy for about three days when she was born. Mom told me they had Sophie to fix their marriage, but it didn't work." Jack released a painful sigh from the crushing in his chest. He knew from his three hundred years that couples who did that just ended up being unhappy and splitting up,

"How is she taking it?"

"I don't know... I'm going to find out. Mom was telling her when I left for school..." He thought about the little darling learning her father was never coming home. The image formed in his head of the small girl wailing in grief, and it filled him with a sharp pain slicing through his like this was far too much for such a little soul to handle.

All of his friends passed hugs around to him and Jamie walked through the door with his friend beside him. The backpack was lazily dropped to the floor and he pulled up to the table. A square of still-warm fudge cake was sitting out on a saucer in front of him.

"Mom's been cooking... her way of dealing with things. Baker and all," he commented, and prodded at the cake with his spoon. A shuffle on the steps resounded through the house while Mrs. Bennett walked into the kitchen. Pink rimmed her eyes where she had sobbed. She offered a smile to Jack, but the red highlighting just made it look ever more fake.

"Jack..." her voice was filled with a rasp that affected mostly smokers. She coughed and cleared her throat before speaking again. He couldn't be sure if her throat was sore from yelling all night or from tears clogging her throat. "Uh, do you... want some cake?"

"No, Mrs. Bennett. It's all right..." he told her.

"Oh..." Jamie didn't appear to want to talk, still poking at the cake and only nibbling at it. The ice boy stepped towards the woman and pursed his lips into a worried expression. "Well, I can see he told you."

"Yeah, he did."

"I think there's more to this than money..." she groaned.

"As in... a..." he glanced over at Jamie who was still oblivious to the two of them talking. "A woman."

"I don't actually think so..." she sighed hopelessly and pulled a pitcher of juice out of the fridge. "I think he did love me... all of us very much... I don't see him doing that. But I think he lied about gambling debts from his college days with sketchy people."

"You think his obsession with money has something to do with that?" She simply nodded lazily. "You told Sophie."

"It was almost more painful than Jamie because she understand even less." She poured herself a glass of orange juice. "I told her that daddy left to get a job to make lots of money and I didn't want to go so he left and he doesn't ever want to come back. I didn't know what else to say and she's just... lost."

"Where is she?" he asked.

"In her room. She told me she was tired, but I know she won't sleep..." Another sigh was followed by a sip of juice.

"I'm going to go to her..." It was surprising how Jamie was so depressed he didn't even notice his mother could see Jack. He summoned a smile as best as he could and placed an icy fire touch to Mrs. Bennetts hand. Her lip twitch to a grateful smile and he went up the steps, walking into Sophie's sunshine yellow room. It was not an appropriate atmosphere to be in and it made Jack only think of fever.

"Hey there, girl..." he greeted. She sniffled and looked at him. She flapped the ears back and forth on her stuffed bunny. The weight on the bed shifted as he joined her side. Sophie stretched out her arms and Jack took her in his lap, lightly swaying her little body.

"Daddy gone," she said.

"I know, I know..." he whispered, pressing an ice kiss to her forehead.

"Daddy hate me."

"Your dad doesn't hate you. He just had things to take care of and it is really hard to do here." Truth was, Jack knew very little about what was going on and hoped he wasn't lying to his favorite toddler. "He still loves you and that will never change. You can still go visit him. Maybe I'll even take you sometime?"

"Sophie want Bunny..." she pouted.

"I'll get a hold of him and tell him for you, okay? And he can come visit you."

"Jack leave too?"

"No, no... I mean, I do have to when it gets to be Easter... but I promise I will always come back for Halloween. I will always come back. As long as you believe in me, I will come back."

"I believe forever..." the harshness of her lack of knowledge that that probably would not happen speared into Jack.

"I know, and I love that about you," he told her, as he still rocked her in his arms. She sighed and her eyes closed halfway. Tears silently swam down her face and a faint creak of the door told him a moment later that Jamie had entered the room. He crawled onto his sister's bed and gestured to Jack to give Sophie to him. He passed her along and Jamie clutched the little blondie in a tight hug. "You have to look after her, Jamie. Now more than ever."

"I know..." he answered dully.

"No, I mean it, Jamie. You can't just decide to not have her around because you don't want kids to make fun of you or something. She's been hurt badly, and at so young an age. That can affect you for life. I mean, I'm sure it affects you too. But, she needs to know not all men are jerks, not all marriages end in heartbreak, that not every guy is going to walk out on her."

"Are you going to walk out on her?"

"Not while she believes," Jack answered. "And even then, I'll still keep an eye on her. Promise."

"Then between the two of us watching over her, she'll turn out all right." Jamie's lips formed a genuine grin and it was contagious. Jack smirked to his friend.

Another squeak of the door announced Mrs. Bennett's entrance, with the greyhound whimpering behind her. She could sense the sadness lingering among them. She leaned over her kids and held them tightly.

"We're going to be all right, kids," she explained. "Lots of families are broken, and lots of those families turn out okay. We're still here for each other and we're still a family. I love you guys so much and that will never change. Even you Jack. You're family too, and I love you."

"Mama see Jack?" came Sophie's little voice. Mrs. Bennett giggled.

"Yes, sweetie, I can see Jack. He's part of the family now." Abby's collar jingled as she launched herself onto the bed, smearing wet kisses all over her masters' faces. The Bennett huddle was shattered with an explosion of laughter ad then the dog's tongue attacked Jack's face, yelping at the shock of the cold he emitted through his skin. Sophie cried enthusiastically at the dog's reaction and Jamie snickered. Mrs. Bennett surprised Jack with a compassionate embrace and his body froze (more) abnormally at the feel of her arms gripping him. He wondered if the strange feeling in his iced organs was what warmth felt like. It had been so long, he could no longer remember.

"Thanks for being here, Jack..." she whispered and then kissed his cheek. "I hope you'll be okay with being a part of a broken."

"Helen," he said, addressing her by her first name for the first time. "I'd be honored to be a part of a broken family. It means I get the joy of helping you guys out." She beamed and released her grip. A true smile playing on her lips, outshining the extra lines she had seemed to receive overnight.

That evening, the four of them spent their time as a real family, huddled together on the couch. Sophie was nestling in Jack's lap, a blanket around her to keep her warm, and Jamie was positioned between him and his mother. A film was playing on the TV in front of them and the laughter it produced from the family was a sign of the first stages of healing.

* * *

**So I really hope everyone had a good Easter. I didn't, so I hope you had a good one anyway. This ending was a little happier, I hope you enjoyed that. Also, I am writing more chapters in 11!Morgan than I thought I would. But only one or two more and then we start in on... stuff. Did you really think I would tell you? :)**

**And you guys should totes follow me on Tumblr! .com**


	24. Rekindle

**The last story featured Tatiana Eleyna, a co-winner of my story idea contesty thing. Short chapter this time and unless I think of something at school, I think this is the last chapter of Morgan as age 11. At age 12, she'll start to... blossom. More physically, emotionally, and as a character.**

* * *

_~Jack~_

The situation with the Bennett household taught Jack he could not just abandon his family like that. Even when things where tough, when things were heated, he would need to be there for them. If he needed to get away, he could. But he promised Sophie he would always be there for her. He had made several promises to another little girl who loved him so very much, so he could not cower and hide. He knew Morgan. He knew she could be very nasty with the lash of her tongue, he knew she had a temper that probably would have made the stuff of legends (something she obtained from her mother), but he also knew her anger only lasted two days at most. She got over it, no matter how terrible the situation was. It wasn't the first time she got angry with Jack, but it was the angriest she had ever been. Initially, the recollection of the words "I hate you," kept him back, but he remained with the Bennetts for three days. During that time, he played with Jamie; Transformers, Astronauts, cops and robbers, building a city of Legos. He played with Sophie, games of pretend, tea parties, playing with the dollhouse, and reading books to her before bed. He spent some time with Mrs. Bennett as well, mostly talking and getting to know her. He was truly beginning to feel integrated into the family and it was an incredible joy to realize he was beginning to belong to a family, even in the midst of the heartache. Mrs. Bennett learned about Morgan, how she really became to know of Jamie and her connection to Jack. She told him that as a parent, children will often use words they hear, never truly understanding the deep meaning of them. "I hate you," was one of the worst things a parent could hear, but they never truly meant it. They were just struggling to express their anger appropriately. She recalled when Jamie screamed hatred at Sophie, and Jack commented on how it was clear he loved her, even though he got annoyed by her at times, and that it was the same thing. She mentioned Morgan sounded like she viewed Jack as a sibling. And then Jack knew he had another family member to help out.

Late in the evening he arrived at Morgan's window. The painted wood had split in the areas where nails had been at her window. It was nice to know he no longer was denied access to her bedroom, but Jack was curious to know if she had removed them as a way to tell him she was sorry, or if her parents made her remove them. No matter what, he needed to find a way to make it up to her. He lifted the window and crept inside.

An entire wall was adorned with fresh artwork; some drawings of colored pencils, some of chalk. There were a few simple portraits of Jack; smiling, flying, throwing a snowball, tapping his staff to a tree to frost it. There was one of Jack hugging Morgan, there was one of her flying with him. And then there was a picture of Morgan crying, by herself.

She had been thinking of him while he was gone. She was thinking of him quite a bit, and she had been lonely and upset. His finger's traced the lines on the picture of her crying and there was a gnawing within his chest, a bitter one, and not just because he was composed of frost and ice. He could feel a heavy ache pulling at him. What he had done was abandon Morgan. He should have been sensitive to her feelings, but he wasn't. He recalled the memory of Emma, and thought about what he might have done had he ever lived to see her develop an interest in boys, and he compared the two possible scenarios in his head. With Emma, he definitely would have antagonized her and commented on it all the time. He had done the same thing with Morgan. The difference was since Emma was his blood sister, he knew she would always forgive him and always love him, because he was always there and could never leave. She knew despite what he had said, he would have delighted the idea of her being in a relationship and actually might have helped her with it. With Morgan, things were different. She could stop loving him. She could stop believing in him, and then forget he ever existed. They weren't related, they didn't live together. Despite how she saw him as a brother, she did not need to keep loving him.

But it was clear she did, and she was suffering from it. He was right in noting how her anger would be gone. It did leave, but Jack's abandonment of her left her in a state of complete despair. None of the new drawings were about historical events, which was unlike her. He did not see any new library books, and the markers in her books had not been moved from their positions since he was last there. That was not a very good sign at all.

Shoving away all the emotions and his weight of guilt that was hanging around his shoulders, he walked to her bed where her nose was barely sticking out over the covers. He lifted a hand and created a miniature shower of patterned flakes dancing around her head and falling to her face. The touch of a snowflake against her noise made her reach her hand up and rub away the moisture, but she remained asleep. Jack looked up at the golden sand circling her head and how she dreamed of Jack spinning her around and they were happy and laughing. He frowned.

He placed his icicle hand against the jugular of her neck. She hissed in air through her teeth and flailed so she flipped over. A couple of rises in her chest told Jack her breathing had become deeper – a sign she was waking. He set himself on the foot of her bed and waited patiently.

Morgan rubbed at her eyes and blinked rapidly. When she spotted Jack waiting for her, a desperate wail escaped her lips and she scrambled for her beloved friend. He was all ready and waiting to receive her in a hug, but he was not prepared for the blubbering and pleading she was giving him. She clung to him and he uncomfortably strained while she spoke.

"Jack oh god I am so sorry I am an idiot I will never ever ever do it again, I promise I can't believe I did that! You came back, I was so afraid you wouldn't! I mean, I know you never break a promise, but I thought I pushed you too far. I don't hate you, I never could, you are very dear to me Jack and I will never say that again! I don't know why I got so defensive, really, you were right and I should have been more truthful, I just was afraid what it would mean if I did like him, and what that would mean for a friendship, it's just so weird I don't know how Aubrey ever-"

"MORGAN!" he finally bellowed and her rant stopped in it's place. She ducked as if he were ready to throw something at her. He just looked down at her and touched the top of her mousy brown hair. He smirked in that charming way of his. "Morgan, it's okay. I completely understand. I pushed you too hard..."

"But I should have never told you I hate you and sent you away." He laughed and played with her hair affectionately.

"No, no, maybe not. But I know you didn't mean it. I wasn't going to leave you. Do you really think I could ever stay away from you, my little Morgan?" he chuckled adoringly. "I needed to be places. I needed to let you have your space. I needed to see the Bennetts."

"How are they?" she asked.

"Not good, I'm afraid. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are getting a divorce."

"Whyyy?!" Shock and pain lathered her voice.

"He left because he wanted to get a big job in Chicago, but Mrs. Bennett wanted to stay. So they argued and one day he just left. I don't even understand all of it. But they're doing all right. They were a wreck at first but... I spent a few days with them. Mrs. Bennett is a believer by the way."

"Really?" His words expanded her eyes so her brown eyes looked at him brighter.

"Yes. I really wanted her to believe in me since she's my closest relation. She is a great mom, and she knows all about you and all about me and it was really nice to feel like I belonged in a family. Like I had a mother again..." Crystals on the lining of his eyes. He scratched them away and then grinned childishly at her. "You said before that I was right?" Her face flamed chartreuse, but was interrupted with a smile.

"I do," she said. "I like Tristan a lot. You were right, but I used to think boys were disgusting so I didn't like that I liked him. But he's really nice, and he gets me."

"Well, here's my question; if you thought boys were gross, why were you so taken with me?"

"You're not a boy, you're a Guardian," Morgan explained as if that was the answer to everything. "Besides I don't like you anymore, I like Tristan."

"Oh, just like that?" he guffawed.

"Well, it surprised me." He continued to laugh and ordered her to get to bed. He leaned over her and tucked the edges of the blankets in so they would keep her warm. With father-like grace, he touched his cold lips to her forehead and glanced at her with intense dotage. He pressed his hand against her cheek and recited his promises to her. The ends of Morgan's mouth disappeared into cheeks fat with pink.

"I will never leave you again. No matter how angry you get." Morgan giggled. "Instead I'll fight you off with my staff." More laughter.

"Will you be here in the morning?"

"Promise." A grin told him that was all she needed to hear from him before she flipped over and passed out.

* * *

**What's crazy is my word document already accounts this as being over 80 pages and I only started this thing two weeks ago! I normally write fast, but that's like insane for me. Also... school ends in like, one month for me... that is WEIRD. I can't wait though, I have taken some intense classes this semester and I am just ready to be done with them. Sleep time for the Rose. Rosie out.**


	25. Changes

**Are** **you guys ready for the beginnings of conflict? This is the start of only a couple of things I have planned! (Much more grief is promised for you guys)**

**Also elise-hale913 strikes again! No guys, I'm cereal, she's been amazing at finding my errors. Please please please, it's totally okay to come and say to me that there was something I wrote that was confusing or it's grammatical phrasing made no sense or whatever TELL ME. I WANT TO KNOW. Also, apparently fanfiction doesn't like posting links so I don't think you guys saw a couple things** **I have been TRYING to post. So I made an ROTG fan video. Just go on my page on Youtube, and it's the only ROTG one because I never make videos. Username is RoseOfPhantom. Also, feel free to follow me on Tumblr! Once again, RoseOfPhantom. If you ever want to find me somewhere, just type that name in. I use that for everything**.

* * *

_OCTOBER_

Once again, hues of scarlet and gold and clementine took over the usual greenery. The air blew in with a chill in its way and spooky decorations were seen once more. When Easter had rolled in several months before, Jack was reluctant to head off. He was only beginning to know his family well and he was beginning to see Tristan as a good friend, but he had found he had felt alright with leaving them. The Bennetts were really starting to heal from the divorce and Morgan seemed really happy – which had taken several years. Tristan had fun with her and he always thought of her first. Truthfully, Jack could not think of a better time for him to leave. The Bennetts would survive without him and he could get out of the way of Morgan's budding relationship so it could grow. But when the winds told him October was settling, he had jetting away from the penguins and made his rounds around the globe to deliver the autumn colors, and then settled right into his home. Not just Burgess, but the home his family lived in.

Which each year he was met with the conflicting feelings of the fear of being forgotten about and no longer believed in, but also confidence that it would never happen with the Bennetts. Once again, his confidence won out when he showed up at the door and it was opened by Mrs. Bennett and her charming smile.

"Jack!" she exclaimed, and spun the boy into a hug. "It is so good to see you! Jamie and Sophie were starting to get anxious about your return!"

"I had to travel the world," he teased and Mrs. Bennett pulled him into a big hug.

"Jack!" shouted a blonde girl at the top of the stairs. She hopped down them and threw herself to the Guardian. He chuckled fondly as she gripped his legs and he rummaged through her hair. She tilted her head and smiled brightly at him.

"You grew!" he observed excitedly. "Quite a bit!" Her head was now level with his waist. "And your hair! It's shorter and, so much more... even. And I can see those beautiful gems in your eyes!" She grinned sheepishly with a pink rising to her face. He laughed as he bent to pick her up and prop her on his waist. Her giggles were contagious and he could definitely see the baby phased out of her face. She was becoming a girl now.

"Jack!" He felt Jamie collide into him before he heard him. The boy gripped his best friend tightly and Jack wheezed for breath.

"Well, hey, kiddo," he greeted when he got his breath back. "I didn't realize I would be so missed."

"You provide a real warmth to this house," Mrs. Bennett responded.

"Wow, you guys really need to see a doctor if I am the one providing warmth," Jack told them with a laugh.

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"No, I'm not. I want to stop by the Kenters and see Morgan, and maybe Brad."

"Are you sure about that?" Jack just sent her a look to remind her that he actually didn't need to eat. He only ever ate with them because it was an enjoyable experience. Plus, food still taste good, even if everything just passed right through him. "Right. Okay."

"Save me dessert I guess, though, all right? I will come back later tonight. But it might be really late."

"You know where the key is," said Mrs. Bennett. "Just... don't freeze the key in the lock this time." Jack winced at the memory of the incident from last winter.

"How are you guys? I mean..."

"We went to 'Cheekago'!" Sophie declared. "And we saw Daddy!"

"Oh, did you?"

"They visited him this summer," stated Mrs. Bennett and she began to set a couple of pots on the stove. "He seems to be doing all right."

"How's the custody on that?"

"Well, we don't want the kids growing up in Chicago. Plus, we can't afford to fly them back and forth all the time, so they are going to stay here, but he gets them the weekend after Thanksgiving, a few days during Christmas break, an a month in the summer. It greatly limits their time with him but..." She faltered off and Jack was certain he was thinking the same as she: It was his own damn fault.

"At least they get time with him," Jack said, attempting to stick to the positive. Sophie clung to Jack's arm and kept moving her head back and forth to watch them talk. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"How are you holding up?" She shrugged.

"I think I'm basically over him."

"But your feelings?"

"I don't know, Jack. I don't think I loved him like I used to. I don't think I did for a very long time. I do care about him."

"He's their father, of course you do." He playfully snarled a Sophie and made her laugh as he pretended to bite her. "I just mean... Mrs. Bennett, I mean this in a very not weird way, but you are a great woman, very beautiful, and you deserve some happiness again." A tiny smile was stretched by his kind words.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for the dating scene again. Jamie says he's fine with it, but I don't know about Sophie..."

"Mommy, can I help cook?" she asked while Jack bounced her in his arms. He passed her over to Mrs. Bennetts reaching arms. She tried her hardest not to show her grimace at how cold Sophie looked. Jack gave her an apologetic look.

"Well, the kids are the most important right now," he told her. "I'm going to head for Harrisburg. I'll be back later though." He winked to Jamie who was looking a little saddened, but he was quickly cheered by knowing Jack wouldn't be long.

But coming back to Harrisburg had a much different impact than he expected. The city was just the same, as well as the neighborhoods and the people. Nothing had changed until he reached the Kenter household and took a look into Morgan's bedroom. It was much more organized than it had ever been, but it wasn't just that. It was changed almost completely. The walls were a light lilac and no longer wallpaper with hundreds of her drawings. Instead, it was replaced by various wall décor. She had photos of her family, and a couple with Jack (No one else could see Jack in the photo so she always made sure to take the photos with a cool background – but Jack could be seen with belief in the heart), and there were a dozen or so with Tristan. Posters and memorabilia from history exhibitions and museums now hung in place of her drawings and on the shelves were souvenirs and replicas of history. She had a map with pins in it as well, which served as a double usage – marking historical places as well as places she wanted to go to. Her desk was still covered with a mess of artist's tools, and he was glad to see that still the same. Her bedspread had changed too, but he was okay with the pattern; snowflakes falling onto a blue-black backdrops, and little fox faces embroidered around the edging. It reminded him of Morgan as a child.

The biggest change and the one that made Jack nearly fall off the windowsill was Morgan herself. She waltzed into view, a phone pressed against her cheek. She was not aware Jack's presence lingering at the window yet. She had grown a good six inches since he last saw her and it was hard to tell because it had been drawn up into a tie, but her hazelnut toned hair seemed longer and wavier from the way it was cut. There was hardly any of her childhood still in her physical build. Her weight had evened out so, even though she probably wasn't as skinny as many of the girls her age, she had lost a lot of the pounds. She now had curves that were very clearly there and Jack wondered how she could have developed that much in just a few months, before he then mentally lectured himself on focusing on that aspect of her. Watching her walk around the room, Jack told himself he was at the wrong house. But he knew this was the right house, it was just so hard to grasp how she had shot up into an almost womanly appearance and how her room had been conquered by organized maturity. The weirdest change of all was how he was feeling as he watched her.

Something new was rising inside him, pushing to get out. It was terrifying and it hung heavy inside him, but he also liked the feel of its weight. There was something comforting to it and along with the dread it was giving him, he also fed off the awakening of joy it was giving him. It seemed both exciting and scary. Once before, he seemed to remember having feelings similar to what he was experiencing and it plastered him against the siding of the house. When he recalled where this feelings were coming from, and where he had once experienced them, he felt a sickness churning in his gut.

During the summer, something not only changed in Morgan's bedroom but also in Morgan. He wasn't talking physically, that couldn't be avoided. He knew eventually she would grow into herself, but it was the way she carried herself, the way she walked, the expressions on her face. There was a confidence in her step, a bubbliness to her voice, laughter on the edges of her eyes. And that smile of hers... he never understood the expression " a smile to light up the room," but he became a huge believer in it when a laughter broke her lips. The sun itself seemed to beam in through her window and there was a dance of light against her walls.

The area below her neck caught his attention and distracted him from the conflicting feelings he was having, but it wasn't because she was a developed girl and he was a boy with a newly found discovery for Morgan. It was the necklace she was wearing. Last Christmas, he had given some money to a small boy in a museum to buy something for him since he couldn't. The boy did as he asked, and that was how he was able to retrieve Morgan's gift. It was a simple pearl necklace with a gold charm of a B, and three pearl drops hanging from the B. Morgan's name, obviously, did not start with a B, but it was a replica of the necklace Anne Boleyn was often seen wearing in her portrait. He was glad to see it on her, for more reasons than one. It told him she was still a believer and she held him close to her heart.

He watched her click off the phone and then make for her desk covered in a mess of color. Jack decided now was a good time to interrupt and flung the window up. The noise of the unexpected action sent Morgan to the window before he had the opportunity to pull himself into her room.

"OHMYGODJACKYOUHAVEFINALLYCOMEBACK!" she screamed into his sensitive ears. He groaned at the sharp stab at his eardrums, but an enthusiastic hug from her cured the pain quickly. "I was wondering when you were going to get back! You have no idea what it's like without you!"

"I take it I was missed?" he teased, but her words truly did make him feel proud.

"Of course you were!" she laughed and spun him in a circle once more so he was finding it hard to stay upright.

"Things have changed... so much..." he stammered, his eyes of electric ice looking to her. Thankfully, she misunderstood what he meant.

"Oh, I know," she said, commenting on the bedroom décor change. "I ran out of room for my drawings, so mom bought folders and scrapbooks and albums to put them in. And I keep them in a tote under my bed now. We took the opportunity to paint my room, since it really needed it, and then all of the stuff I collected, we put up. My dad gave me that map since there are so many historical places I want to see."

"And the bed?" The chocolate of Morgan's eyes shifted with irritation.

"'If you're going to change the color, you need to change the bedspread too!'" she squawked.

"Your mother's impression is spot on," he teased.

"Ugh," she said.

"And Tristan is...?" The name triggered a glow from her and a dreamy glaze to coat her brown eyes. She fought against making her smile too wide.

"We, uh... we both aren't allowed to date until we're in middle school, which is really only a year away, but we are kind of a thing. We just can't be because our parents think we're not mature enough." Being kind of a thing was enough to push discomfort into Jack's stomach, but it also filled him with rabid hope and desire. Every feeling that surged made him curse himself internally. This was not right. She was twelve, still not really an adult. He was fifteen. She was Morgan, little Morgan, who loved history and drawing and fun. She was a sister to him, and he did not see her any other way. But that was a lie. She was almost completely different and had grown in every direction so he couldn't help but see her completely differently. He didn't like that he saw her this way, because they were childhood friends. Besides, he was a Guardian, she was mortal. He was never going to get married, have kids, grow old, or die. He was doomed to remain frozen, literally, at fifteen, and she would go one with her life, growing older, getting prettier, get married, maybe have kids, though Morgan had never really been keen on them, get old and... die. A prospect that cut at Jack with the thought. Thinking of her in this new way was far more dangerous than it was good.

"Morgan!" The voice was through the door and then Mrs. Kenter opened it.

"Hey," she muttered glumly.

"I'm supposed to tell you that Tristan and his mother had to double back because they forgot your movie." Jack's muscles ached at the idea of him suddenly coming to the house. Right when he had just got back in town? "So they'll be a little late."

"That's okay, Jack's here, so I can visit with him by myself before he gets here."

"Jack?"

"Yes, he's back for the fall. And winter, of course."

"As in Jack Frost," Mrs. Kenter scoffed and shook her head. "Morgan..."

"What?"

"I thought you had finally learned the truth of these child stories."

"No, you told me they didn't exist," Morgan said calmly. "I told you that they did, I saw them and I talked with them. You just never believed me."

"But this Jack, he... I thought he went away. I thought you stopped seeing him."

"He leaves in the summer to go to Antarctica. He can't make the world cold in the summer, you know." The wrinkles in Mrs. Kenter's brow told Jack that this was not the first time this was discussed, and that this was worry that had constantly badgered at her.

"And now he's back."

"Yeah, he's seated right next to me."

"Morgan, honey, you're scaring me..."

"Mom?" She looked at her daughter with a worried twist of the mouth before closing the door most of the way.

"Oliver..." her voice could be heard saying down the hall. "She's hallucinating again..." Morgan's fuming anger pulled in her bottom lip and she slammed herself against the body by falling backwards. She laughed wildly and then turned to Jack to share her sarcastically displeased smile.

"Oh, and another change... my parents think I'm insane!"

* * *

**I didn't expect this plot to come up as quickly as it did, but that's good. I am aiming for a realistic pace, but you don't want things to be sluggish, so I'm happy to be getting into the exciting stuff. Too late for me to type anymore so I am just going off to bed early. Night, lovelies. Rosie out.**


	26. Growing

**DRAMA! And here... is the beginning of everything...**

* * *

_~Jack~_

Jack had gone back that night to the Bennett household, just as he promised, but after he received hugs good night from Sophie and Jamie, and Ms. Bennett, as she was going by now, had switched off the television to go to bed, he sat in the house by himself. The way his body and mind reacted to seeing Morgan again had been gnawing at his insides the entire day. He couldn't understand where it came from, especially all of a sudden. Never once did he think romantically about her, and he would have been disturbed if he did. She was always a child, and he was frozen at fifteen. Did growing up really do that much? When he noticed how much older she looked and acted, the fact that she soon would be a teenager just suddenly make her desirable to him? He had been through all of this before, but it was different now. At eleven, remembered coming home to talk to his dad about some girls he saw that he thought were very pretty, and he wondered why that was when several months ago he had thought they were gross. He couldn't understand why the idea of kissing one of them was appealing to him. His father, and his mother a little, had been there to talk to him about it. Then, when he was thirteen, he had spotted the prettiest girl in his entire life and then something completely different happened. He just starting feeling very interesting things in many different ways, and had some very interesting thoughts and he once again, took these confessions to his parents, who informed him about what was going on and what to do.

His parents had explained to him all the physical aspects that went into liking someone, and the emotions, and what it all meant. He thought that was all he would ever need to know. Never in his dreams did he imagine himself at three hundred plus years old stuck in his fifteen year old body, a Guardian of the children of the world, in control of the winter and snow and frost, never dying, never aging, developing feelings for a girl who would outgrow him and die. And he would remain. His parents seemed to have forgotten to cover what to do in a situation like that.

He was comfortable enough with Ms. Bennett, but this wasn't something she could offer advice on. There were only a few people around who could, and Cupid was most certainly not one of them, but he wanted to talk to every one. Obviously feelings had generated between the Guardians on occasion (Tooth was a perfect example of that), but he was curious to know if anyone grew attached to a mortal. As Guardians, their work was normally restricted to children and preserve their innocence and beliefs for as long as possible, but even when they grew up, Jack thought it was important to intercede to protect them. One of the main reasons why he was so angered at Cupid for his actions.

With much of the night still remaining, he left the house and zipped off for the North Pole.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jack! It is good to see you!" North bellowed with a good dose of laughter. Jack was crushed under his back-breaking hug. He cringed and attempted to wriggle away from him, unsuccessfully. North slung a brotherly arm around Jack, who awkwardly slipped away to North's other side. Sometimes the jolly old Nicholas was too friendly.

They walked into the shop together, several grey-white Yetis glancing over at the winter spirit. Some of them shared friendly familiarity, but many of them looked at him with annoyance. Jack had not always been the most civil with them. And civil, to Jack, was mischievous fun.

"Phil!" he greeted to the Yeti who was not sharing the same enthusiasm towards him. He growled lowly at first, and when Jack's smile was broken by the possibility that the Yeti actually did not think fondly of him, the creature erupted in his chortling and then his oversized paw swiped at Jack and shoved the boy into his suffocating fur. "Okay... Phil I... please let... go!" Delicately, he was set down and then received a pat on the head. Jack rolled his eyes but smirked at him all the same.

"So, Jack," North started. "What brings you here?"

"I have a bit of a problem," he started delicately, and there would have been color to his face if he had any blood. North blinked and waited with a patient grin on his face. He rolled up his sleeves and the "Naughty" and "Nice" tattoos he had on his arms distracted Jack for a moment."With Morgan."

"Ahh," North sighed sadly. He clapped a hand on Jack's shoulder and looked to him with a sympathetic smile. "It is normal for children to stop believing in us, Jack. It is what they must do. I can understand how upsetting it may be thought. Morgan was good friend to you."

"No, it's actually not that. She still believes."

"Oh? Well, then, how could there be problem?" He laughed and turned away, making his way to his private workshop. Jack followed.

"It's a little more complicated than that." He bit his lip for a second and then said. "I came up here wondering if you could send out Aurora."

"Aurora?" North nearly laughed. "Aurora is only for emergencies."

"This kinda is," Jack told him cryptically.

"Jack..." North's eyes were widened by an anxious fear and he lowered his face so he was locking eyes with Jack, to search for some bit of an answer. "Is Morgan seeing Pitch?"

"No, no," he quickly said, "No, she's not..." he took a deep breath and then looked at the floor so he wouldn't be able to see North's face. "I think I'm... attracted to her." He looked at the wood floor for a moment, waiting for some response. When he received none, he jerked his head back up to see a blank, unblinking expression from the man in red. Then, he clutched his gut while his body shuddered with his booming laughter. Jack pursed his lips and watch North with intense annoyance. He did not appreciate being laughed at.

"You tell very good joke," he said, "It is very funny."

"North, I'm serious! I don't know what to do about it, with her being a human and me a guardian!" His laughter faltered off and he stood up to look at the genuine worry on Jack's face.

"You are telling truth? You have feelings for Morgan?"

"I do..." he sighed and shoved his hands in his front pocket. "I can only speak to the Guardians."

"This is problem. You were right to ask about Aurora." North stomped his way over to the control panel that was seated below the large globe of the Earth that showed a light for every believing child. There was one for Morgan there somewhere.

North reached for a lever directly to his right on the panel and turned it before pushing it down. Waves of changing light; colors of greens, yellows, and purples flooded the globe and then lifted to raise out of the small opening at the top of the dome, escaping up the pole. North winked to the boy to his left and then turned to face him.

"Are you telling me this has never happened before?" Jack said anxiously.

"Well, not really. You see, since what we do is protect the children, we are focused on that and not much else. Once they hit the teens, children no longer believe and so we move on to younger ones. It is how things are, how it always has been. Occasionally, of course, we do help the older ones. Bunny gives them hope when they have lost it, I give wonder to those who need in, Tooth helps with memory, Sandman helps them sleep, and now help them have fun but we focus mainly on the children. We never connect with anyone on our mental level. Even if we did, it is not usual we spend quality time one on one with children so they grow with us, like you do with Morgan and Bennetts. This is why this never happened. Cupid is... different story."

"You're telling me that... okay, Tooth. Tooth has never been out at night, pursuing teeth and spotted some I dunno... a guy whom she thought was good-looking or something and nothing happened with it?" Tooth seemed to be the most likely of them.

"Oh, I am sure it has happened. A time or two I spotted some lovely grandmothers. But we know if that ever happens to not obsess over it or focus on it. It is only a glance, after all. An attitude based on appearance. We do not really know these people or have time to make the connection, so stay away we must do. Morgan, and you... you go back a long way, and you are Jack Frost, you must stay and make friends. Protecting from a distance is not something you do. And Morgan, she had believed long time. Now she is twelve and soon will become woman. I suppose we should have seen this coming, especially with you so young and becoming spirit at time of your life when you are falling in love and noticing young ladies. Now, relationships between guardians, that is something that has happened before."

"It has?"

"Not often, but yes."

"Cupid..." Jack said dully, figuring it had something to do with him.

"Yes, but not just him," North said. "Mother Earth had a little thing with the Pumpkin-King."

"What?!"

"This is true. It did not last long. Mother Earth is..." he shuddered and then laughed at himself. "And Cupid and Tooth of course."

"Tooth?! She was with Cupid?"

"Why are you so surprised sounding? It's Cupid, and Tooth is a romantic. It did not last a week, though. Tooth figured out he was always after others and decided she wanted nothing to do with him. She has the intelligence." Scratching sounded from the floor several feet behind them as a depression tunneled into the ground. Tips of pointed grey ears appeared from the hole and then a six foot one warrior rabbit jumped out. Jack's lips stretched into a grin when the character hopped out into the workshop.

"Crikey, I actually got the shop this time," he muttered with gladness. "What's going on. North? What's with the Aurora?"

"Jack has very big problem."

"There is no way you called me away because Jack has created a mess again!" Bunny yelled aggressively.

"No, no, Bunny. That is not what I mean. I mean Jack has problem that could cause to be problem with all Guardians, and possibly harm some children."

"Aw, mate, what did ya bloody do?" Bunny groaned, but gave his friend a gentle pat on the back. "I really hope this isn't going to become a habit. Bloody getting us together because of something ya did."

"It wasn't my fault, it just happened I didn't..." Golden sand sputtered into the room behind a biplane that was constructed of the dream sand. Removing the goggles composed of the same substance, Sandy stepped out of his plane which then disappeared when he pulled its stream of sand back into his hands. The short and stout dream master smiled seeing the other guardians there.

"Hey, Sandy," Jack said. He bowed lowly. Apprehensively chirping announced the presence of the Tooth Fairy who gracefully floated in while shouting demands to the few fairies she brought with her. The work never stopped for it. It was nighttime somewhere all the time and she was always working to make sure no child's tooth was missed. She seemed to always enjoy the rush of everything.

"All right, everybody here!" North announced boisterously. "I called you all here because Jack is in bit of pickle. Big pickle, actually. I promise it is not his usual mischievous antics. Something has happened that we probably should have seen coming, but it has never happened so we never thought about it. Unfortunately, this is problem which if not taken care of correctly, could damage the guardians and maybe the children." Sandy flapped his face and images of snow and question marks were produced of sand over his head, to ask _"Jack what did you do?"_

"Hey, don't judge before you hear!" Jack defended with a comical smile.

"You see, it seems that Jack Frost has developed feelings for particular girl..." he started. Tooth's wings beat furiously and she zoomed towards Jack, spinning him into a hug. Her fairies gasped and chirped louder and quicker.

"Jack, there is absolutely no reason to be conflicted about that, it's okay! You didn't need to go to North to call a big meeting, you could have just came and talked to me, I would have understood! This doesn't need to be a problem at all, we can work-"

"It is not you, Tooth," North said in a low voice. The wings stopped buzzing and they slowly fell against her back. For a second, her eyes brightened, but the light in them vanished away. Her smile fell into a broken frown and Jack felt his chest break with her heart. She just looked and him and dejectedly floated away. Bunny looked over to her sympathetically. "It is Morgan Kenter."

"Hold up, isn't she... a child?!" The bunny looked to Jack with a twisted expression. Sandy was displaying a picture of a jail cell above his head.

"Not so much anymore. Morgan is twelve, Jack is fifteen. Well, not fifteen..." he laughed. "But you my drift have gotten." Sandy speedily began changing through pictures. A person. Jack's face. A heart. A heart breaking. A person dying. Jack sad. They were quick, but Jack was able to catch them, and they weren't making him feel any better.

"It's not like I could help it! I came back from Antarctica and she was just... there. So... different..." They watched his eyes change to one of adoration, and it was enough to gain a little sympathy from them.

"Mate, listen," the bunny started. "You need to understand what is going to go on with you, and what's going to go on with her. Morgan is growing up, and she's going to keep on growin'. I understand that you are, and will forever be, at a time when the idea of being with a sheila is intriguing, but it isn't a good idea. You have no future, should it ever get to that. You get into a relationship with the hopes of it getting that far. It doesn't always happen, but it's never a good idea to be a relationship knowing it will end. The pain and heartbreak is always on you. She'll grow, you won't. Things will have to end, she'll want to get married, and have children. That can't happen with you. She's going to die, and you're just going to have to keep on livin'."

"Not only that, Jack, think about what would happen if you did get together..." her voice was still quiet from hearing it was not her who Jack liked. "No one else could see you. One thing that girls like to do is show off their boyfriends. She couldn't do that. Nobody believes once they hit their teens. She could never go out to dinner with you or go on dates without people giving her looks."

"Then we won't traditionally date!" Jack defended. "There's other stuff..."

"That's not what a girl wants!" Tooth interjected.

"Morgan isn't your average girl! You don't know what she wants, you don't hang around her like I do..." Jack's quick, brash retort silenced Tooth and her wings fell back again. "Tooth, I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"Jack is conflicted and confused," North quickly voiced, as a way of explanation. "And he is not talking about being with her, not yet. Just what to do." Sandy showed a picture of Morgan's face with a cross through it.

"Sandy's right," said Bunny. "If you don't want to drive yourself mad with these feelings, you have to leave her alone. You have the Bennetts, they'll give you companionship."

"It's not that easy, Bunny, I can't just walk away! I made a promise, a promise I intend to keep!" Bunny stepped forward so his face was two inches away from Jack.

"They're only going to get stronger and then you're going to do something bloody stupid that could hurt Morgan! If you truly care about her, you'll just walk away!" Bunny's eyes softened and he stepped away.

"Then you hurt yourself and Morgan..." he told him sadly and walked away around the workshop. Tooth fluttered towards him, forcing her eyes to fall on him. A heaviness pulled at Jack at the way pain was hanging on her. Maybe the little crush she had was a littler stronger than he thought it was.

"Jack... it's your own life. None of us are going to control you or tell you what to do. We're just concerned about you and Morgan," she told him with a flat tone. "But you need to make a decision. Bunny's right. Staying with her is just selfish. The best thing you can do is stay away from her."

"How is that the best thing for her? She's always been a lonely girl, with very few friends. If I just walk away, I'm just like all those other cruel kids at school."

"Maybe it seems that way, but I don't think..." He took a deep breath.

"Tooth, I'm sorry, all right? I know you liked me, but I didn't know how much and I wish I could feel the same about you, all right? But I can't. What you feel for me? I feel a little bit of that for Morgan. It's only a little, so maybe it will go away, and it's just because I'm fifteen forever and hormonal and whatever goes with that and she's my friend and getting prettier every day or whatever." He paused for a moment. "I can't stay away from her. If I leave, I would only be hurting her more." Tooth smiled a little while she looked at him. She flew closer to him and put her feathery arms around his neck again. Jack could feel her grin pressing into his face.

"For now," she whispered. "You're probably right. But remember what we told you... if you don't come up with something... this could be disastrous."

"Maybe Man in Moon should have thought about this before he chose a teenager to be a Guardian."

"No, Jack. This wouldn't have happened if Morgan wasn't such a charmer."

Jack laughed at her humor. He needed some humor right now, and Tooth could always be relied on to make him feel better.

* * *

**I felt like Halloween needed a character. The Great Pumpkin seems to be only a Peanuts thing, so I didn't go with that. Pumpkin King sounds a lot like Jack from Nightmare before Christmas, but it's not supposed to be him, because then this kinda becomes a crossover and I don't want that. Pumpkin King sounded like a cooler name so... that's what he is. As of this point, I don't intend to develop him, but if the demand is high I might. Not even sure if I'm going to bring Cupid in later. So now we're getting into the goods, but other things are going to happen before Jack makes a decision on what to do about his feelings. He's really confused right now, and of course Tristan is in the picture... so lots of stuff. This would have been up earlier, but of course I had to go and get a headache and take an hour nap, which means I now have to stay up later to do homework and I just *collapse* You guys are awesome, btw, keep the reviews coming! Rosie out.**


	27. Kind Of A Funny Story

**Just to give you guys an idea of how much is going to be going on soon, in my incredibly boring Shakespeare class (Not that Shakespeare is boring. I actually love him - it's just his plays were meant to be seen and not read, the prof is incredibly dull, and all we do in that class is read the stuff we were already assigned to read the night before, and we have to turn it our responses at the beginning of class, so it's not like we can just wait til class to read them... It's really dull) I was bored, so I bullet-pointed notes on the stuff happening in my mind, plot points, and important events that will happen. It took up 8 notebook pages. Front and back. And my hand hurts now from it. Anyway, here you go!**

* * *

_~Jack~_

After the uncomfortable meeting with the Guardians and a final warning to be careful, Jack left the North Pole. When he reached Burgess, it was covered with an almost black in the deepest of the night. The moon glistened the ground with its silver blue light. Most humans would say the sun's rays bounced off the surface of the moon and shone to light up the darkness. The second part was right. The moon did shed light in times of darkness, but it was not the light of the sun. It was the light of the moon itself. The Man in the Moon was constantly watching over the children of the earth, even when they weren't sleeping. It was that same moon he was now addressing. The moon never talked to him; only once told him his name. But he still kept on talking to him. It was the moon that had all the answers, the moon who understood. Occasionally, he would present information at the Pole, and it was the Guardians that got the bulk of it. He felt, as a Guardian now, he should talk to him more, but never did. Jack still clung to the hope that he would speak to him one day, and that was why he always went back to him.

"Okay, Man in Moon," he started, clamoring on to the roof of the Bennett house, while his family slept under his watchful presence. He propped up his staff and leaned against it, staring at the hazy orb suspended in the sky. There was a faint outline of a face in its light. "I cannot count how many times I have stood here and asked for help on being seen. Now, people can see me and... it is exactly that which has put me in the position I am in now. Did you see this coming? I... died when I was fifteen, you have watched me for so long. You must have known this would happen! You must have known that someday I would get someone... a girl to see me, and that there was a chance they would... a chance that I would..." He faltered off and shook his head, staring at the shingles of the roof. "It's not an ideal life, but I have been given a family. The Guardians and the Bennetts. I have friends, I have a mother, I have people who feel like siblings to me. My life is almost perfect now. People believe in me, I have them... but stuck as a fifteen year old forever... Things were only just beginning to happen with Sybil... I wonder what happened to her anyway? Maybe Morgan can find that out..." But he decided he did not like that idea. Morgan researching his old possible girlfriend horrified him and made him feel extremely uncomfortable. "No, I'm getting off track. Did you think that becoming a Guardian would make my desires go away? That my hormones would just... stop? Actually, now I am doomed to have hormones going all the time." He groaned and flipped the blue hood up over his head. "You seriously can't have believed there would never be a time when I would fall for a human girl. There's very few of us spirits, and only a little less than half of us are female. Those are very limited options, and there's... millions of human girls in the world. What did you expect me to do for companionship? Everything else..." The moon's only response was the shimmering on the rooftop. "Why can't you just give me some answers on what to do? How do I make these feelings go away? Relationships... if anything happened with Morgan and I... somewhere down the line, she's going to... maybe she'll want to get married. Maybe she'll wants kids. I can't give that to her. I don't know, I mean... I'm sure Morgan hasn't thought of that. I've thought about those things, but not with Morgan specifically. Until today, I didn't even know I would ever think of her in such a... a way that feels wrong." The frozen electric of his blue eyes looked up to the moon in hopes of an answer. As always, there was none. He rolled his eyes once more. He was really sick of the lack of responses. "Why is Morgan so... why is she so compelling... Why didn't you tell me this was going to happen? If something happened... if we were together and she wanted... all of that. We could be together but it would never be _real_. We can do all of the stuff normally couples do but no one could ever see me with her. They would think she was nuts, they would never believe she was with... with me. And Morgan, more than anything, is about what is real. She would never want to be involved in something where nobody would believe here, and she... us with... I'm not even going to go into why children would never work... How do I get rid of this? How do I stop... I would if I knew. Just... tell me? For once say something?" But the moon was silent. He sputtered and dropped down so he was sitting on the edge of the roof, feet dangling above Sophie's bed. All the things he thought about over the years, he never thought he would be asking the moon why he had a crush on a human girl.

_~Morgan~_

A weekend morning in the Kenter household relieved the stress going on at school for everyone. Complaints and whines were emitting from Brad's room, who had just been tackled to the ground for his first time ever. He had started football about two months ago, but he had never been driven into the grass like that. So his plans involved sitting in his room all day and watching TV. Brad was in the kitchen while his father helped him go over multiplication tables. He was the least stressed of all the Kenter children, but he was proud to finally be bringing homework home so he could be just like all his other siblings. Aubrey was still at school, currently well underway with her Environmental Science major. This was also the weekend Todd had come back from college. Every fourth weekend he would come back and do laundry. He could probably afford to do it, but he liked an excuse to come home. Aubrey was attending college in Washington State, so it was harder for her to get out there – so when she needed to go somewhere, she went to her boyfriend's family in California. Todd, however, attended college in Maryland so he could take a drive up to the house every fourth weekend. He and his girlfriend talked about going to the same college, and decided against it. They were concerned about spending too much time together, or if something unfortunate happened and it became awkward. So, she was at college in New Jersey so they could still see each other. Three weekends he spent with her, and every one out of four he went to visit his family, which Morgan was glad about. This weekend, however, he had stopped by when Tristan was visiting and she tried not to organize his visits so he was over when her brother stopped by but this time, they overlapped. Todd was glad about though. He was excited to meet the guy who Morgan talked about all the time, and who she was infatuated with.

The door to her bedroom was propped open, while comforting sounds from the talk and laughter downstairs filled her room to drown out Peter's complaining. It was almost just like old times, with the absence of Aubrey. After two years of her only coming back for Christmas and Easter, Morgan was becoming used to her no longer being around. It was a little saddening, they used to be so close when she was younger. But she figured that was how things were when you were nine years apart. You were always at different points in your life so when you grew up, the younger child wasn't ready. She just hoped that after Aubrey's last year, she would move back to the city and she would be able to see her more often.

But Tristan was here now. Tristan was able almost completely fill that hole in her heart that was gaping, left open by the various so called friends who walked in and out of her life and her sister who preferred her boyfriend's company over her family. There was something special about him. She wondered how they had never spoken when they had attended the same school since kindergarten. He was wonderful. She never really liked books about fictional accounts, but he made them seem so real. She read _Journey to the Center of the Earth_ and told him it was so difficult to take in. It was hard to wrap her mind around something and let her imagination run when she knew none of it happened. He talked to her and somehow when she talked to him about the book, it was easier to understand. The way he talked about it made it seem so pleasing. The way he spoke made her feel brightened and pleasantly lightweight so she wanted to listen more. His excitement in the story made her excited as well, and that excitement made her want to believe it was real. The second round of reading made her realize why some people enjoyed fiction. Nonfiction was still her favorite, but Tristan had the power to open her eyes and mind a little more.

That wasn't the only thing. The world's colors were richer now, and it was easier to give in to happiness. She had to work hard to even get upset, and it became so exhausting to do so. Just his own presence, when he walked up to her room. Her heart opened and light spilled in, lifting her about ten feet higher. Her lips were always pulled up into a smile, and laughing was so easy to do in his presence. Her parents told her twelve was way too young to fall in love but she told them they were wrong. There was a chorus in her soul that started to sing when he stepped into the room. She loved the impression of the dimple formed by his grin, exposure of his own feelings for her. She relished in the evidence he gave her every time they met that he felt as she did, but they were twelve. Neither or they parents thought dating was was appropriate at their age, but they would get there. Tristan promised her when they were both given the okay, he would take her out to the closest history institute his mother would drive them to.

On this day though, Morgan leaned against him while they looked over a book filled with strange and funny things that happened in history. Their chuckles and wails of hilarity drifted through the halls and occasionally they would hear Peter yell at them in annoyance, followed by a groan of pain.

"'The _Dude _President'?" Morgan cackled and the weight of her laughter made her head fall to Tristan's shoulder. He glanced over at her hysterics, finding the way her lips curled over her teeth to allow intense laughter to echo through the room the most attractive way of laughing. He chuckled along with her, also finding the fact amusing. "That... is the stupidest... nickname... I have ever heard!"

"Wait wait this one... 'A tomato was held on trial after a Robert Johnson of Salem, New Jersey, ate an entire basket in 1820.'" More cackling came from Morgan, who collapsed in Tristan's lap, her fist pounding against the carpet to further express her. "Do you want me to keep going, or is your stomach going to explode from all of this?"

"Hang... on..." she panted and then took a few heavy breathes. Whining with relief she sat up again and waited for him to read more to her.

"'Charles the first of England sent someone else to marry his wife in his stead.'" Snickers escaped from Morgan's nose as she tried to control herself. "'Egyptian pharaohs and kings had royal bottom wipers.'" Another escape from laughter from Morgan. "Lord Horatio Nelson, Britain's greatest sailor, got terribly seasick.'" Morgan guffawed in a way that entertained Tristan. "'Famous Victorian stuntman Bobby Leach is noted for going over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survived. However, he died due to complications from slipping on an orange peel.'"

"That! Should! Not! Be! Funny!" Morgan burst out laughing, wetness clinging to the corner of her eye.

"'The 2nd Baron de Rothschild had dinner parties with his pet chimps, had snakes on his banisters, and had a carriage pulled by zebras.'"

"That... sounds... awesoooommmmeee!" Morgan exclaimed, with more enthusiasm than laughter this time. Tristan chuckled at her and then closed the book. "Ahh, my tummy hurts from laughing."

"We should stop for a while then," he advised. "We should put a movie in. What do you want to watch?"

"_Elizabeth I_!" Morgan declared.

"We've seen that twice!" he groaned. "You just want to stare at Joseph Fiennes..."

"Not true! Elizabeth was an awesome queen!"

"And Joseph Fiennes..."

"Yeah..." Morgan giggled and nestled her head on Tristan's shoulder.

"I got one!" he said, and dragged his backpack from around the corner of the bed. His fingers swiftly pulled the zipper around and he produced a DVD with cover art that seemed to reflect the style of action films in the 80s. She wrinkled her nose. "Oh come on! This is something we would both really love. It's got the action and adventure I love, and everything revolves around historical items. There's even some romance in it you'll enjoy."

"But it's not love stories of romance."

"But he's an archeologist-meets-James Bond type character," he told her. Morgan took the DVD from him and looked it over, reader the back.

"_Raiders of the Lost Ark_... as in like, the Ark of the Covenant written in history books and the Bible?"

"That would be the one. They go searching for it and are trying to get to it before the Nazis do."

"Oh! So it's World War Two?"

"Shortly before."

"This sounds really cool!" Morgan's voice was suddenly encompassed with the giddy mood history put her in, but even more so as her excitement was fueled by knowledge that she was going to watch a film she might actually enjoy with her favorite boy right next to her. She extended her hand to pull him up and she jerked him to his feet. The ponytail on the back of her head bobbed as she turned to head towards the door. His hand touched her shoulder gently, but firm enough to make her look back at him.

"Before we do... I want to try something quick."

"Tristan?"

"We can't date yet, but... we can try a few things we haven't yet, right? We were never told that and our parents don't need to know."

"Tristan, what are you-" Morgan was silenced by a half second peck to her lips. Her lips had only formed a circle by the time he drew back. Her lips retained their position and her bulging eyes took to rapid blinking from the surprise jolting through her body. He shoved his hands in his pockets and chewed on his lip while he waited for her to say something. Her lips broke into a grin that exposed her teeth and then she returned his kiss, not much longer than his. Watching each other carefully for their reactions, their faces filled with similar smiles and the color that often visited bashfulness. Morgan's smile released a giggle and then her fingers touched his hand. Thinking it was a moment of tenderness, he took her hand, but then she pulled him along down the steps, clutching the DVD with elation. Never once did she see the spirit of ice and snow arriving at her window, catching a glimpse of the last interaction.

* * *

**All these funny facts? All true. I still have homework to do, so there's not going to be another one tonight, but I try to get at least one up every night, so I hope this will feed your craving for a day or so. I'm starving. It's been one of those days where I just can't get full. Also I'm tired, and I had 9 hours of sleep. And I am so excited this snow is finally melting! (Jack, I love you, but I am sick of waking up late not because of sleeping in, but because I AM FREEZING) Anyway, have a good night/day wherever you are in the world. I gots to go read some poetry now. Rosie Out!**


	28. Pretend

**So I found out last minute that I don't have school tomorrow, which hopefully means I can stay up and write another chapter, and maybe a couple more tomorrow, but Saturday and Sunday I work ALLL weekend. Plus I have homework, and there's a month left of school so... I would say I am not going to upload but... Okay, I really have homework to do this weekend, it's like crunchtime for me. And I have so much work to do but I am way too obsessed with this story so I guess... yell at me. Send me PMs or something. I NEED TO DO MY WORK SO BADLY. Nothing's late or anything but I just need to get my ass in gear! Anyway, here. Next chapter. Enjoy**

* * *

_~Jack~_

The glistening of the gold trimming the hues of the violets and lavenders of Tooth Palace came into view before Jack even made the decision to go there. He liked Tristan. He thought he was a good kid, and although the idea of Morgan with him nipped mild irritation at him, he had not experienced any real animosity towards him. He certainly didn't want anything to happen with the two of them. Seeing the two of them kiss, even the innocent kiss that it was, really crushed something in his spirit. He liked Morgan, he obviously figured that out, but he saw the way Morgan laughed at him, how she smiled after the kiss, how she excitedly pulled him along downstairs with the film in her hand. When they were together, they had fun. He could make her smile and laugh, but her laugh never rang the same way with him as it did with Tristan. It never had the musical melody that reflected the deep joy residing in her. Her smile was the brightest with Tristan and he could not deny that she was just, overall, happier with him. He was not jealous, at least he didn't think so. He had seen jealousy before; countless times, actually. Someone was with someone that someone else wanted to be with, so one person decided to hate the other just because they liked the same person. He did hate Tristan. He did not want to come between them. He was not jealous of Tristan. He just wished he could be the one to make Morgan smile like that and give her that kind of happiness. It wasn't until he saw the two of them when he finally realized, after all these years of being her favorite person, he was second best. Morgan liked Tristan more than him. That was the part that killed him.

As he made his way towards the palace, there was a part of him that was straining to turn away. He was getting an idea of how Tooth might have been feeling and it sucked. Finding out he had a sister, and knowing she was no longer alive was hard, but this hurt in a different way. Emma was never going to be there and that made his gut clench and pummeled his heart with an intensity he never thought was possible. Grief of losing someone you loved was different. Someone was being chosen over him. It wasn't like it was a greater pain than losing Emma. That was definitely the worst thing he had ever felt. But it was different and he didn't know how to handle it.

Tooth would help him to handle it, give him advice, or something. He knew she would. He felt guilty going to her, knowing that he was seeking advice about a girl he liked from a girl who liked him. Jack was understanding the torture Tooth may be going through, but he needed her help and he knew he could rely on her. Even if she didn't have a crush on him, she would be there to help him. That was just Tooth.

The little jittery green fairy flitted to Jack on his arrival. He laughed and held out his hand for the bashful creature to perch on his hand. She squeaked and chirped her conversation to her favorite Guardian.

"Hey there, Baby Tooth!" he greeted. He touched the top of her head to give her a few strokes. Her eyes softened as she fell into a relaxation under his finger. "Where's Tooth at?" Her wings buzzed as she zipped towards the center of the palace. Her chirping sounded frantic, as it always did, but it was weighed down with a hint of sadness. "She's been hiding away for a few hours? Do you know why?" Baby Tooth just looked at the golden floor below her. "It's me isn't it?" More chirping. She reassured him that her sadness was not bad, she was just a little down. It didn't help the guilt Jack was feeling. He smirked at Baby Tooth gratefully and then walked over to the round structure the miniature fairy had gestured towards. Stepping inside, he found the charming fairy seated on the ground. Her feathers seemed to have lost their luster and the grace from her had vanished. In her hands, she held a small golden cylinder. Jack recognized the picture on the end as identification of it belonging to him. She turned her head towards him and a trace of gladness seeped into her mouth, so her face was split by a smile. Jack smirked back at her and sat down beside her, looking at the golden canister that stored his teeth, containing his memories.

"Tooth, I am never going to forgive-"

"Stop, Jack, it's okay," she told him lightly. "I get it. No explanation is needed. Your heart falls on whomever it wants. You can't control it. No reason to feel guilty."

"Just saying that doesn't change things," he told her. "Morgan has a... there's a guy she..."

"I know about Tristan, Jack. He's a sweet boy, he really is." Her voice was flat as she spoke.

"Exactly my problem... what do I do about this? I can't stay away from Morgan. She's... she's one of my best friends, it would hurt more to be away from here than to stay. I don't like that I like her..." Tooth nearly laughed and then looked at the canister in her hand. "Are you really okay?"

"Of course I am! I'm just a little sad right now, that's all. It will go away. That's just how girls are with heartbreak." Tooth pushed herself up and Jack rose with her. "I made it a little too obvious I liked you, didn't I?"

"No," Jack told her sarcastically. "I only thought you were sticking your fingers in my mouth because you were searching for buried treasure." Tooth giggled.

"I'll get over it Jack. I'm just a hopeless romantic who misses being in a relationship, and... you're so kind and fun and loving and generous and..."

"Great teeth," Jack finished and that made her laugh boisterously. He felt a little lighter at hearing her laugh.

"Yes, exactly... that's another one. It was so easy to like you, and I let myself."

"Misses being in a relationship?" Jack questioned.

"Before... I was the Tooth Fairy, I was in a great relationship. We were simply peasants, but he was going to ask my father's hand in marriage. Then I..."

"You died," said Jack.

"Yeah. I think about him all the time." She lifted her head so she looked towards the sky. "He was a lot like you. I guess that's why it was so easy for me to like you. I was with Cupid briefly because... I was lonely. But it was a mistake. He's conceited and thinks everyone is after him. He's not really a great guy to be with, despite being called the Spirit of Love."

"I suppose I didn't do much for that loneliness, huh?" She simply shrugged, and tried to give him an understanding smile.

"It's okay Jack! Morgan has this... this power over you. She makes you so much different and... I think it's good for you. No matter what the others say. It's good to see that in you Jack. I like seeing you that way. That's why I am okay with this." Tooth touched her hands to Jack's face and made her look at him. "I know it hurts but I will be okay. I promise. And so will you."

"How do you know?"

"Morgan is falling for a guy, that doesn't mean she's going to forget about you."

"She's twelve, Tooth. They all... stop believing eventually. She probably will too. And very soon."

"Except Morgan doesn't see things as everyone else does," she reminded him. "She has... different eyes. She sees truth when no one else can. Plus no one... no Guardian has ever spent as much time with children as you. No one has created such a powerful friendship like you have. She won't stop believing, as least not for a while. She's still going to need you, and she's still going to want you around."

"But I can't make her feel that way... and I want to. I really want to."

"I don't know what I can tell you to make it better..." she whispered and dropped her hands. "This... feelings... falling for someone. It hurts, but things will fade. I promise that will, and it will be all right. The best thing you can do for Morgan, and the best thing you can do for your sanity is to still be there for her. First loves, especially at twelve, they never last. Someone is going to need to be there for her when her heart is broken." He embraced Tooth genuinely and placed a peck on her cheek.

"How are you so understanding?" he asked her. She laughed and squeezed him back.

"I'm really old, Jack."

"You don't show it." She pulled away from him and there was a flutter if a blush. She stepped away and watched in admiration as he flew off away from the Tooth Palace.

_~Morgan~_

Eleven at night meant children should be in bed, even if the next day was Sunday. With Todd home, her parents were holding a family meeting during the late hours when Morgan and Brad were asleep. Or supposed to be asleep. The kitchen was too far out of her sight from her hiding place at the top of the stairs, but their conversation carried through the house very clearly.

"I don't understand where it started..." said her mother. The sound of something being poured into a mug could be heard.

"I still don't know if I believe you," said Todd.

"How can you not? She's always going on about Jack Frost."

"It's normal for children to have invisible friends."

"At twelve years old?"

"Some twelve year olds still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny," said her father.  
"Jack Frost is just another one of those characters."

"But she claims to see him. She says she's friends with them. She says she plays with Jack all the time."

"Morgan's just different!" Todd defended, with a little bit of anger that made Morgan smile. "She always has been... you guys have always encouraged that."

"But sometimes the stuff she draws... it's disturbing."

"She just likes people knowing what is there," said her father.

"Really, Oliver? You think that's all it is? What about when she sits in her room and talks to absolutely no one?"

"She's talking to her stuffed animals!"

"Those don't sound like conversations she would have with some silly toys." There was a moment of hesitation. "Children don't draw decapitations. I think she needs to be looked at."

"Christina, that's a little bit sudden."

"Mom, she's still a kid! Their imaginations are crazy, they make up stories."

"She's almost a teenager!"

"So let her be a kid while she still has the time!" Todd yelled. "You are so obsessed with her growing up so fast... do you ever think she makes these things up because she's lonely? Because for a while the most constant person in her life not related to her was Brianne, who was definitely not constant? These things, these stories... they are to help her cope. Children make up things to get away from reality. It's their greatest talent."

"Thing is, I don't think Morgan really has an imagination! She never would, she's too concerned about things being true, why would she make up something that isn't real just for fun?"

"Goddamn it, mom! Morgan is different, that doesn't mean something's wrong with her, that doesn't mean it's bad. She's just _different._ Which means she may not always do what you expect, may express her imagination differently. Why can't you just let her be her? Maybe it's a phase, maybe she'll grow out of it. And there's Tristan, you've seen the two of them. They really like each other, maybe he will help her with this loneliness and what you think is craziness will just stop."

"Morgan is too young..."

"I never said they had to date right now... just let them be friends and be happy." A loud sigh from Todd.

"Christina. Our daughter is not crazy." Morgan sniffled, appreciating the vote, but wished her father would have said more on her behalf. He was always a little quiet and passive. He was always a little nervous about saying the wrong thing. Too careful. It was Todd that had their mother's defensive and argumentative abilities, but he had their father's compassion.

"Just let her be a kid a while... just let her grow and develop. She never really had much of a happy childhood."

"If she were just normal..." lamented her mother.

"Mother. Stop it," Todd hissed "What do you think is normal? You? If you think you're normal, than it makes sense why she would act completely different from you."

"Todd!"

"Todd, apologize to your mother right now!"

"Why? Apparently it's okay to make assumptions on family members and not be sorry about it."

"Fine, we'll... we'll wait a couple of years and watch her..." her mother's voice cracked under the hurt of Todd's words. "But I do think she should put on a diet before her weight gets out of control."

"You are just so-... I don't even know why you're... saying this about your own daughter!" screamed Todd. Brad must have been awake by now. It would be impossible to sleep through that. "She's ever so slightly bigger than your average twelve year old girl, so what? The doctor says she's still healthy, that it's not a worry, and if you ever looked away from your guide on How To Be the Most Judgmental Mother Ever, she has lost her weight, very rapidly over the years! There was a shifting in the kitchen. "I will not let my sister be treated this way." With the angry scuffling of his shoes, he made his way back toward the steps. Morgan tripped over the steps heading back to her room, flailing on her way to her room. She silently pressed the door closed and then her eyelids fell, pushing out the weight of her sorrow. The tears formed pools on her cheeks. The reminders of her mother's comments bruised her heart. She was really thinking she was insane. Morgan told herself she should keep Jack a secret. She told herself every day she should never say anything or people would think she was weird, but it was so hard. She was not accustomed to fabricating things or making things up. She only ever shared what she knew was the truth. Doing otherwise felt like a betrayal to herself. Morgan would know she was lying and she could not live with that. Most of the time, she loved it. She didn't care if people thought she was weird or odd... but then there were times. Now, especially, she saw what it did. Her mother thought there was something wrong with her, and considered her crazy. Her own mother. The woman who carried her for nine months and spent seventeen hours in labor with her. How could she ever think that about her? Morgan was not crazy. It wasn't her fault she didn't believe her, that she couldn't see her. Just hide it, she told her self. Just hide it so no one knows. But she knew she never would. Her mind was not programmed to lock away her truths.

A draft blew through the window and her skin tightened with goosebumps dotting along the arms. She pulled her knees closer to her chest with the impulse of trying to warm herself. She coughed and wheezed on the tears falling into her mouth, wiping at the mucus dripping down from her nose. The temperature of the room seemed to drop nearby her right arm. Her warm brown pupils shifted to see Jack sitting beside her, holding out a large square of blue fleece. She wept harder while he wrapped it around her, and then took her in his arms much like he did when she was younger. He pressed his chin against her forehead, its chill sparking a dull ache in Morgan's head, but she didn't care.

"My mom... she..." she sobbed, and then turned her face into the blanket.

"I know, I heard. I was hanging in the corner, listening to everything."

"But I can't pretend you don't exist! That's exactly what censorship is! That's exactly what schools do with history books when they don't want us to know that America isn't this amazing place after all."

"Morgan," he chuckled, flashing her the whitest teeth to ever exist. "We've been friends a few years now. I get it."

"She thinks I'm mad! How could she... I'm her daughter!" her cries grew louder, so she muffled them more and she bit into the blanket. Jack's icy fingertips rubbed her back comfortingly. "What do I do, Jack?"  
"For now?" he asked. "Just cry."

"You won't leave?" He just gave her a look and she smiled as best she could. Her hand flicked away her few remaining tears and then placed her head against his shoulder.

"Suppose I was a hallucination."

"Then I hope I'm crazy forever so you never leave."

"Well, I promise you... you're not. I'm not. And I won't. Ever."

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**How does everyone feel about chapters involving nothing but fluff? Cute? Boring? Distracting? Because I have a lot of plots I want to do with this story, but there's also moments I am going to want fluff, but I know not everyone likes that so let me know!**


	29. Blow to the Gut

**After this** **I am going to bed... I do NOT feel well at all! And I have a job interview** **tomorrow so I don't want to be falling asleep.**

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Little tiny planes flew over the idyllic island, while small outlines of people on the outline stumbled on the sand to get away. The only times Morgan was ever truly bored in history was when they were discussing something she already knew about. This time is was on the attack on Pearl Harbor. She sort of listened, making sure her teacher had all the facts straight, but she also made sure to pay attention to her drawing of the Japanese fighter planes attacking the island. Her eyes darted up to the teacher with the declaration that the Japanese never gave any notice about the attack, which was convention of war.

"Actually, that's only kind of correct..." Several groans sounded through the classroom. Morgan's interjections were commonplace in the classroom. "Well, I mean it surprised the Americans, so that is true enough, but they tried to deliver a declaration of war. Admiral Yamamoto wanted to hold up the traditional conventions of war. There was 14 Part message transmitted, but it took too long to transcribe. They allowed for a block of time for the message to get there so they would be warned before the attack started. It was transmitted to the Japanese Embassy in Washington, and actually the majority of the message was already translated before the ambassador could deliver it. But it was the final part that is often seen a declaration of war, the part they didn't have time to transcribe. They wanted to attack to be sudden, but they were still trying to hold up some type of honor and give a little warning. The timing was wrong, that's all."

"Do you ever shut up?" came a voice from the back.

"Nobody cares."

"Class, come on," said the teacher. She was younger than most of the teachers, in her thirties, and was very bubbly and kind to Morgan. "I'm interested in this! I like learning these new things. Don't be mean to her because she knows these things."

"But she never shuts up about it!"

"I think it's important to get your facts straight!" Morgan shouted to the back.

"Morgan... could you please sit down, and we'll continue the lesson?" the teacher begged.

"You just like showing off, don't you?" shouted the girl in the back. She was wiry and always had this thin, satisfied smile on her face. She was the type who looked inherently evil with a furrowed brow, but the perfect angel with an innocent smile. "You are trying to prove you're better than us!"

"I'm not trying to prove anything!" Morgan snarled. She flung her chair back and marched to the girl, slapping her hands on her desk. "I like history, isn't that okay? I like making sure everyone's history is correct, that's all!"

"Then why did you cry over the fact that you had no idea King Tut was probably a child from incest! You don't like not being a know it all!"

"Who does? I was just upset that all the books I read about him when he was younger never mentioned it, so my knowledge about it was missing something! I never cried when we learned about Mesopotamia, a civilization I had never heard about before!"

"Oh right Mesopotamia!" the girl laughed. "I bet you know all about it now! Except you still can't spell it!"

"Stop it, Diane, we already know you're the best speller in class, you don't have to..."

"Girls..." the teacher warned. The class could feel something heated starting, and they slowly rose out of their seats, anticipation bouncing off of all of them. "SIT DOWN MORGAN."

" A!" Diane screamed.

"I don't care about your spelling!"

"Exactly! That's why I don't sit there and spell ever word I hear, or correct every spelling that's wrong!" Morgan launched forwards so her hands were around Diane's arm. Diane screamed and the two of them were on the floor. Morgan tried to pull Diane's around her back, but Diane tugged at her hair. Morgan scream and swung around her leg so she kicked Diane in the stomach. She yelped and coughed, so she retorted by slamming her fist into Morgan's nose. The class was now backing them into a corner, each voicing their opinions on who would win. The teacher, abandoning her usual kind demeanor, split the crowd of people and leaned forward to grab at the girls. She snatched Morgan's arm and gently held her at bay. Diane snarled happily and rubbed at her stomach.

"I will not have this kind of behavior in my classroom!" she trilled.

"She started it, Miss Jolton," Diane told her sweetly.

"Oh, don't give me that Diane!" she yelled. "You instigated it! I hope you become very familiar with the spelling of that word, it's going to be on your report a hundred times!" Diane's charming grin fell. She usually got away with stuff. "Principal's office, now!" Diane wiped at the sweat on her face and flipped over, standing up. Her eyes were wide with confusion, but her body language showed how defeated she felt as she dragged her feet out into the hallway. Miss Jolton pulled Morgan out into the hallway and paced in front of her as the girl leaned against the brick wall.

"Morgan, what just happened?!" she blurted with worry.

"I'm... not going to the Principal's office?" Morgan asked bewilderingly.

"You are, I just want to talk to you first," she told her. "This isn't your nature. I know your parents told me at conferences that you can get pretty defensive and aggressive at home, and sometimes get into fights with your brothers. But you have never done that at school." Morgan opened her mouth and closed it again. Miss Jolton sighed. "I know they make fun of your for liking history. I know it's been going on for years, so I can understand how you would just... crack."

"It's not just that, Diane's been... on my back for years," she said.

"You're going to be in middle school this year, this kind of stuff... it can't happen again. You're going to have to be mature about it."

"Why did you want to talk to me and not Diane?" Morgan wondered.

"I've had problems with Diane, she's kind of a lost cause."

"That's not really something you should say about your student..."

"I know but it's... it's because I already know what she's going to say and do, and why... you though... I just don't understand."

"I had it when people say I do it for attention, and I hate when they say I... just, whatever."

"Never again, Morgan."

"I know..." she scoffed, but smiled at her teacher. She knew she deserved some kind of punishment, she wasn't bitter with her about that. She was a good teacher though. She very rarely needed to be corrected on history facts, and she genuinely cared about her students. Miss Jolton seemed to really like Morgan and tried to make class fun. She was really kind, so Morgan hoped she wouldn't be getting into trouble again. She didn't like upsetting her.

The walk to the principal's office was longer than she remembered, and sat down on the chair completely opposite of Diane's. The woman behind the desk looked at Morgan after doing a double take. Then she looked between the two girls. When her eyes landed on Morgan a final time, she touched her nose. Morgan mimicked this action to discover there was blood dripping from her nose. Two tissues fluttered as she ripped them from their box and pressed them to her nose. The woman behind the desk picked up the phone and was watching Morgan as she spoke. Morgan noted how the leather seats were warm and how she hated how they stuck to her legs.

The wait for her parents was torture. Not long ago, she had heard her mother talking about how crazy she was. There was always the occasionally phone call about Morgan being disruptive in class with her constant history spewing, but never a fight. This was not going to convince her mother she wasn't going mad, although she didn't really care about upsetting her mother. It was her father she was upset about. He never got angry, so when things like this happened... his reactions were just painful. It was his disappointment that was the worst.

When they walked in, her dad caught her eyes and she saw how pained he was. She imagined how his voice fell over the phone when he was told his daughter had been in a fight. Her mother's face was devoid of all color and her lips a thin red line. After Diane was spoken to, they were free to go into the office. Morgan was quiet the whole time. Speaking up was what got her in trouble before. Worse still, it made her even more guilty when she found she liked the principal. He was compassionate and had a good sense of humor. The only thing Morgan got was rest of the day suspension and in school suspension the next day, it being her first offense. Her mother went on to say sometimes Morgan flips when she's insulted about history. Her father was quick to say she never fought though. Her mother reminded him of her fights with Peter and Brad. Her father told her that was what kids do. They shouldn't fight, but they do. After a brief talk, and Morgan's agreement that she wouldn't fight again, they both led her out of the school and she suffered an uncomfortable ride home paired with a father whose silence jet telling her she screwed up and now she was probably gaining a little reputation and her father was not pleased with her and he had hurt her. Her mother went on screaming about how she was going to get a phone call and she didn't want to deal with her and she said what she did was stupid, and that insulting history does not give her the right to fight. There were many words that traveled through Morgan's head she had wanted to say, but her mouth was shut the whole way home. Only a single tear told them how she felt.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jack's icicle fingers finally had a purpose. While Morgan sat on her bed and admired the bruises her hands sustained, she spoke with Todd over the speaker phone lying on her bed, and Jack was sitting beside using his hands as an ice pack for her nose. He had his pressed against the nostrils to dull the pain and help slow the blood flow. Tristan tried stopping over earlier, but her mother told her she wasn't allowed to see him for a couple of weeks outside of school.

"And she slugged you?" Todd's voice said over the phone.

"Um, yeah," Morgan almost laughed, her voice incredibly nasally. "It's not very comfortable. The blood just keeps on coming."

"What did mom and dad say?"

"Mom turned into a harpy, dad's very quiet."

"Sounds right. When I was eleven, I punched Terence Hacksie."

"You punched someone?"

"Oh yeah."

"Why don't I remember?"

"You were four, and probably holed up in your room just finding out what Ring Around the Rosie really meant." Morgan laughed at his little joke, but whimpered in pain at the feeling in her nose.

"Tilt your head back more..." Jack advised.

"It's awkward."

"So is a river of blood rushing from your nose," he snapped. "It will help stop the blood flow. Just do it." Morgan leaned her head back and hissed at the point.

"Ow! Ow!" she said. "Your fingers are just making this worse!"

"No, they're making it better. I'm dulling the pain."

"But sometimes ice can be too cold, and then it gets that 'so cold it's hot' feel."

"Is that how you see me? So cold I'm hot?" he teased as he raised his eyebrows.

"You wish."

"Who are you talking to?" asked Todd suddenly.

"Oh, just Jack."

"As in... Will and Grace? That Just Jack?"

"No!" Morgan scoffed, and then wailed in pain,

"Stop moving!" Jack told. He was slowly becoming irritated with her.

"Jack Frost," she said into the speaker phone. There was empty sound on the other end of the phone. "Hello?"

"Maybe you shouldn't talk about him anymore..." Todd said to her.

"I will talk about whoever I want to talk about," she said confidently. Jack smirked with dotage at her refusal to be herself.

"But mom and dad are a little concerned..."

"You mean mom's concerned," she said. "Todd, I'm not crazy."

"I know that," he told her. "You're just having fun, but sometimes you take it a little too far..."

"Todd, you worry about me so much," she laughed. "Don't stop, you're an awesome big brother for it."

"Well, it's exhausting!" he laughed. A car honked in the background. "Oh, hey, Eleanor's here. She doesn't have classes for the next two days so she came to visit me early."

"That means two extra days in bed," Morgan teased him.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" both Jack and Todd shouted at the same time. Jack sounded more surprised at what she said than Todd.

"Todd, I'm just messing with you," she said. "You go have fun. Tell Eleanor I said hi!"

"Okay, I will... and please don't hit anyone else."

"Is it okay if I hit Brad?"

"No!" he answered quickly in disgust, but then there was silence that seemed to indicate his brain was working. "But hit Peter. That's okay."

"Awesome! Love you Todd."

"Love you too." The phone beeped as he hung up and Morgan wailed again, realizing that her nose was warm again so the pain really started to come back. Jack quickly shot his hand back up to her nose and blew out a breath of air.

"I'm not going to sit here and hold your nose all night," he told her.

"Yes you are," Morgan told him matter-of-factly.

"Morgan!"

"I'm kidding... but you would if I asked."

"Ugghhh... why are you always right?"

"Because you love me." Jack rolled his eyes to hide anything that might suggest there was a train wreck going on in his body right now. His organs were exploding with terror at the idea of Morgan and love. It was too close to liking her, which was already bad news. To distract himself, he looked at Morgan and analyzed how she was seated. She was leaning up against her pillow, her head tilted and there was a hand gripping her nose. He chuckled evilly. "What?" With his free hand, he opened the small drawer where her camera was stored and held it out in front of her. "No!" she broke from his grip and pawed at the camera, knocking it onto the floor. She watched the camera clatter to the floor, cringing with the fear it may break. It didn't, but now she was pressed against Jack's freezing body in a position that was just a little more intimate than any other way she laid on him. His frosted skin was his shield at a moment like this; she couldn't see any signs of the blush that would be there if he was mortal. However, she did see the bright look in his electric blue eyes, the way they appeared startled and locked onto her.

"Stop looking at me like that, I just fell," she said sternly.

"Uh... like w-what?" he stuttered.

"Just... like... that. I don't like it." Morgan flipped her body over quickly and propped herself up again. Jack positioned himself back into a sitting position again, shifted awkwardly in the uncomfortable silence. He tried to ignore the invigorating electric shock that was buzzing through his body that the feel of Morgan's warmth was giving him.

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**Please don't** **hate me if what I am writing now is sucky. I am trying to connect two plot points and I have nothing in between them right now so everything is... sdfghjkl; Anyway, see you around. Rosie out!**


	30. Growing Requires Some Pains

**Work tomorrow so only one tonight.**

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"So did you really like me even back then?" Morgan asked Tristan, who sat in front of while they played cards with Jack on her bed. Jack discreetly rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure what he was expecting when Morgan asked him over for Valentine's Day. Of course Tristan would be there, Morgan's want-to-be boyfriend. Of course they would sit there and flirt back and forth. Normally this kind of stuff didn't bother him. He had seen two people say far worse and do far worse than innocent comments and hand-holding. He tried to convince himself he was bothered by their affections because they were some of his closest friends and it was weird to see them like that, but it was useless. He was bothered by the way Morgan occasionally reached over to touch his leg. He was annoyed by the slight touch of the fingers they shared, and it had nothing to do with friendship. It had everything to do with his feelings for Morgan.

"I thought you were pretty," Tristan told her and Morgan let out a small giggle. Jack felt a tightening in his chest at the melody of voice. She looked down at her cards and smiled.

"Changing color to red," Jack said, in order to break the awkward tension he was experiencing. He placed a card down and looked over to Tristan. He laid down a wild card from a set of UNO. Tristan narrowed his eyes at him, obviously perturbed at the changing of the color. Jack plastered a smug smirk on his face. Tristan reached to grab a card from the Draw pile.

"When are we going to watch the other one?" Morgan asked as she set down a red 8. Jack set down a Reverse card and delighted in Tristan's groan of annoyance. Morgan laughed.

"What other one?" Tristan quickly said, before cheering as he could finally lay down a card.

"That Indiana Jones film. We watched that a few months ago," she said, watching Jack lay down a yellow three. Her eye twitched when she looked at her cards. Jack laughed shortly at her amusing frustration. She reached for the Draw pile.

"You don't want to watch the next one," he said. "It's creepy."

"I read stories about monarchs getting decapitated!"

"No I just mean... it's weird, and really strange, and it actually has nothing to do with history. It has to do more with... demons. Or something." Morgan slowly raised her head and curled her lip to show off her disgust.

"Huh."

"We'll just go into _The Last Crusade_, you'll like that."

"Historical?"

"Yes, Morgan." Jack shifted awkwardly at Tristan's response. The tone was eerie similar to the typical "Yes, dear" response. Morgan smiled and flipped a card onto the pile. "Uno!" she declared.

"Oh no you don't..." Tristan slapped the pile with his card. Jack and Tristan exchanged looks and he slapped down a skip card. Tristan's lips carved an evil grin as he slapped more cards. They avoided Morgan for three turns before she came up again.

"You know... if you played your cards, you might have just made it so I couldn't play. Instead..." Her last card went down. A yellow 5. Morgan launched her arms into the air and declared her victory through a shout. The boys both looked at her with shocked defeat, before turning back to look at each other. Tristan shrugged and nodded towards Morgan as he laughed. Jack smirked with malice and glared over to Morgan, still celebrating her victory. Quietly, the boys counted down from three together. After one, they jumped towards Morgan, who was suddenly pinned against her bed by the two boys. She screamed, which then quickly changed into annoyed laughter. Tristan gave his best evil villain laugh while Jack poked her with the intent of sending icy shocks up her spine.

"Stop it! You guys... you are... so evil!" she wheezed, with more bouts of laughter escaping between.

"Jack, make a snowball!" Tristan encouraged, now holding her arms down. Ignoring Morgan's pleas, he held his hands together until they swelled with a tightly packed wad of snow. He launched it towards Morgan, who squealed and turned away in an attempt to avoid it's fiery nip, but Tristan's grip on her was firm. Her limbs wiggled as she tried to pull away. Jack's snow ball bit into her side, where the flesh was exposed from her wriggling. A sharp shriek of surprise cut the air and Tristan looked over to Jack triumphantly. Then all of the sounds laughter quickly were sucked out of the air when the door squeaked open. Tristan swung his body over Morgan to quickly appear sitting upright, but it was too late. By the time he was scrambling to sit up, Morgan's mother was already completely in the room.

"Morgan...!" she gasped.

"Mom, Tristan was teasing me that's all!"

"It's not appropriate for him to be... hovering over you like that!"

"We weren't doing anything!"

"You're twelve, Morgan, you are way too young to be engaged in-"

"Christina, Morgan wasn't doing anything!" Tristan interrupted, leaping off the bed. "I was tormenting her, and we were only having fun. I swear that's all we were doing. You know, like when you attack someone for fun? That's all! But if you want to yell at someone, yell at me. She beat me in Uno and I was just... pretending to get back at her..." Jack was a little touched at how quickly Tristan came to helping Morgan out, and willing to take the blame for something that wasn't even happening. His desire to get Tristan out of the picture was being clouded by his admiration for him, and he felt terrible about it.

"Tristan, I appreciate what you're doing," she said patiently, but not completely civil. "It's really sweet, but Morgan needs to know to make her own decisions and not go along with what other people say."

"'What other people say'? Really, mom, you've been in the same house with me all these years and you think that's what I do? I follow what other people say? All I've ever done is gone my own way, and that's what I've been made fun of my whole life! Being different, going against what other people say!"

"Morgan, this isn't even about that, you're twisting my words..."

"You want me to be normal! What is more normal than hanging out and having fun with a guy I like? That is all I am doing, mother! I'm not even interested in... that... not now!" For a second all that could be heard was her heavy breathing. She was busy trying to come up with a response, but she was enraged by the way her mother was talking back to her. Jack could see this going incredibly wrong, but it wasn't like he could vouch for them. Mrs. Kenter couldn't see him. He wasn't about to let Morgan get scolded for something that never happened, and he wasn't going to let Tristan be berated in her place, especially when he was so honorable to be blamed for it. He leapt over to Mrs. Kenter and stood right in front of her, inspecting every miniscule line that formed in her anger and the heat in her brown eyes. For the first time, he took a second in realizing how much Morgan looked like her mother, except for her sand colored hair (Morgan's hazelnut waves were much prettier). He could see how she once might have been very pretty, but age and raising five children definitely took its toll on her.

Jack formed a snowflake between his fingertips and flicked it towards the center between her eyes. Her mouth snapped open in preparation to say something, but then she blinked. Her eyes changed from an angry scolding to a curious laughter. She simply smirked and then looked at her daughter.

"Okay," she told her softly while Jack backed away. "I shouldn't have made assumptions, I'm sorry." Then she laughed slightly. "I guess I'm too busy fretting over the fact you are growing up that I forget in many ways you can still be a kid." She smiled and turned away, calling cheerfully for Brad. Tristan and Morgan stared at each other, mouths hanging open. They glanced over to Jack, who was propping himself up onto Morgan's desk, looking a little too proud of himself.

"What was that?" asked Tristan.

"I just reminded her of the fun she had as a child," he explained, leaning against the wall. "That's all. It calmed her down."

"You know..." Tristan slowly began. "I should... probably go..."

"No, no, please stay!" Morgan begged. "We were having so much fun!"

"I know but it's... it's probably... best if I leave. If your mom decides to yell again..."

"She won't yell at you, just me!" Morgan said. "It's okay, it will only be me."

"I don't want to hear her yell at you," said Tristan. "I can't handle it... I don't like hearing her yell at you. Especially when you don't deserve it. I'm not afraid of hearing your mom yell at me, but when it's you it's... it's different."

"It's normal to get a little embarrassed when you're friends are yelled at," Morgan cried. Her chest heaved as she was on the bridge of sobbing.

"It's not that," he said calmly. "I'll come see you later when this has all blown over."

"But it's Valentine's Day!" she argued.

"We're not allowed to be a couple, remember?" he told her.

"And that changes things? That changes how you feel about me?"

"No," he smiled. "Of course not. We've spent a good amount of time together. I gave you some of your favorite chocolate bars. I'll come back and see you later, when everything has blown over. But if I stay and you get in trouble about this, your mom is going to yell, I'm going to yell back because I don't like it, then your parents will hate me, and I won't be allowed to come back." Morgan sniffled but then walked out of her room, yelling for her dad. She came back a moment later, her eyes puffy with redness.

"My dad will take you home," she told him, and then rubbed at her nose. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," said Tristan. "But I'll see you soon, okay? You don't need to cry." Morgan nodded, but she still kept crying. Tristan picked up the black schoolbag on the floor and flipped it onto his book. When he hugged Morgan, he gripped her shoulders tightly and rubbed her back affectionately. Jack turned away, avoiding the little moment the two of them shared. Tristan dropped his arms and waved casually. "See ya!" He clattered on the steps and didn't appear as torn up as Morgan was. She crawled back onto her and took Bumble, her little fox, and cradled him.

"Thank you," she said. "My mom is so mean sometimes."

"You're growing up, Morgan," he explained. "I'm sure that makes her a little nervous." Morgan rolled her eyes.

"You just can't see bad in anyone, can you?"

"That's not it," he said and walked over to her. He leaned against his crook. "Two of her children have already gone off to college. Aubrey's engaged. You're almost a teenager, and there's this... boy in your life." He hesitated before he had said "boy." "You're becoming more outspoken and... have you looked in a mirror lately?"

"Is Jack Frost trying to tell me I look pretty?" she teased. He laughed and would have blushed if he could. He was glad he couldn't.

"She's probably just tense because she is concerned about you growing up and can already see how you're going to grow up, can already see the direction things are headed for you and Tristan. There are a lot of fears mothers have about their kids growing up. Some things are so much harder to deal with. I bet she's just concerned about you growing up and losing you."

"How do you know about this?" He shrugged.

"I went through the similar thing with my mother before I..."

"Drowned," Morgan said nonchalantly, sniffling again. He was a little offended she could say it so easily.

"Well... yeah. I've seen a lot of mothers with their kids and how they react too."

"Well, she does think I'm insane," she reminded with a snarky tone. He sighed.

"I didn't say she was perfect," he mumbled. He turned to face the window, biting his lip on the words he had been wanting to say. When he looked at her mother, he had seen all of those feelings and it wasn't hard to identify them. Morgan was twelve, and would soon grow up. And then it wouldn't be long before both Jack and Mrs. Kenter lost her. The difference was she would always see her mother; but she would not always be able to see Jack, and that was what Jack envied of Mrs. Kenter.

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**I am excited to say I am FINALLY going to get into the emotional train wreck I have been planning for you all! MWAHAHA! Sorry not sorry! Rosie out!**


	31. The Cold Makes Way

******Are you guys ready to implode?**

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_~Jack~_

"Sophie, if you're going to go, you need to bring your coat!" Ms. Bennett told her stubborn daughter for the third time.

"I don't want to bring my coat!" she argued. "Jack doesn't need one."

"That's because he's the winter spirit and doesn't feel the cold."

"But it's not cold out! The snow is all gone!"

"Snow just means it's really cold out," Jack explained simply. "It's not that cold, but it's still too cold to go outside without a coat. Plus..." he crouched so his eyes were level with her emerald ones. "What does a fan do?"

"It creates wind to cool you off!" Sophie answered happily, knowing she was correct.

"Right, and if there's wind blowing in the cold air, won't it be colder?"

"Um... yes."

"And if you're going really fast, it feels like a really strong wind."

"So it's really cold?" Sophie guessed.

"You are really smart!" he praised as he lifted her up. He pressed his nose against hers and she yelped, then laughed at the cold touch. Jamie shuffled in, pulling on his jacket.

"You'll remember to be safe?" Ms. Bennett said to them nervously.

"Mom, we're going to be with Jack!" Jamie moaned.

"And that's why I'm asking you to be safe," Ms. Bennett mumbled. Jack jerked his head in her direction, and noticed a smug grin on her face.

"I heard that," he said.

"Oh, I know," she giggled. Jack pulled a pink and yellow jacket off the house and held it over Sophie's soldier.

"Hey, princess, hold up your arms!" Narrowly avoiding hitting Jack in the face, her arms shot up and Jack slid the coat onto her shoulders. He spun her 180 degrees and pulled at the zipper.

"Should they be wearing helmets or something?" Ms. Bennett observed.

"Helen," he told her patiently. "I got it. It's not the first time I've carried them across the world."

"I'm just nervous..."

"Oh, is that what that is? I never would have guessed," he told her sarcastically.

"You better watch it, Jack," she teased. "I will ground you." He rolled his eyes and she pressed her lips to his forehead.

"Ew, mom kissed you," Jamie gagged.

"And I will kiss you too!" Ms. Bennett threatened.

"No!" He jumped behind Jack to use him as a human shield. Ms. Bennett urged them towards the front door and Jack leaned down for Jamie to jump onto his back. Ms. Bennett picked up the little blonde girl and placed her in Jack's arms.

"Make sure you kids hang on really tight," she instructed anxiously.

"But don't choke me!" Jack added quickly.

"But don't be afraid to cling on tightly."

"Helen."

"Sorry," she apologized. "I'm just..."

"Nervous," Jack and Jamie said dully with her.

"Right. Listen to Jack."

"Helen, can we go now? You're starting to feel a little motherly," he pressed. She widened her smile and her face seemed to relax a bit.

"Isn't that what you wanted, Jack?"

"Starting to regret that decision," he joked. He shifted so Jamie was firmly on his back and Sophie was propped in his right arm.

"Are you sure you can carry the both of them?"

"Mom!" Jamie and Sophie blurted.

"I get it!" she yelled in the same tone they did, just to give them a little shock. "Okay, get going. Have them back by dinner. Jamie you go both of your lunches?"

"YES!"

"We're going to go before you ask anymore questions. Later, Helen." Jack winked charmingly at her and pushed off the porch. Ms. Bennett waved to the wind that carried them off, and Sophie yelled happily down to her mother. Sophie shrieked and her nails dug into Jack's neck. He hissed in pain, but recognizing the child's fear, decided not to say anything to her.

"I don't like this!" Sophie wailed. "This is too fast!"

"You want to paint some eggs, right?"

"I'm going to fall!"

"Do you really think I would let my princess fall?"

"...no..."

"As long as you're with me, you won't get hurt. I promise."

"But it's still scary!"

"Sophie... don't look at the ground. Look at me." Sophie's emeralds ripped their gaze away from the ground to icy fire of Jack's eyes. His lips were pulled into a smile that looked on her adoringly. "Just keep looking at me, all right? I won't let you fall!" She gulped but nodded and kept her eyes staring at Jack.

Having torn through the winds at a speed that would challenge even jets, Jack soon began drifting down into a world brand new life and old civilization. It had a feel of some exotic culture that had been abandoned or wiped out, but it held the promise of hope in the lush greens that covered the area, dotting with baby blues, banana yellows, and lavenders. Sophie gasped taking in the memory of when she had been hear before, having snuck away through the snow globe North dropped. Bell shaped flowers puffed smoke of various pastel colors on the eggs that ran down the paths, below the openings of the flowers. Jamie's jaw dropped at the zillions of eggs that scurried on the strangely adorable feet that carried them. Some of the eggs dispersed and rolled into the pink and blue rivers that streamed through the otherworldly paradise. Eggs that were nearing the finishing process were squeezing through spiral vines, left with intricate designs on their color surfaces. The final products were making their way out of the dozen or so tunnels that lead out to other parts of the world.

"Oi!" called a gruff voice from the east. They turned and saw the warrior rabbit, standing dramatically in front of the sunlight. "Am I ever glad to see you here!"

"Aw, thanks, Bunny!" Jack exclaimed.

"Wasn't talking about you, mate," Bunny snapped, although he smiled. "Still got plenty of eggs for ya to paint, if you like!"

"I want to paint eggs!" Sophie yelled, holding her hands up in the air.

"Hang on, before you can paint eggs..." he leapt down to the path and towered over her. "I think I should be getting' a hug first, you ankle-biter."

"I don't bite ankles!" Sophie protested and clung to Bunny's fur. He laughed and picked her up, squeezing her tight.

"I know," he said. "It's just the way I talk. Where I come from, we say funny stuff sometimes. Why don't you go pick out some eggs to paint? You too Jamie."

"Awesome!" said Jamie, pulling his little sister along. "Hey, Sophie, there's some clean ones over here..." Bunny chuckled at their enthusiasm. Jack leaned against his staff he was holding up.

"This was a good idea," Jack complimented. "I know Sophie missed you."

"And I missed the little one as well," he said. "What are you going about the sheila?"

"The sheila...? You mean Morgan?" Jack figured out. "Nothing right now."

"Nothing?"

"Nope. It doesn't matter." He twirled his staff and shoved his hands in his pocket. "She's incredibly infatuated with Tristan. She doesn't see me that way at all."

"Maybe it's for the best, mate. Going with her might cause some right problems," he sympathetically expressed.

"Maybe..." Bunny could see the pain twisted into Jack's expression and wiggled his nose with thought.

"I know it's probably frustratin', being a teenager forever, and never havin' really gone steady with some chickie babe." Jack's eyebrow went up with his latest comment. He was used to Bunny's strange way of talking, but he had never heard him use that phrase before. "Tooth likes you. If you wanted to see what it's like, you could try going out with her?"

"That's cruel to Tooth," Jack said, shaking his head. "I don't see her that way, and that would just be giving her false hope. I couldn't do that to her." Bunny looked to him with a bright grin.

"That's honorable, mate. Really honorable of you." Sophie came barreling over the hill, carrying a yellow and blue spattered egg with flower patterns on it.

"Bunny!" she called and huffed to catch her breath. She held out her egg proudly for him to see. "Look!"

"I see! That's a beauty, right there! You did a good job!"

"I know!" she proclaimed. She held it out to Jack. "See?"

"That's a real work of art, kiddo. Why don't you keep that one?"

"Can I?!" Sophie squealed, her eyes looking hopefully to Bunny. He laughed and patted her head.

"Of course you can, Soph," he said.

"Yeah! Bunny, come paint some more with me! Please?!"

"All right, I'm comin'." Sophie tugged at Bunny's wrist, aiming him in the direction of the fresh eggs. Jack laughed at the small child's elation and then drifted off the find Jamie.

Together, the four of them were able to finish off the eggs, and they helped Bunny lead them out of the tunnels. Before they could all reach the surface, Jack packed up the Bennett children and flew them home. At five minutes to six, he showed up on the porch and spotted through the window Ms. Bennett at the stove. Jamie climbed off Jack's backed and wobbled, feeling a little dizzy, in through the door. Jack still carried Sophie in his arms. She had been a lot more relaxed on the way home.

"Oh, you're safe, thank goodness!" Ms. Bennett cheered.

"I told you they would be!" he laughed. "And you doubted me."

"Okay, Jack, I'm sorry," she sighed in annoyance. "Stay for some lemon and pepper chicken?"

"Nah." he declined. "I actually need to leave for Antarctica tonight..."

"Why?!" Jamie and Sophie cried.

"You know why. I do it every year," he reminded.

"But now?" Jamie groaned. "Tomorrow's Easter!"

"Exactly why I need to leave. Make way for Spring. I'll be back in the fall, as always."

"But summer's boring without you!" Sophie declared, welling of tears rising in her eyes.

"Of course it's not!" he chuckled. "You get to see your dad this summer, right? You have that. And the fair's going to be here, and you get to go swimming! Summer is going to be loads of fun! And when I come back, you get to tell me all about you starting school! You're going to be so much smarter when I get back." Sophie blushed at his compliment while he set her down.

"I don't like the thought of you being down there by yourself... it must get so lonely..." Ms. Bennett told him sadly.

"No, I have the penguins."

"You're coming back in the fall?" Ms. Bennett asked.

"Yeah, a little earlier this year, I think. September, I'll be back. I think it's time I'm actually here for Morgan's birthday."

"Are you seeing her before she leaves?" Ms. Bennett asking knowingly. He nodded and her face was lit by the grin stretching across her face. "That's why you won't even stay for dinner."

"Nope... I have a pretty girl to say goodbye to." He squatted once again and hugged the boy in front of him. Jamie's eyes looked at the ground to hide the tears forming in his eyes, but Jack forced him to look up. "Hey, don't be like that. I'm coming back, I promise."

"But we've become a family. A real family. We play and eat dinner together and you help with my homework..."

"And we'll do all that when I get back!" Jack chuckled. "I promise, things won't change. We'll just return to where we left off. Don't eat too much Easter candy."

"I won't..." Jamie smiled. Sophie let herself be suffocated in Jack's tight, freezing hug. He kissed her cheek and she wiped it away quickly.

"You too, kiddo. No stomachaches."

"No promises," she laughed. Ms. Bennett looked over her shoulder, wearing an expression that wondered where she heard that. Then she looked at Jack knowingly. "I love you."

"Love ya too, kiddo. Be good." He ruffled her yellow hair and rose up, ready to step out the door. But Ms. Bennett surprised him with a death grip. He coughed and turned to see the woman blinking away tears swimming in her brown green eyes. "Helen?"

"I'm going to miss you, Jack..." her voice cracked while she spoke. He swung his arm around to pull her into a proper hug.

"Aw, come on, don't cry."

"I'm a mom, I don't like seeing my child leave..." she told him with a light laugh of embarrassment.

"Your... child...?"

"You've become like another son to me, Jack!" she cried. "Bringing you into the family was serendipitous and I am so glad you're in it."

"Serpendittis?" Sophie asked, trying to repeat the incredibly long word. Water crystallized at the edge of Jack's eyes when her words reached his heart.

"You have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you... so much."

"Come back soon!" she begged.

"September. I promise." He let her go and flicked away the ice crystals in his eyes.

"I love you, Jack!" Before the wind caught him again, he winked at her.

"Love you too, _mom_."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

Morgan clung tightly to Jack's frozen chest, memorizing the feel of the chill on his chest. She had been hugging Jack for several minutes, and he hadn't wanted to back away. He enjoyed the feeling of her warmth too much. He shifted himself on her bed as she moved her head upwards towards his neck.

"Morgan, I _have_ to go!" he said, even though all he wanted to do was stay clutched in her grasp forever. His fingers weaved through her soft tresses of sun kissed brown hair.

"Just a few more minutes."

"You said that twenty minutes ago..." he reluctantly began prying her fingers away from him. "I always come back..."

"Doesn't mean that makes it easier to let you go!" she raised her head to reveal she also was shedding tears in grievance of his soon departure. He clutched his head to stop the gnawing at his chest that started when she looked at him.

"What about Tristan? He'll be here to keep you company..."

"Tristan's awesome, but he's not you!" she wept into his chest again. "I like him a lot, but that doesn't mean he makes me forget about you! You're important to me! I need you!" His breath escaped his lips at her confession. She was making it so hard to leave... but he needed to. He pressed his lips to her hair and stroked it lovingly.

"I need you too... and that's why I'm going to come back..." he tilted her head so she would look at him, despite her weeping eyes. "I won't abandon you."

"I know!" she wept and crawled away from him. He reached the window and sat on the ledge, looking back to her.

"Just so you know..." he started with a smile. "You're the most important girl in my life!" He watched Morgan gasp before he threw himself into the wind. Morgan gasped at his comment and approached the window, seeing him soar away for the last time for several months.

_~Pitch~_

In the shadows behind the dresses and the warms sweaters tucked into the corner closet, golden eyes stared out of the crack of the door, squinting from the smile the shadow wore in amusement. Silently, he wheezed out a laugh. He could not believe what he had just witnessed.

"Jack Frost..." he whispered to the dark. "You have laid your eyes on a girl. Oh this is going to be so much _fun_!"

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******Were you guys prepared for that? XD I'm just going to leave that there for you :3 Have fun boggling your minds about what this means. See you tomorrow! Rosie Out.**


	32. A Dark Acquaintance

******Whoa, some of you are getting really demanding for a new part! That makes me feel both good and bad. I'm touched that you like this story so much you've become so attached to it that (some of) you have reached fangirl heights so you're yelling at me for something new! At the same time, being a fangirl of certain things myself and being emotionally invested in them, I am sorry I can't pump new chapters out any faster. My goal is one a day, but I usually get one up somewhere between the hours of 9 pm and 1 am Central Time, or GMT - 6 (it's subtract right? If I'm six hours BEHIND Greenwich Mean Time?) I'm a full time student, and I work part-time, and I have homework. Plus it's the last month of the semester, which means piles of the workload. I am sorry I can't get these out faster, but I want you to understand why I can't release these faster. I'm touched you love it so much. If it's 2 am and I STILL have not put up a new part, feel free to yell at me all you want :) Your anticipation, love, and craving for this story is what keeps it going!**

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Pressing his lips against the curve of her cheekbone, Tristan flashed Morgan a flirtatious grin. His thumb rubbed the tops of her knuckles just before he dropped her hand and jumped off the top step of her house. He waved to her before stepping back into his mom's vehicle. The kiss Tristan left on her cheek pulled at the corners and expanded into a smile that made her her cheeks flourish into a bright pink. When the car had completely disappeared from view, she danced into her house, trying her hardest to dilute the happiness she was feeling.

"Did you kids have fun?" said Mrs. Kenter from her seat at the table. She flipped the next page of the newspaper and pulled her eyes open to smile at her daughter.

"I killed Tristan five times," Morgan stated proudly.

"That sounds typical of a first date," said her father, who was currently busying himself with taking out the garbage. He looked over to his daughter and laughed. "How did he fair?"

"He only shot me two times!" she told him, with her voice rising louder.

"That's my girl!" he laughed, tying the bag together.

"What else did you do at the arcade?"

"We played that motorcycle racing game, but Tristan won that one," she explained, and then held up a plastic pearl necklace. "He won this for me!"

"That was really sweet of him!" Mrs. Kenter smiled. "What else did you do?" Morgan shrugged.

"Played air hockey, played games, just had fun. It was only a first date, mom. He's thirteen, and I'm almost thirteen, we can't really do much." Her smile came back. "I'm going to talk to Aubrey now!" Mrs. Kenter turned back to the paper while Morgan skipped every other step on the stair. She burst into Aubrey's room, whom had just come back for the summer.

"Hey!" she greeted, pulling the phone away from her ear. "How did it go? Did he sweep you off your feet?"

"Course not!" Morgan laughed at her cheesiness. "It was the first date."

"Technically..." Aubrey muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well according to Todd, you and Tristan have been pretty friendly with each other before. It's just until a week ago, you couldn't officially date. So is it fun finally calling him your boyfriend?"

"Yes!" Morgan giggled girlishly. "Wait until you see-"

"I'm sorry, Morgan, tell me later I'm on the phone with Ryan."

"You're _always_ talking to Ryan!" Morgan blamed. Aubrey gave her an apologetic frown before once again turning into a giggly schoolgirl when she spoke into the phone. Morgan slammed her foot into the ground, startling her sister, who actually slapped at the area to tell Morgan to be quiet. Her mouth dropped open in a scoff. She pivoted and strutted out of the room and into her own. She lifted the window and leaned out, shouting into the wind.

"Jack Frost! I have something to tell..." then she remembered he was too far away for the wind to carry her voice. Antarctica was way too distant from where she was. Normally, if she ever really needed Jack, she could shout into the air and the wind, even if it was nearly dead, would carry her voice and he would come to her. If the wind was slow, it could take several hours, but he would reach her. But now, the winds would get lost at sea before reaching him. When she realized he would not be there to hear how her date went, she threw herself onto her buddy and clutched Bumble close to her. He was no longer incredibly soft as he had once been, and his eye was coming loose, but he was still a comfort to her. Her mother pretended to be interested, her dad seemed to really want to know but was busy, and Aubrey was more interested in her fiancee than she was her own sister, and the date she helped her get ready for, and the one person who would care couldn't be there. She fingered the pearls on the necklace Tristan gave her. She knew it was cheap and would probably break after one wear, but he spent nearly a hundred tries on the ball toss to earn enough tickets to get it for her, and now she couldn't even tell anyone about he spent the last of his money just to get something to completely perfect their date.

"He was so sweet," she told her little fox, nuzzling its red fur. "He only did the stuff I wanted to do. I wanted for so long to have this day with him and he was perfect."

"I am so pleased to hear that!" Morgan whipped towards the direction of her closet, staring at the shadows leaking from the crack in the door. She squinted her eyes but she didn't see anyone.

"Who said that?"

"Oh, my dear, please forgive my rudeness..." The voice seemed to shift. The end of the comment seemed to come from the shadows under her bed. It was very comforting in its softness, but also pumped Morgan's heart so it was filled with minor terror. She wanted to both embrace it and cower before it. Morgan leaned over the edge of the bed, and watched the subtle shadow rise towards her wall. The soft edges of the shadow sharpened and solidified into a touchable form. Morgan took in a sharp breath and snatched her covers with the intent of hiding, but she resisted her fear. In her bedroom was now a man, clothed in darkness and horrifying charisma. A shroud of black hung loosely off his shoulders, faintly showing off a bit of his chest. His hair was as dark as his dress, but handsomely stood up in spikes. He tried to smile pleasantly, but the V of his sharp chin twisted it so he made Morgan shudder under his malevolent appearance. In his darkness, his golden eyes seared into Morgan. As was his voice, they reflected a seductive calm and an eerie chill. "Allow me to introduce myself."

"Boogeyman!" Morgan cried.

"Ugh..." he groaned, touching his hand to his brow. "No, please, don't call me that. That makes me sound like I'm hear to scare you."

"But that's what you do!" she yelled at him, pulling away from her bed. "You scare people! That's what the Boogeyman does! That's all you care about!"

"And in the game of telephone, messages get misconstrued," he told her calmly. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"I don't believe you!" She picked up her box of colored pencils and began launching them towards the towering man of darkness in the corner. Taking form of shadows, he avoided the barrage. Morgan stopped her attack when she noticed the shadow, and the man had left.

"Just hear me out, please!" The voice was now behind her ear and shocked her spine. She jumped and scrambled towards the window, clinging to the wall with a shot of fear intoxicating her. She breathed quickly and patted away droplets in her eyes.

"I remember your face, in my head! Those years ago when you haunted everyone's dreams filled them with nightmares! The whole house was on edge! Everyone was affected by what you did while we slept!"

"And I was wrong to do that, but all I wanted-" he reached out for her and she slapped his hand away.

"Jack told me everything! You are not welcome in here!" her voice rose with her anger. She used the windowsill to pull herself up and stare him down.

"No, Jack Frost _told_ you _his_ side of the story!" he snarled, making her draw back. "Jack doesn't know how I've suffered, what happened to me! He doesn't know my whole story or the stuff I've been through!" Morgan dropped her hands and for a moment allowed herself to be caught up in his frustrations. His eyes softened when he saw her paying attention to him. He reached for her again and she remembered who he was. She slid backwards and narrowed her eyes once again.

"You filled us all with fear! You took away Easter and hope! How could you do that to someone?!"

"I've made mistakes, I admit, but there's good in me!" he pleaded, a convincing glaze to his expressive eyes. His outreaching hands dropped and sadness invaded his gaze. He looked at the ground sadly and lost the terrifying demeanor to his stance. "I know it's hard to believe. I'm the Boogeyman, after all. My job is to scare kids. Why would anyone believe that I have a heart, that I care about people? I've done horrible things, I understand that now. I should be thanking Jack I guess, for showing me that. But I have been suffering for so long that I just... wanted to do something to earn some attention. I wanted people to... see me!" Morgan was pulled into his monologue, connected her heart to his emotive tones. She fought with herself, using her knowledge of her own dreams and fears combined with what Jack told her to combat the empathy she was feeling.

"You've been terrorizing people for hundreds of years. How many times were you under my bed or in my closet, just waiting for the moment you could infect my dreams. You've terrorized so many children and hurt so many lives. How can you expect me to believe those were all mistakes?"

"I told you I didn't expect you to believe me," he sighed sadly. Morgan tried to ignored his strong eye well. "The Boogeyman, a good guy, right? You might as well believe Benedict Arnold was a hero."

"What?" Morgan asked, her mind distracted by his comment.

"I said, no one would ever believe the Boogeyman was a good guy."

"Not that part, the part about Benedict Arnold."

"He was a traitor. No one would believe otherwise." Morgan gnawed at her lip, finding his slightly skewed mention of the world's most infamous traitor too tempting to avoid correcting.

"You're wrong. I mean, you're right, but you're wrong. Benedict Arnold _did_ betray the American Armies and there's no denying he treated the people unfairly by doing so. He did bad things, but that didn't make him a terrible guy. He actually really did care about the country and performed some heroic deeds! He was a hero, he just did screwed up. Before his treachery, he was a model soldier and had a true sense of valor. He made friends in the army and climbed the ranks. He suffered severe wounds several times. He really cared about his cause and the country, however it was exactly that care that turned him away. He cared too much about it to see people mistreat it the way they did, act in ways they were fighting against. He lost his optimism for the direction they were headed in. His betrayal was lousy, of course. I'm not denying that, that was disgusting. He shouldn't have passed along secret information, and been a spy for his homeland. It would have been far more honorable for him to just tell the Continental Army he was abandoning them for the British. But it was just that act, as big as it was, not his entire life. He did some amazing things, protected people, and was a decent person, before and after, but because of that one thing, that's how people defined him. He turned traitor because all of his acts deserved to give him a higher rank and the army and he should have been paid more. I think he may have gotten a little too greedy about it, but I can see his points. I would have been friends with him." The man of terror watched her carefully while she talked and the line of his mouth crept into a smile on his pale, shadowy skin.

"That's exactly what I mean!" he jumped in. "People defined me by the one thing I had been forced to do! They have never looked at my past or how I am now! It's like Benedict Arnold! I have done horrible things, but I don't wish to do them anymore. I wish people would see there's more to me than that. That's why the Guardians hate me so much, because they can't see beyond the things I've done. Do they really think I'm proud of it? Of course not! But my past has filled me so much anger, I just want to stomp on people's dreams..."

"What past?" Morgan piped up curiously. Her fear had faded from her eyes. Maybe this guy was right. Maybe Jack just didn't really know who he was. Keeping in mind how she felt when people said Benedict Arnold was a lousy American, she decided that this guy deserved a chance. A small one, but she didn't really know him and thought he should be given one. Sensing how she was allowing him to speak, he bowed politely to her.

"Before I spill my tragic tale, I would like you to know that I would prefer it if you called me Pitch, for Pitch Black," he formally addressed.

"Uh, I'm Morgan..." she told him cautiously.

"I have been watching you some time Morgan. You have one of the sharpest minds I have ever seen in a chi-... forgive me, you're nearly thirteen," he apologized with gentleman-like grace. He casually bent her fingers and brushed his thin lips against her knuckles. Morgan was quickly finding herself drawn to his particular type of charm and draw away so he wouldn't see her blush. He grinned when he saw her turn away. "You're blossoming into a beautiful young lady quite nicely. I must say, it's really not often to find a believer as old as you."

"It's hard to not believe when Jack is such a good friend," she confessed.

"I do hope you'll come to view me as a good friend in time," he told her. She raised her eyebrows doubtfully at him.

"We'll see. I'm not letting your charm and British accent win me over." He laughed heartily.

"You picked up on the accent, did you? Most girls find the accent intriguing. I suppose though. You are far too smart to let that sway you." Morgan appeared very small in her humble stance under his compliment. He touched her hair and even though her instinct was to push him away, she let him fondly touch her brown tresses and blushed under his touch. He elegantly sat on the edge of her bed and patted the spot beside him. "Come, Morgan, sit. I will tell you my sad tale. I apologize in advance if it leaves you teary eyed, I find myself weeping occasionally when I think of it. But I want you to understand I am not here to hurt you. I promise." His promise was the term that pulled Morgan over to the bed. Jack, Tristan, and her father were always good on their word so it was difficult to believe that no man would make good on their promise. Fighting against the gnawing inside her, turned to Pitch and focused her eyes on him to give him her complete and open attention.

"My dear," he started, casually placing an arm on her shoulder. "This is emotional story of the hero Kozmotis Pitchiner."

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**I think I have said before that I know a lot about certain aspects of history, and I enjoy it, but I know nowhere near as much as I am trying to perceive Morgan to be? (That was an incredibly long sentence) One category of history I do know quite a bit about is the American Revolution. That, and British History, especially history involving the Tudors, the War of the Roses, and the Norman Conquest. Benedict Arnold truly WAS a traitor and there's absolutely no reason to sympathize for him regarding THAT aspect, but he was a model soldier and he did fight with honorable intentions and he had high hopes for America. He was a little greedy about what he wanted, true enough, but the Continental Army could have treated him better. Take a look at all the injuries he sustained fighting for America, holy cats, he should have actually been dead a thousand times. I have no problem with people calling him a traitor - but I also want people to think about the great and heroic things he DID do.**

**And yes, Kozmotis Pitchiner was Pitch's real human name. But we'll get into his story soon :)**

**What do you think Morgan will do? What do you think Jack would do if he knew about Pitch on Morgan's room? Please give me your thoughts! I would love is this story became a little more interactive! Also I've been thinking about a Q and A but I'm not really sure enough people care. Let me know if you would be interested in one. If I did one it would be on me, my story, and my feelings/connections to the story!**


	33. Opening Up for the Shadows

**Everything about Pitch's story is true as it appears in the Guardians of Childhood books by William Joyce. Also, I realize the thing about his English accent is weak, but I needed to make some connection between his being of Ancient Greece and now we know him to sound like Jude Law. I also want people to recognize the reference to "and English accent winning girls over" was a joke. Anglophilia has dominated the internet and now girls being obsessed with British Boys, especially in the rise of the popularity of One Direction, has become like a thing. And it annoys Morgan. I AM TEASING. I realize that I should probably be the last person to joke about it since my fiancee is English and I actually do find the accent cool sounding (yes, that includes the Yorkshire accent) but that is only because I did not grow up with it! I feel the same thing about every accent... even Brooklyn accents and sometimes Southern accents are cool sometimes. (FYI I have a Midwestern accent)**

**Also... I would like a take a moment to express my undying gratitude towards elise-hale913. She has been incredibly consistent about finding errors in my story, and making it so I can go back and correct. As someone who types incredibly fast, I don't always catch my mistakes so it is fantastic to have someone point out my mistakes, not hate me for it, and STILL enjoy my story. Elise, you rock, thanks for saving my embarrassment as an English major, as you always do. Have a heart cookie. It's sweet and full of love.**

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"Do you know what the Golden Age is Morgan?" Pitch asked her with gentle curiosity.

"It's a time period in mythology," she answered. "That's all I know."

"But it's not a myth!" he corrected.

"Yes, it is, we talked about it in English. I don't know much about it, I find English only mildly interesting..."

"Morgan," he interrupted with a chuckle that made Morgan's heart leap with anticipation. "It amazes me how little you know about history despite being so wise in it."

"Excuse me?" she scoffed, readying her fist. Her blood was beginning to heat up with the possible offense to historical intellect.

"No, no, Morgan, I didn't mean it like that!" He quickly said with a laugh. "Of course you know an incredible amount, I never said that. But there is also some truth to every myth, every lie, every falsehood, every work of fiction. The Golden Age did exist. It was a time of heightened prosperity and happiness in ancient Greece. Everyone was always happy." His eyes grew distant as he recalled his lonely and mirthful past. "I was a soldier. I led the armies, and I helped in capturing Fearlings. I became a prisoner guard, and I nearly went mad listening to the prisoners and them constantly begging for mercy and to let them out. But the picture of my... my daughter kept me sane." He looked at the ground for a moment. The sad reflecting that shone in the gold of his eyes spoke to Morgan. She very nearly pulled the man into a hug. Obviously, he still missed her immensely. "They pretended to sound like her. They made me think she was in the cell with them! I couldn't bear the thought of her kept there! How could they throw my beautiful daughter in the cell?!" His eyes flared when the memory gripped him. He snapped and flung towards Morgan. She was quick and collapsed onto the bed, holding out her arms to stop him.

"Whoa," she whispered. "Pitch. We're here. In my bedroom. That was years ago." The fire in his eyes faded and the rage exposed by the baring of his uneven teeth dissipated. He held himself tall once again and laughed sheepishly.

"Yes, I am... so sorry, love, I didn't... anyway. They tricked me. I ran inside to get them out and all the Fearlings charged me. I was trampled under their force. I didn't stand a chance. But since that day, I had been so dedicated to making everyone as miserable as I was, as hurt as they made me feel. The Golden Age fell because I single handedly transformed all their hopes and dreams into things of darkness. They cowered before my power and oh, I loved seeing them wriggle and plead for their happiness back!" His voice contorted into a mad enthusiasm when he remembered. His high cheekbones took in the edges of his smile and the gold in his eyes flared again with twisted joy. Morgan nervously shifted on the bed, waiting for his madness to pass. She tapped his foot with hers and he was instantly recalled back to the moment. "I got so used to doing that. I developed a sick fascination with it. It became a part of me and soon the only thing I knew. Then the Dark Ages came and the Man in the Moon selected the Guardians to stop me. Since then, until that Easter I... slipped up again, nobody believed in me. Nobody saw me. I hate what I became, but causing fear in others was all I knew. When no one no longer believed in me, I felt so lonely. Parents told their kids I didn't exist, but they certainly made sure they knew the Guardians existed! Can you imagine what that's like? All these people who are on the same level as you, getting all the attention and love and you're in the background wishing someone would notice you?" Morgan moved her eyes, trying to avoid his own. She knew what that was like very well. "Oh, dear, I am so very sorry... but I felt that way. And it was so painful. Soon, I rose up again and my vengeance was different. This time I just wanted to have friends and... someone to call family. I wanted to be cared for and cherished. I know what I did is unforgivable. I know I don't deserve to be believed in, but that is the truth. That is why I acted the way I did. Now, I am turning over a new life. I am trying to be good. I want to become a good person, but it's really hard when the only thing I've ever known is fear. If someone would just give me a chance, I could show them." Morgan wrung her hands and stared into the crack where the ceiling met the wall. There was a lot to his story, and a lot of things were certainly making sense. Everyone made mistakes and she had been taught that she should give people multiple chances before she gave up on them. Most of it didn't sound like his fault. He was an honorable soldier, it sounded, and he was driven by fear to let out the Fearlings, and attacked by fear. With the two mingling, it was fear that consumed him, and his anger for it. The two of them created a horrible combination and that was how he became the Boogeyman. None of that was his fault, so how could he blamed for becoming the entity of fear and nightmares? He was just reacting on his love for his daughter, and he was upset about being cast out. Didn't Morgan do the same thing? React out of fear, defend the people she cared about, attack in the name of love, and act out in loneliness? It was exactly the same thing. She knew none of the things she did was right, and neither were the things Pitch did. But he just wanted some companionship. He had very little fault in becoming who he was.

"I believe your story..." she finally whispered, and Pitch's shoulders dropped with happy relief. "And I understand how your story got told wrong. That happens in history so much." She laughed with a mood of disappointment.

"You believe me?" he asked with a mouth agape. She nodded with a bubbly grin on her face. In his shadowy arms, he whisked Morgan up and swung her around. She laughed while he pulled her close to his chest. She noticed the difference between being close to him and close to Jack. Jack was always bitterly cold. He felt normal, although she did feel some sort of dark desire pull her towards him. That wasn't there with Jack. "You do not understand how long I have been waiting to hear those words! This is brilliant, this is wonderful! Oh, Morgan, you have made a man very glad tonight!"

"There's one thing I don't understand..." she said when he set her down.

"And what is that, my dear?"

"If you are originally Greek, why do you sound English?" A healthy laugh shook his body.

"Oh, I hung around Britain a lot, especially England. I learned English from there and this... happened. It goes away when I speak other languages."

"Fascinating," Morgan said to herself. "So, you've been watching me?"

"Oh, I assure you I haven't been in the room when you've needed your privacy!" he quickly said and Morgan blew out a stream of air. "But I watch the children, always hoping for an opening. I've been looking for a friend. Just one friend to help me in my journey of reformation and to keep me from being so lonely." The hostile feelings she had towards this soul were quickly melting away. That much pain and sorrow that she saw in his face and his eyes could not be faked, and she felt much of what he told her. Perhaps the Guardians were wrong and they just misunderstood Pitch. He did wrong, and he admitted it, but no one really understood why or what he was battling. He mentioned a daughter and Morgan wasn't sure who she was, but he was obviously pained at the memory of her and loved her dearly. She could see that in his posture. Her chest throbbed with her sympathy for him.

"I'm so sorry you went through that..." she told him, and gripped his hand. Tears lined the edging of his eyes, and the smile she brought on seemed to echo some childhood that was hidden somewhere inside him. "How long have you been watching me?"

"A couple of months... certainly enough to know how much you care for that boy Tristan." he chuckled in a way that caused Morgan to blush, and she unsure whether it was from his presence or her embarrassment that he knew about Tristan. "Also, you are upset no one seems to care?"

"Yeah..." she mumbled, looking at the pearl necklace. "If Jack were here, Aubrey is too involved with her fiancee. Who I like! The little I've met of him, he seems pretty cool, but Aubrey is soooooo obsessed with him. Brad just makes fun of me. Peter is so mean. My father cares, I think, but he's so busy all the time. My mother doesn't care about me. I mean she does. I know she loves me... but she wants me to be normal!"

"What's more normal than you going out on a date?" Pitch wondered with curious confusion.

"I know! But I think she thinks I'm too young, and that an arcade and laser shooting is a strange date."

"Oh, it's not strange at all!" He cooed. "For your age, it's perfect."

"I never have days this good, so I was all excited to tell someone all about it! But nobody cares..."

"What about your brother Todd? I remember you talk with him a lot..." Pitch recalled thoughtfully.

"He's out with his girlfriend," she sighed. "I can tell him when he gets back but that... he..." she cleared her throat. "The only thing Todd has ever done to upset Mom is um... stay out... too late. With his girlfriend doing... erm. Stuff. Or at least we assume it's stuff. It's really the only explanation as to why he would be out til four in the morning." Pitch's eyes widened with recognition.

"Oh. Stuff. Right."

"Jack would listen, but he's not here."

"Are you and Jack close?" Pitch asked, feigning stupidity. Morgan nodded.

"He's my best friend."

"Is he now? And can Tristan see him?" Morgan nodded happily. "Hm..."

"What?"

"I'm just wondering how close you are to him, and if Tristan can see him, that could cause problems."

"Why would it cause problems?"

"Oh, you're so young, my dear! You haven't yet figured out how men work!" he nearly laughed.

"Work how?"

"Tristan's your boyfriend, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, Jack can be your friend, that's all right," he advised her cleverly. "But your best friend, that may not be a good idea. If Tristan can see Jack, and you two are really close, he may become nervous that he's going to lose you to Jack. He may grow suspicious and jealous, and not trust you or believe you. Or Jack. He might think there's something going on between the two of you."

"But there's not!" Morgan declared confidently. "I like Tristan, not Jack! And Jack doesn't like me that way!" There was a flash of humor in Pitch's eyes Morgan didn't understand.

"It doesn't matter!" He laughed. "The truth is, boys just are that way! And look at you, Morgan, you're beautiful! Too beautiful for Tristan, anyway. And he probably knows that, so he's afraid you're going to run into the arms of the Snowflake."

"That would never happen! Tristan is... so amazing..."

"I know..." he cooed softly. "But jealousy is going to happen... he's going to get upset if he can still see Jack, and you and Jack remain as close as you are. And then... he'll break up with you. What would happen then?"

"I would be lonely again..." Morgan answered in a trance-like tone. She was horrified by the images Pitch's words formed. "And I don't know if I could go on..."

"I know, you precious thing, and that's not something I want to happen to you. You deserve every bit of happiness that comes your way. Well, you can think on it. Jack's in Antarctica til the fall, so you have time. I'm not telling you to make a decision now, love." He pressed his lips to her hand to pull her back to the moment in time. His kiss put her lips into a silly enchanted smile. "Trust me. I know boys. I was a lovesick boy once." Morgan nodded, taking his word as truth.

"But..." she thought. "Maybe Tristan's different."

"The one thing I unfortunately is people's greatest fears."

"I guess that makes sense. But I don't need to make a decision now?"

"No, love, of course not." Pitch looked around and awed at the mess of art supplies on her desk. "That's right, you are an excellent artist too! I really do believe I am seeing why Tristan likes you as much as he does!" Morgan blushed and curled her lips to silence her bashful laughter. She was understanding less and less how the Guardians couldn't take the time to get to know this man and his unfortunate hand he had been dealt in his life... afterlife? He was so charming...

"Right, speaking of which! I humbly apologize Morgan, all these wonderful things about you are so distracting..." This time, Morgan couldn't silence her girlish laugh. He smiled at her delight. "So, tell me all about your wonderful date!" Overjoyed that there was someone willing to listen, she launched into her description of her day, beginning with when his mother parked the car some distance from the house so he could melt her heart with his greeting of a pink rose on her door step. She went on to explain all the games they played together, how adorable Tristan got when he was being competitive with her, and when Morgan lost, he apologized with a peck on the cheek and a tight hug. She told him about the aggressive fight they had, shooting laser lights at each other, and the prizes they won. She told him about the necklace he won her and even though it cost very little, he spent the rest of his money just so he could win it for her and that's why she loved it so much.

"Tristan sounds like a wonderful boy," he said to her with the glisten of gold in his eyes. "He's really charming, and you deserve a boy like that!"

"I know! I'm so happy."

"And I'm glad you're happy. Seeing you this way really makes me feel overjoyed."

"You know what just ensures this is the best day ever?"

"What, dear?" Morgan's eyes flickered.

"Knowing that I have gained a friend who cares about my happiness and is willing to listen. I am so glad you forced me to listen to you Pitch." Pitch then mirrored the elated smile she wore, laughing with a tone that sang in joy.

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**I hope you all realize I don't actually believe all boys are like that. Pitch is just being an ass. A really seductive ass, but an ass all the same (is it pathetic or a testament of good writing if you make a character seduce you just by the wording you use? I really don't know...) Anyway, so I surprised myself by getting up TWO tonight, so I hope you are happy :) **

**Once again, please tell me your thoughts, comments, questions, theories, head canons (IF PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE HEAD CANONS FROM THIS STORY THAT IS AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU) anything you want to tell me. Also I still am unsure about doing a Q and A involving me and/or this story. if you like that idea, let me know along with your questions. And tell me what form you would like the Q and A in best. A chat? Posted on here? Youtube vid? Supply with some interaction! You guys are being phenomenal and I LOVE all my readers and the amazing responses I am getting!**

**Don't forget to follow me on tumblr, same username as on here, and I will follow you back! But give me a message saying you're a reader of mine, mkay?**

**I'm going to bed now, but I just want you to know that I LOVE YOU. And I am imagining myself wrapping you all in a huge hug with my non existent massive arms right now! Night all. Rosie out :)**


	34. Head Games

**This chapter didn't turn out the way I wanted, but I hope you like it anyway.**

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A shot of ice stabbed into the nape of Morgan's neck. A shrill cry escaped from beyond her lips and reverberated against the hot air. She jerked her neck around to spot Tristan not-so-discreetly holding the hose behind his back. He was failing miserably at keeping his amusement at bay. Morgan grimaced evilly and charged after him, holding a basketball above her head. Tristan had come over that July day, when it was incredibly hot. They had had a barbecue and afterward, Tristan and Morgan had just finished a competitive game with her siblings. Peter decided he wanted to go inside for the cool air and watch TV. Todd had run to the store to get bread, and Aubrey had a webcam date with Ryan (Morgan preferred not to know what that entitled). Brad was a poor sport at being on the losing team and was now riding his bike around the yard. For a period of time, Morgan had felt truly happy. Her family felt real again and they had fun with each other's company. They laughed and attacked each other like years gone by, and then the game ended. Suddenly, they felt just as disconnected as ever. But Tristan had distracted her when he turned on the hose.

Morgan charged at him, cackling wildly. She plunked the ball down, expecting it to bounce back up and hit him. Instead, he swayed out of the way so the ball sailed over his head. He laughed expressively and spun to give his lady love an arrogant, cocked eyebrow. She clenched her fists and beat her foot against the ground. He laughed once more at her groan of annoyed anguish. Humming to himself, he walked away. Morgan picked up her feet and bolted towards him. She held out her arms to grab him, or attack him in some way. He jumped to the side so Morgan was forced to pass him. While she was slowing down and realizing what had just happened, Tristan leapt onto her back to unleash a startled shriek from her throat. He pulled her down and pinned her against the prickling emerald blades.

"Gotcha," he chuckled and pushed his lips against her mouth, still open from her shriek. She jostled her head out of the way and used her hand to prevent his face from getting closer.

"No!" she declared. "That wasn't fair, you didn't get to kiss me! Now I am soaking wet!"

"I can't help the effect I have on you," he added with a chuckle. Morgan's mouth fell open wider.

"You're horrible!"

"I know!" But Morgan allowed him to kiss her this time, slapping her arms around his neck and flipping so their entwined bodies began to roll in the grass. She moved her mouth so she could take a moment to breathe and saw Todd's car roll into the driveway. A pat on Tristan's arm told him to sit up and pry himself away from Morgan so they didn't appear so intimate. Tristan touched Morgan's hair down. The door slammed and Todd's smile twinkled at them.

"I won't say anything..." he told them mischievously. He held up the loaf of bread he had gone to buy. "I'm going to put this in the house, and then I am going to take Tristan home before this gets... intense." Morgan rolled her eyes, but Tristan shared in her brother's laugh. Todd twisted the doorknob and disappeared into the house, a brief moment of Mrs. Kenter's guffaw escaping into the outdoors.

"See you next weekend?" Morgan muttered close to his ear. His knuckle ran against her skin. Goosebumps formed where he had touched her. Her skin could hardly bear the feel of his heated touch.

"Yes," he whispered and kissed her delicately. Todd emerged from the house and looked over to the two of them. He gestured to the car and Tristan popped up. Morgan walked with him, missing the feel of his fingers when he let go of her hand. He looked saddened to be leaving her on the beautiful day they had. He slammed the door shut and Morgan stared forlornly at the car as it headed down the street.

She sighed impatiently and dragged her feet into the house. Her mother seemed to toss her a disapproving look, but Morgan pretended it was in her head. She picked up an apple from the bowl on the counter.

"You just ate," Mrs. Kenter scoffed.

"Like, two hours ago," Morgan scoffed back. "And I played basketball for half an hour. Besides, it's not for me, it's for Pitch."

"Uh..." Mrs. Kenter muttered cautiously.

"Pitch Black."

"That's a strange name for someone... is that a rabbit or something?"

"No, of course not!" Morgan laughed. "He's a friend of mine who's coming to visit me."

"What is with you and all these boys?" Aubrey giggled from the top of the stairs. "Who would have thought my little sister would be a heartbreaker?!"

"No, Aubrey, it's not like that! He's not a boy, he's actually around, been around for thousands of years." She looked down at the apple. "You know him best as the Boogeyman, but he's just misunderstood, is all." Mrs. Kenter's veins protruded when she tensed.

"The what?"

"The Boogeyman. But you have no reason to worry, mom, he won't hurt me." Her lips tightened. Her chair scratched against the floor when she moved away from the table and she casually walked over to the counter. With her right hand, she grabbed the knob of the drawer on the farthest left and produced a thick phone book. Licking her fingers, the papers whispered when she flipped through them. "Mom... what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, honey... I truly am. But I do worry about you. A lot. I tried to listen to your father and thought maybe it was a phase, maybe it was you playing pretend to keep from being lonely. When you started dating Tristan I had hope, and you haven't talked about this Jack Frost character in months so I thought maybe... but I can see I need to talk to some professionals."

"Mom!" Morgan's heart cried in its brokenness along with her voice. Her news had ripped through her body and shock infected her muscles. She couldn't react physically.

"Christina, hang on a second!" Mr. Kenter shouted, shuffling into the kitchen. Aubrey scurried down the steps and watched her parents argue. Color had drained from Aubrey's face.

"No, Oliver, can't you see what's happening to her?"

"She's still a child!"

"She has a boyfriend, obviously not! She'll be thirteen in a couple of months!"

"Don't you think you should wait til she's closer to an adult to make a decision?"

"Sitting around isn't going to do anything!" she cawed. "And if she has something, maybe if we catch it early, we have a better chance of treating it."

"I'm not sick, I don't have anything!" Morgan voiced.

"I'll let a doctor be the judge of that..."

"No, mom, you... please don't send me to a doctor!"

"Morgan, I'm worried about you!"

"I'll lie! I'll tell them you're making it up!"

"Morgan Paige, you will do no such thing!"

"I will too!"

"Don't you hate what this is doing to your life?"

"Their making my life _better_, mom! Something you're not trying to do!"

"Jack Frost was one thing, but now you think you're seeing the _Boogeyman_? And think you're his friend?"

"I am his friend!"

"That's a whole new level... he's supposed to be a monster., Morgan! And you think you can befriend a creature that is said to bring fear? That worries me even more."

"Mom!" Morgan found her movement again and stepped forward, swinging on the arm of her mother. Aubrey came forward and grabbed her sister's waist, struggling to pull her away. Morgan cried and ripped away from her sister's grip. She snarled at her and the hurt look on Aubrey's face crossed her mind for a moment. She barreled up the stairs and screamed out her tears when she entered her room. The door slammed so hard, a portrait fell on the wall and Morgan kicked at it.

"Pitch, I need you!" she screamed at her ceiling. "Please, I need you right now! My mom is-" A shadow extended from the wall and solidified into the mysterious man.

"I'm here, I'm here!" he frantically told her. He held out his arms and Morgan ran into his grasp, shoving her face into the ethereal black fabric of his floor length jacket "Darling, what on earth has happened?!"

"My mom thinks I'm insane and she's going to make someone look at me and she wants me to stop believing in you and she's probably going to make them give me something so I can't see you or something and I can't deal with that..." her chest rose with her hyperventilation and salted water poured from the apexes of her eyes. Pitch laid both his hands against her face and his golden eyes met with her brown ones, their power calming her down.

"Hey, look at me. You will be okay. There is nothing they can do that will keep you from me, all right?"

"How do you know?"

"Because I know. As long as you believe in me you will be able to see me, love. I promise..." His words echoed Jack and his cheerful face flashed across her eyes for a moment.

"Jack..." she whispered.

"No, no, Pitch," he snapped defensively, and then chuckled. "I'm here, my dear. I will always be here for you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The pen clacking against the notepad was getting on her nerves. She rolled her eyes and waited for the doctor to stop the incessant clicking. She blew out a puff of air that moved bits of hair when the doctor – a young-looking woman, and a very sweet and friendly face – looked over to her.

"Morgan, you stated you are not hearing voices in your head?"

"No!" she burst out for what seemed to be the millionth time. "Jack and Pitch are always in the room with me! There are no voices in my head! It's just me, Morgan. I can see their faces." She looked over the clipboard, spreading apart the pictures the doctor made her draw of them.

"Your artwork is very good, Morgan. Pitch is incredibly menacing."

"He's not menacing, he just seems that way..." Morgan groaned.

"But he's the Boogeyman."

"He's misunderstood... but he's been tasked with being this... evil entity."

"Jack's quite handsome."

"I guess, I never really noticed," she told her dully, staring at her nails.

"Well, it's interesting. The both of them are handsome, really. But they are so different. Pitch looks so dark and seductive and malicious. Jack looks so fun and caring and sweet."

"They're both sweet and caring!" Morgan shouted. The doctor was being incredibly kind to her, but the way she was speaking curled her blood with intense ferocity.

"And Pitch is much older. Jack's a little bit older, but about your age I would guess."

"And?"

"Your parents told you years ago these characters don't exist?"

"They exist!"

"I believe that's how they are to you," she said. "Do you know what I think?"

"If you want to know how this makes me feel, I will punch you in the throat."

"Let's not resort to violence, Morgan..." she sighed and stared at the pictures and gave Morgan a smile.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The doctor thought that Morgan was at odds with her childhood and her grown-up desires. Her loneliness had desperately clung on to characters of her childhood and in her mind she conjured that they were real. It had helped her deal with loneliness. However, because she was older, with a boyfriend and raging hormones that gave her certain desires, those characters molded into the handsome ones they were, and were also taking form of the type of men that Morgan was desiring; the fun one who was sensitive but willing to take risks and be adventurous, and the dark, mysterious one who's sense of dangerous gave Morgan a bit of a thrill. Morgan tried to say these analysises were completely wrong and all these characters really did exist, but it did no good.

"She thinks your hormonal self is combating your childhood?" Pitch questioned with a disbelieving laughter. "Some adults are incredibly dense..."

"I know!" Morgan said. "And my insistence on you all being real apparently 'shows that I exhibit mild signs of schizo-affective disorder.'" Morgan smirked at her mockery, and shook the small, orange bottle. The tablets inside clicked together. As a minor, the doctor was allowed to tell her parents everything.

"And you were given pills," Pitch guessed worriedly.

"Yep!" Morgan giggled. "I threw the real ones out and replaced them with candy." She held her finger up to her lips as Pitch carved a grin into his expression.

"You precious, clever thing!" he laughed, taking her into a hug. Morgan beamed with pride as Pitch's eyes glowed, a malevolent smile taking form when she could not see it.

* * *

**So all of this was written according to research I have done. Schizoaffective disorder seemed to fit BEST with what her parents may THINK she has (we're smart and know she's not seeing things) I do not have experience with anyone having schizoaffective disorder, and I haven't ever REALLY seen a pyschiatrist or a psychologist, for that matter, so I hope I portrayed it. As a minor, the doctor has the right to tell her parents what's going on. It's in some Act...**


	35. Festering

**Am I moving at TOO slow a pace for you guys? Because I'm concerned about, in my desire to keep it at a realistic pace, if I'm making it too slow. I still want there to be action to keep you interested.**

**What is everyone's thoughts on Pitch? Do you just want to rip him to shreds? Do you sympathize with him a little? What are you afraid he's going to do to Morgan? I'm really curious to know what's going on my readers heads so let me know!**

* * *

Tristan turned the orange bottle over in his hands, examining the way the tablets fell and clicked inside it. Morgan was laying with him on her bed, her head laying over his one arm. She watched his face carefully, searching for something that told her what he was thinking about the news. She had been attending regular visits to talk with the psychiatrist for a few weeks now and she finally decided it might be good to tell Tristan why she had had to skip out on so may of the things they wanted to do.

"Do you think there's something wrong with me?" she asked innocently. The crinkles on her forehead outlined her worry, mixed with the thin line of water clinging to her eyelashes. He looked away from the bottle and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Sweetheart, of course not!" he exclaimed. His voice was coated with a little offense to it. "Jack is just someone you've grown up with, and carried into your life. That's all. He's just a bit of fun!"

"I'm so glad to hear that!" she released the breath she hadn't even known she was holding.

"It shouldn't surprise you," he told her. He placed the pills on her nightstand and shifted so he could watched the emotions dance across her face. "You just think differently than most people. That's actually the main reason I love you so much." He smiled slowly as her blissful grin faded. Her eyes grew bigger and she slowly raised herself off the bed.

"Excuse me?" she whispered.

"Um, I just mean that it's appealing that you have a mind different from other girls," he explained quickly, a fear creeping in that he didn't quite understand. "And I like that. You have an mind that sees things differently, and you see a truth that goes over most girls'-"

"No, no, no I understand what you mean by that but..." she happily began to pant. She smiled through her sudden onset hysteria. "You love me?" His smile gave way to laughter and she flew towards him, hugging him tight. Her lips tingled from the amount of laughter flowing past them and Tristan's hands brushed through her shining brown locks. The thumb of his right hand softly tickled against her cheek affectionately. Her cheeks flushed with red when moisture coagulated near her eyelashes.

"What's with the tears now?" he prodded.

"Nothing, I'm sorry..." she giggled. "I'm just happy... I love you too, Tristan." The door to the closet slammed into the wall and produced a bang that tore the two away from each other. Tristan instinctively sat up in front of Morgan, eyes darting around for the force that produced. The dark stature of Pitch waltzed into the room gracefully. He rounded the bed over to Morgan, who sat up gleefully.

"I am terribly sorry to interrupt you two, my dear!" he apologized with shock. "But I just overheard your conversation and I just rushed in. I am glad, no... ecstatic to hear that you two have finally realized your deep feelings for each other." Morgan dropped her anger and smiled happily at his congratulatory remark.

"Thank you, Pitch!" she said. She tapped Tristan's arm and pointed to the area in front of her. "Tristan, I want you to meet Pitch..."

"Pitch?"

"Oh, right, sorry... I hadn't really finished telling you everything. Pitch Black, he's been keeping me company in Jack's absence."

"Where?" Tristan looked around the room.

"I get it, you can't see him because you've been told the Boogeyman doesn't exist your whole life," she nodded. "Well, he's real and he's right here. Although, the name Boogeyman doesn't really fit him anymore. He's my friend and he's vowed to no longer terrorize children, so I've been talking to him and trying to help him as well." Pitch bowed elegantly to Tristan.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Tristan," he addressed formally, with a friendly grin that seemed a little eerie on his shadowy face. "From Morgan tells me, you're a real gentleman. I truly appreciate how you've been-"

"What are you _talking_ about?" Tristan said.

"It's like with Jack, you have to really believe..."

"Wait a minute..." Tristan interrupted. He wore a disbelieving smirk and held up a hand to stop her talking. "All this stuff with Jack... you honestly believe that?"

"Well, I just said... and you said..."

"But that was a game, Morgan! A game we played when we were children," he told her firmly.

"No, you played games with him, we had snowball fights, we had dinner together, we went sledding!" Morgan desperately reminded him.

"We pretended he was there, and it was fun," Tristan slowly said, and then he turned his lips painfully. "Morgan... you really believed in that the whole time? You think you saw him? You think he's been here and is coming back?"

"I know he is!" she belted, jumping off the bed. She took Pitch's hand and held it our for Tristan to see. "Look, I'm holding Pitch's hand right now."

"I don't see anyone Morgan."

"But he's... how..." She gave Pitch a dumb look, who shrugged sadly at her. She looked over at Tristan. "No, no, you need to believe!"

"We're going to be in seventh grade in September," he reminded her with a pained expression. "Don't you think it's time to stop these childish fantasies."

"They're not fantasies!" she demanded angrily. She clawed at Pitch's robes, trying to will him to be seen. Pitch twitched uncomfortably. "He's here! Right now! And Jack is real too!"

"Uh, Morgan..." Tristan picked up the bottle again. "Maybe you should... take one of these..." Morgan stopped pawing and threw a glare of pain and anger at her boyfriend.

"I DON'T NEED THEM!" Her voice made the door rattle. "I'm perfectly sane!"

"I never said you weren't!" he quickly told her. He ran over to her and took her hands. "I don't think you're insane, I promise, it's just... sometimes perfectly sane people need a little bit of help."

"I don't need help, that's what you and I were just talking about, and you agreed that my mother was just being her controlling self!"

"I think your mother is scared and... not gonna lie, I'm a little scared as well." He pulled her face to his chest, where her hyperventilating slowed a little. His hand ran up and down her back, as he did when she needed calming down. He pressed his nose into her hair. "Morgan, these people are not real."

"But they are..."

"Honey..." he carefully mulled over his words. "They're not. I know it may be painful to you to hear that, but you need to recognize this is only in your mind. And this person your seeing, and those pills... they'll help you. Please, just let everything work."

"Why don't you believe me?" she wept, her arms shuddering with her tears. Tristan closed his grip around her.

"Sweetie, I..." he paused. "I'm here to help you though it."

"You're against me."

"No! Never!" he hissed. He lifted her chin and kissed away the tears that were flowing. "I am not against. I refuse to abandon you. I won't leave you like this... I'll be here to support you to make you feel better." An impatient honk sounded through the open window. She wriggled away from his grasp.

"Sounds like your mom's here..." she grumbled. He kissed her again and despite her frustration, Morgan pressed her entire body into it.

"I love you very much," he breathed against her ear.

"I love you too..." She sank away from him. He offered her a smile and galloped out the door. Morgan slumped on her bed, cupping her hands to catch her tears.

"I thought he would see you..." she said to the dark one before her. "But he doesn't believe you. He doesn't believe in Jack anymore..." Her shoulders rapidly shook as her cries grew louder. "He thinks I'm crazy/"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Pitch cooed, taking her side. As a father would, he pulled her head to her chest and rocked her. "Didn't you hear? He doesn't think you're mad, not one bit. He wants to be here to support you through your struggles, and he's willing to help!"

"But I don't need help!" Morgan growled.

"I know, love," he agreed. "But it's the action itself that's honorable. He just doesn't understand, is all. But how kind he is, and how he's putting your worries above his own despite his not understanding... that's real love right there."

"Really?" Morgan sniffled.

"Of course. You're not the only one in the room who's been in love."

"That's right, you had a daughter."

"I did."

"Morgan, just try to understand. Tristan, unfortunately, has grown up completely and no longer believes in any of us. There's a saying that your parents know best. Sometimes it's wrong, sometimes it's right, but children are inclined to believe it's right. Tristan is believing in that now. He sees your parents, he hears your story, and then sees you react to something he can't see."

"I guess..." she paused. "I can understand how he feels. I wish he would believe me though."

"I do too, my dear. I do too..."

"But his promises to stay by me and help... they truly are sweet." And she cried more. "He really loves me Pitch! He really loves me! But why does he love me? What do I have to offer him?"

"Morgan, I can't believe you're talking like this!" he said, taken aback a little. He pushed her up and Morgan relaxed under the hypnotism of his golden pools in his eyes. "You have plenty to offer. You are kind, and compassionate. You're lovely, you have a vast knowledge, and a magnificent view of the world. You gave this terror a chance." He chuckled sultrily. A small smirk found its way on Morgan's face. "You are a precious part of this world. I can see every reason Tristan loves you, and there are far too many to count." Morgan wiped at the last of her tears, Pitch's praises clearing up her sadness. She collapsed under his embrace again, cuddling close to him.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Pitch."

"And I you, my love."

_~North~_

This was about the time of year be began to check his radar regularly. He generally checked on the children all year round, but August was when he needed to start getting his affairs in order. August was when kids were already counting down the days til Christmas, although they paused for Halloween. The whole "sees you when you're sleeping, knows when you're awake" thing was more than a clever device to scare kids into being good. He truly did see them. Which of course, North warranted it was a bit creepy, but he never lingered on each child for long. He got glimpses of how each child was behaving and detected their overall character for the week. It was a slow process, and it was especially tedious when the weather began to get cold. Kids could not stay out as long so all their energy was contained within walls.

He smiled when he zoomed in their favorite children in Pennsylvania (but Santa is not allowed to have favorites, so don't tell). Sophie was precious, as usual, and Jamie was becoming kinder to his little sister each year. He considered dropping a bone for the dog this year as well. He pressed a couple of buttons and moved a lever on the console before the globe and the screen changed to the Kenter household. He swore in Russian at what he was seeing. He thought that man was gone. He knew he would be back, but he hadn't expected him to be back so soon. He wiped the milk away from his beard, having just spat it out in surprise. He pushed up the red sleeves on his biceps, exposing the "Naughty" and "Nice" tattoos he sported.

"Dylan!" he shouted, and in a few moments, a gruff and bumbling mangy Yeti approached him formally. "There is something going on in Kenter household!" The Yeti's eyes popped and he turned to the screen.

"Werdylling terkking chriitnngu wesst raaagghh!" he told his boss with angered confusion.

"It seems Pitch has won over Morgan and she has come to believe him!" he yelled. "Dylan, Phil, Adrianna, go find Jack! He is spending vacation in Antarctica! Tell him Pitch is back and Morgan is in danger. He will come right away!" The three Yetis saluted to him and sauntered off quickly. North rubbed his brow and then pushed in the handle, sending waves of the Aurora across the globe.

"Aurora, you are being put into use too much," he said, and then angrily cast his eyes back up to the screen. Pitch was caressing Morgan's hair and whatever lies he was feeding her, she nodded in response to them, enveloping herself into his seductive deception.

"Pitch," he seethed. "You have foolishness. Making girl who is precious to one of Guardians a target is very big mistake indeed."

* * *

**I laughed harder than I should have when I typed "Pitch twitched." It sounded hilarious to me. I could also be sleep deprived, who knows? Also I enjoyed button mashing for the Yetis. And apparently, if I know exactly what I am going to type, it takes me only an hour instead of 2.**


	36. The Presence of Fear

**I apologize, I was trying to get this done earlier... however when I waswriting about Jack's experiences with penguins, I was looking up what sounds they made on Youtube... which led me to watching comical videos of penguins... and then seals... and then baby elephants... and animals and general... and you get what watching adorable animals doing adorable things on Youtube can do to you... so yeah. I'm sorry.**

**But OH MY GOD I came up with some amazing things to happen later, when I was at the bus stop today on my way to University. It won't happen for a while but you know.**

**Once again. Sorry. Blame the penguins.**

* * *

_~Jack~_

The black and white flightless bird waddled towards the ice spiral that Jack had created. Jack used his staff and glided on the air to create a slick path. The penguin slipped and slid on his butt, gaining momentum towards the spiral. He flapped his little wings in a panic and Jack stood at the end of the curved chute. The penguin flipped upside down in the chute and launched high into the air. Jack shot up towards the penguin and caught him, sailing back down to the ground.

"Did you really think I would let you fall, little guy?" he laughed and then set down the chubby bird. It teetered and then toppled over. Jack winced before helping it sit up. "Okay, so I forgot about the dizziness." The penguin didn't seem to want anything to do with him. Jack shrugged and whistled a cheerful tune as he walked along, searching for more penguins to play with, or seals if they were in for feeding.

He stared up at the white overcast of sky and let out a loud cry of frustration. Penguins were fun, but after several months of doing nothing but forcing unsuspecting penguins into snowball fights and making them slide on his ice slides, he missed being able to enjoy that kind of fun with people who could actually talk to him and fought back. Was it September yet? Of course not... it seemed to have been August forever.

A group of penguins became to quickly scurry towards him, holding their little flippers out as they waddled hurriedly. It was adorably hilarious the way they walked, but Jack knew something had startled them and was sending them to run. He caught himself in an updraft and floated in the opposite directions the penguins were running. He couldn't figure out what they were running from, until he spotted three towering creatures with mangy greyish white fur.

"Rerghif yerk irtyc!" One growled happily one seeing Jack.

"You guys are... like on the opposite end of the world. Literally," he said with his eyes narrowing in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Airytl dirkug yuorrl qwerdir uss!" Said the smaller of the three. The Aurora doesn't extend this far, she said.

"Wait, why did North launch the Aurora?"

"Tilrky garesshu urhguqw," added Phil. You're needed at the Pole right away.

"But it's August! What could possibly happen in August?" he protested.

"Rada merkim arkk ttil mam rainrrerma!" said the little one again. Pitch never takes a holiday. Jack's vibrant eyes of frozen blue topaz expanded at the mention of their greatest enemy.

"Pitch is back?! How, we sent him away! He shouldn't have come back for a long time yet! It's only been a few years!"

"Werka?" said the one in the middle. His voice was a lot lower. He had no idea.

"Why can't he just leave us alone? Why can't he just leave the kids alone?" he demanded, slamming his staff onto the ground. One of the Yetis gestured towards Jack. The other one shook its head no. The small one stomped its foot and split the ice below it a little. Their blubbering of arguments grew. Jack listened hard and caught snippets of their arguing.

"Wait, hang on!" he yelled. "What is it that you wanted to wait to tell me at Pole?" Phil struck the middle one with his paw and began yelling at him. The female Yeti slapped her face and rolled her eyes.

"Yurda ilk mackanog ishin. Nergaa isha." Not kids. A kid.

"So he's targeting just one this time?" Jack asked. "Are you telling me he's after Jamie again?" Jack gripped his stick and charged toward the empty space between them. His brow was not crinkled with the rage that could have melted him completely. Phil panicked and patted himself down. He retrieved a glass bowl and chucked it into the open air. The horizon opened up and through a circle they saw gizmos flying past and Yetis wandering around. A car or too zoomed past and a miniature hat conquered by its red cone hat dawdled past. Jack jumped into the portal and the Yetis pushed him out of the way when they walked into the Workshop. The Portal closed and Jack rubbed his head, having been stepped on briefly.

"Jack! You have good trip in Antarctica?" North greeted with a smile seen between his mustache and ivory beard. Jack shifted his eyes around the glorious workshop and saw the tufts of grey fur from Bunny staring at him. The emerald blue beauty of Tooth was flitting about, but she slowed herself down to smile goofily to Jack. Sandman formed a hat of golden sand and tipped it to him. They were acting unusually polite to him, and he did not like to think of what that could mean.

"It was fine, now what's Pitch doing with Jamie?" he growled, charging towards the globe that was dotted with hundreds of bright lights.

"Jamie?" North laughed surprisingly. "Ha! Pitch has not touched Jamie."

"There's no use in lying, North," Jack said, glancing over the area of Pennsylvania to see any signs of disbelief, but it looked as it should. "You came to get me and the Yetis told me Pitch was back."

"Back, Pitch most certainly is," North declared. "But it is not for Jamie."

"Maybe we shouldn't tell him!" Tooth quickly said. "We can fight this on our own! If Jack is involved, maybe his emotions will get in the way-" She was darting about, her anxiety making her ore fidgety than normal. Baby Tooth squeaked in agreement on her shoulder.

"No, he has to know!" Bunny shouted as he stepped forward. Jack's staff appeared above Sandy's head, and then an image of Jack, and then Pitch with eyes crossed out. "Sandy's right, we need Jack's staff."

"What is going on?!" Jack said in a tone that was ready to lose its patience.

"It's Morgan, Jack," Bunny mumbled in a solemn voice. Jack's eyebrows went up with unexpected fury. His mouth was half open and the staff was being crushed under the coiling of his fingers. "Pitch has appeared to Morgan."

"I won't let him take her dreams away!" Jack said loudly.

"Wait, Jack, there is more to story!" North said. "Problem is, Pitch is not touching her dreams."

"What?" Sandy nodded. He made a gesture that told them Morgan was sleeping soundly.

"It's something much more diabolical than that!" Tooth squealed, shifting around the Workshop.

"Morgan has become very close to Pitch," Bunny finally said, having had enough of the treading on eggshells act.

"They are like friends, two pods in a pea, and Pitch has been there to listen to her problems and have fun with her!" North added with extreme emphasis.

"They are behaving just like the two of you did!" Tooth said, clenching her hands. "It's like they became... instant best friends."

"Pitch doesn't make real friends, mate, he manipulates. Whatever he has under that coat of his isn't good, and we need to find out what's up," Bunny continued "Somehow, Pitch has tricked her into believing he's a good person, or that he's honorable, or somethin'. Morgan does not just let people in like that!"

"I know, I know..." Jack said, and turned back towards the globe as Pennsylvania made its way around again. "Oh Morgan... what is he _doing _to you?"

_~Morgan~_

"Pitch, you could be learning a lot from this guy," Morgan said to the dark specter near her. She popped more kernels of popcorn into her mouth. "This man is considered to be the most compassionate man throughout all history. He is definitely not a bad man to use as a role model."

"Morgan, when does your pill start working?" Tristan sighed.

"It doesn't, they don't work," she stated, and popped a couple more pieces of popcorn into her mouth. She passed the bowl over to Pitch who simply waved a "no thanks".

"Maybe the dosage isn't high enough," Tristan said. He pulled a rectangular device from under him and began to tap his fingers across the screen.

"What are you doing?"

"Telling your mother they're not working." Morgan flung herself on top of Tristan ad wrestled the phone away from him, holding it high above his head.

"You could learn a lot from Gandhi too."

"Gandhi would want you to get better!" he argued and swiped the air to retrieve his phone back.

"I already have to see that woman twice a week, I couldn't stand to see her more!"

"I thought you said she was nice."

"She is, but I'm not crazy!"

"For the last time, Morgan, I don't... think you're... crazy!" Tristan jerked the phone away from her and stuck his tongue out at her playfully. She giggled and tackled him. The two of them landed with a painful thunk into the carpet. They both groaned, but then chuckled quietly. Morgan brushed her lips against Tristan's mouth so lightly he could barely feel her kiss, but he was leaning forwards to beg for her kisses. Pitch rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He snapped his fingers and immediately after, Morgan groped Tristan's t-shirt and wailed sadly into his shoulder.

"Sweetie! Did I do something? Did I hurt you?" he rubbed his hands against her arms, horrified at the thought of having hurt her in some way.

"No!" she sniffled. "You're perfect... this is so perfect..." She paused a moment to gag herself with tears. "But this... this is going to end."

"No, it won't, I'm here for you, Morgan!" He pulled her face up and sighed at the sight of her. Her face had succumbed to a tone of red and was sticky with tears. "I will be here and stay..."

"For now! But you think I'm insane and you're going to leave!"

"Neither one of those things are true!"

"But I'm afraid you're going to leave... either because I'm too crazy or you see some other girl..."

"No, Morgan, no. Are the voices telling you these things?"

"No, Jack isn't here..." she wept. "And Pitch is sweet! He cares about me and wants what's best for me, he would never tell me something like that!"

"Pitch is the dark one right? I'm not so sure that's true..."

"No, Tristan, he's misunderstood! I swear it! He wants to be good..." Morgan looked back to the bed where Pitch was doing his best to appear incredibly concerned for her. "And he's doing so well.

"I think... you do need stronger pills..." he huffed.

"No, Tristan please..." The boy scooted out from under her and picked up the bottle, pushing against the cap to remove the child safety lock. "Tristan, please don't touch those!"

"Morgan. I'm old enough to not accidentally swallow one..." he chuckled, and dumped a couple of the tablets into his hand. He looked at them quizzically. They weren't even tablets. They were small, round pellets and glossed with a shiny coat. He rolled them around between his fingers and inspected the cleanliness of them. He stuck out his tongue and very lightly pressed it to the tip of the tablet. Morgan wrung her hands and gritted her teeth anxiously while she watched them.

"Do they happen to flavor pills with mint, Morgan?"

"Uh... it's a new thing they're trying?"

"That's why they're not working, Morgan!" he shouted at her. "You've replaced them with Tic Tacs! That explains why you won't kiss me for several minutes right after taking them! It has nothing to do due with side effect and feeling nauseous!"

"People keep telling me I need to get better!" she screamed at him, now rising with anger directed towards him. "I don't need to get better! There's nothing wrong with me!"

"That is exactly what crazy people think!" Morgan squeaked when she gasped.

"You _do_ think I'm crazy!"

"No, I didn't say that..."

"You just did! You think I'm crazy!"

"What am I supposed to think when my girlfriend says she can see things and hear things and talks to people who aren't there?!"

"The people who do actually suffer from those disorders would be really hurt to hear you say those things! I would never call someone who actually has schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia insane! I never would!"

"Why can't you come to terms with the fact that you need help?!"

"I don't need it!" Pitch was dangling his narrow feet off the edge of the bed, the popcorn now in his lap. He anxiously nibbled at the kernels. "Pitch, make him see! Make him see you exist!"

"There is nothing in my power that can make someone believe, Morgan..." he whispered in a melancholy melody. He pouted his lip sadly at her.

"Morgan, there is no one there!"

"There is too!"

"God, I am sick of hearing about this!" he screamed.

"Why don't you just leave, like you want to?"

"I will!" Tristan screamed and the door nearly bellowed when he slammed it behind him. Morgan yelled to the heavens above her and caught her foot against a stuffed animal, kicking it away from her.

"My dear..." Pitch started morosely.

"Shut up!" she screamed. She twisted her hands together. "I just want... I want to strangle him! Never in my life have I been so pissed at him!"

"Remember what you told me about resorting to violence?" he gestured to the film still playing on the TV. "Think about Gandhi, Morgan."

"I don't want to! I want him to jump into a puddle or run into a tree! He's so selfish!" She crawled into Pitch's lap, as she had now become accustomed to doing. She really was getting too big to do that anymore, but it was a comfort to her to be in the arms of someone who cherished her. He rocked her like a small child and she succumbed to her tears, divulging her fears about being left alone in this world and how she was afraid everyone would hate her for seeing him and Jack.

"Now, Morgan, that is one thing I can promise will never happen, love," he told her with velvet lacing his voice again. "I will never leave you. I am always going to be here for you."

"I know," she responded and smile. "You're a man of your word." She looked over at the door and frowned. "Is Tristan going to break up with me?"

"My dear, that's really hard to say," he explained firmly. "On the one hand, you're both inexperienced in relationships and never saw this coming. But on the other, you and Tristan truly do care about you. Also, he;s a boy, they cool down and then they're okay again. I don't think he will, honestly."

"I hope he doesn't... I can't imagine my life without him."

"Even though he thinks you're a lunatic."

"He doesn't think I'm a lunatic!" Morgan defended. "I think he's just scared. The presence of fear in this household is a lot greater than it has ever been."

Pitch pretended to be fascinated with the wall décor to avoid the questioning about his wide-spread grin.

* * *

**I really hope I am too sick to go to school tomorrow. That would be really nice. I have two papers I need to do tomorrow. Also this room smells like raspberry yogurt. So pretty soon, we're going to be getting some nice face off action. What do you think will happen when Jack confronts Morgan and Pitch?**

I have a challenge for you all! It's been pretty popular, so go to Gemvara (customizable jewelry website) and make a ring that you think best fits Morgan and show it to me! :)

**Rosie out**


	37. Heartfreeze and Brainache

**I tried so hard to get this up but I had to do a paper that involved summarizing 90 pages into 5... HOW. CAN. I. DO. THAT.? I eventually did it but it was REALLY REALLY HARD, and I skipped my last class because I was feeling icky, so I should have had time to do it, right? I spent five hours on that thing. I was so angry. It should not take me five hours to do a SUMMARY.  
**

**If you get annoyed at Morgan's stubbornness, then I'm doing something right :)**

**I would write more tonight, but I feel sicky, so sorry. You just get this.**

* * *

_~Jack~_

He was sick of standing around. For a few minutes, the other Guardians stood around arguing, and he was sick of listening to them.

"Enough!" he yelled, slamming his staff down so the end of it spread ice ferns out on the ground. It sent a blast of chill that pushed the other Guardians back a little. They diverted their attention to Jack, who was glowering at them impatiently. "How did this even happen? Morgan's incredibly wise. She knows what Pitch did, she knows who he is. How could he ever get into her life like that? Maybe you saw things wrong."

"I did not see wrong!" North told him passionately. "I look at Globe Cam, to watch over children as I do, and there I see her with Pitch."

"But what did you see?" North took a huge breath, expanding his large belly, and then calmly spoke.

"Jack, Pitch was hugging Morgan... No, I miss speak, Morgan was cuddling Pitch."

"Cuddling in what way?"

"Like a father would daughter. She was crying, and he stroke her lovely hair." Jack's fingers tightened around his staff. The corners of his mouth pulled apart so he was now snarling. A toy turtle flapped its flippers in the air over his head.

"I'm going to Harrisburg!" he shouted. "I don't care if the cold comes early."

"Hold on, mate, is it really a good idea to go down there when Pitch's presence is so strong in the Kenter household?"

"Hold on, mate," Jack mimicked. "Is it really a good idea to be standing in my way?" He held up his staff angrily.

"Jack, he's only concerned..." Tooth kindly said to him.

"I don't want anyone to be concerned for me. What does it matter anyway? I can handle Pitch far more than Morgan can. She's strong, but she's still human! I'm the best person to go and get her... he can't handle my staff!"

"Pitch has tricked you before!" Tooth reminded him. He stopped his stride and cringed at the painful memory. It stung fiercely to remember how his little mistake caused everyone to suffer that one Easter. "You don't think he can do it again?" Her wings buzzed with their rapid beating as she fluttered around him.

"I'm just going to talk to Morgan," he told her sadly. "Find out what's going on and why. Try to convince her to get her away from Pitch."

"But what if it's all a trap?" Her violet eyes watched him in a panic, her dramatic eyelashes fluttering almost as fast as she was. She was incredibly nervous. "At this point, Jack, it isn't hard at all to see how much you care for Morgan! He might even know of your feelings for her! Maybe he's trying to get to you, and Morgan is the bait!"

"Ask me if I care! Tooth, for one minute can you forget you're so madly in love with me and stop freaking out over Morgan?!"

"Hey, now that's uncalled for!" Bunny snapped with aggravation. Sandy gesticulated angrily while images flashed over his head of a snowflake, and then Tooth, and then a heart, and Pitch. His thoughts were going by so fast it was hard to make out what he said.

"I never said that I was in love with you!" Tooth barked with a strange contrast of pink against her emerald and aquamarine markings. Baby Tooth chirped near Jack's ear.

"We all have concern for you Jack," North interrupted, his voice ringing with reason. In the background, gears could be heard shifting and then dinging. A Yeti stepped off the spherical elevator, carrying a large, sealed crate. "Put shipment over in corner, Fred! I get to it later!" A nonsensical response was heard. "We all feel same way. In the end it was you who defeated Pitch and he is out for revenge."

"No, it was Jamie and his friends who defeated Pitch!"

"Yes, but you are Guardian who made Jamie and friends believe again! You were the one who put plans in foil." Jack grinned at both the compliment and his little flub.

"We understand yer angry," Bunny said. "Ya have a deep emotional connection with Morgan, and now Pitch is strikin' right at yer heart. But you need to calm down, mate. You'll never sort this out if ya don't come up with a plan."

"I still think if I talked to her and find out what happened..."

"We go with you and keep watch!" North suggested cheerfully, pressing his hands to his very large hips. "Phil! Prepare sleigh!"

"Crikey, not this again..." Bunny moaned and reluctantly patted along after North. Sandy clapped enthusiastically and danced out. Tooth and Baby Tooth stayed behind as they made their way downstairs. Tooth grasped Jack's hand and tried to hide the tears beginning to brim on her eyelids.

"I didn't mean..."

"I know," she answered, patting his hand. "I get it... getting all worked up about someone you truly cherish..." she jerked her hand back quickly. Jack gave her a smile of sympathy. "But I want you to be careful. We can't lose you too." Jack reached forward and pressed his cold hand against her cheek. She leaned into it longingly.

"I won't let my emotions get the best of me." He pulled his hand back. "And once again, I'm sorry." The two of them walked in silence back towards the elevator.

_~Morgan~_

"Morgan!" Brad's voice was short and high-pitched with panic. He skipped into Morgan's room, interrupting her scouring over a book about the California Gold Rush.

"What is it now?"

"There was some movement in my room..." he shuddered. He jumped onto her bed and placed a hand in front of his mouth before he whispered to her. "I think the Boogeyman is in my closet." Her eyes popped before she erupted with laughter. He cocked his eyes while he watched her beat her fists again the bed.

"Oh, Brad, you're so dumb sometimes..." she sighed.

"I'm not dumb!"

"It can't be the Boogeyman. Pitch doesn't do those things anymore."

"But he's the Boogeyman! He always does."

"Believe me when I say that Pitch is my friend, and he has changed his ways." She was now looking back at her book and flipped the page to show she was no longer interested.

"Even if it's not the Boogeyman, can you go see?" he asked.

"No, Bradley," she scoffed with annoyance. "I'm busy!"

"When Mom told me you had a sickness in the brain, and you said you didn't I believed you!" he argued as he placed his arms over his chest. "I told Mom that I didn't think you were lying, because you wouldn't make something up like that. You don't pretend, ever. You don't have the ability to."

"Thanks?" said Morgan, a little unsure if she was being insulted or not.

"Can you at least believe that there is something in my room, and check it out?"

"Ugh!" she spat and then slammed her book. Brad bounced off the bed and squeezed her wrist while he ignored her yelps of pain. He dragged her along the hallway and flew open his door. His room was now invaded by posters and maps of stars and moons and everything related to aliens and Roswell. There were paintings of futuristic societies and a stack of books about the future in space. Brad was getting into science fiction and space and everything combining the two of them and the future. It made her ill to walk into his room. It was silly to be obsessed with something that had happened yet. Wouldn't you be disappointed when everything you thought was going to be didn't happen?

"Where did you see whatever you saw?" Morgan asked him dully.

"Yeah, sorry about that..." a voice sheepishly muttered from behind the door. Elation rose from deep within Morgan's chest and her head spun wildly when it registered to her who the voice belonged to. She twirled, turning her back before she turned her feet. Resisting the smile was impossible because everything glorious in the world was pouring into her at once upon seeing him. Her delight had frozen her so Brad responded to Jack's arrival before he did.

"Jack!" he said and clung tightly to the frosted blue sweatshirt of his.

"Hey," he said to him. "How much did you grow? You're huge!"

"I turned ten a couple of weeks ago!"

"Double digits, that's cool!" he laughed.

"Jack..." Morgan whispered, happiness still tingling her cheeks. "It's August."

"So it is," he stated, pumping his arm so Brad swung on it.

"You're not due back for at least six weeks," she said, still in shock.

"I decided to stop by a little early," he shrugged.

"Meanwhile, you're going to make the people of Harrisburg really angry if you stay too long. It's going to get cold!" Morgan was remembering a conversation they had a while ago, about how even if he didn't do anything, if he stayed in a location way too long, it would simply be cold for a while.

"I won't have to stay long if you listen to me," he said. He dropped Brad gently and pressed his hands together, forming a tightly wadded snow ball. He passed it over to Brad. "Here, go outside and throw this at one of your neighbors. I'm sure they would be baffled to wonder how you got a snowball in the summer!"

"Cool!" he awed and took the mess of snow from him. Before he stepped over the threshold, though, he looked back at Jack and his sister with worry. "You two aren't going to kiss in my room while I'm gone are you? Because Tristan won't like that."

"GO!" the two of them said at the same time. Their voice startled him so he was barreling down the steps. Jack used his staff to push the door close.

"You're _not_ going to kiss me, are you?" Morgan asked nervously when she saw him quickly close the door. "Because Tristan _wouldn't_ like that. He's angry at me anyway, so that would make for sure that we're breaking up."

"You're together now?" he asked, trying to sound more excited than disappointed, then remembered what she just said. "Wait, and you're breaking up?" His heart lifted with the possibility of this.

"We're not broken up, but it feels like it..." she sighed and sat in the middle of Brad's floor, running his miniature time travel toy across the floor. "We got into a really big fight yesterday. I don't even know how it started, I just started crying and he thinks I'm mentally unstable. Which I mean... I guess in the eyes of some people, I am."

"Why does he think you're mentally unstable?" Jack sat down in front of her and crossed his legs.

"I'm seeing a psychiatrist twice a week and I'm supposed to be taking medication. I wouldn't shut up about you guys. I'm supposed to lie and say I can't see you? That's ridiculous, I haven't lied since I was four."

"I find that hard to believe."

"That's rich, coming from someone who needs to be believed to be seen."

"Ouch."

"Why are you here?" she suddenly remembering, looking back at him with curiosity. Jack gnawed on his lip while he forced himself to say on of the two things on his mind. The other thing, which he would never say, was how strange he felt at the sight of Morgan wearing a flowy ivory top with no sleeves and torn shorts. Her legs had little flaps of skin spilling over, proving that she wasn't some super skinny model who never ate. Morgan would say they were hideous and to not look at them, but he thought she looked more real that way, and that made her even more beautiful. He stopped his mind from going down a path he was afraid to see the end of and then remembered Pitch.

"North saw you and Pitch," he plainly said, clutching his staff.

"Saw us?" she repeated with disgust.

"'Sees you when you're sleeping, knows when you're awake,'" he quoted. "Creepy, but he really does that. Checks on the kids."

"Oh," she nodded. "You were so wrong about him Jack. I mean you were right, but you were wrong. He doesn't want to be bad anymore! He wants to do right! He just wanted someone to understand him, that's all... his story is so sad. It's not really his fault he's been treated this way... if you only saw how he's changed."

"I don't know what he told you, but Pitch doesn't change. He's the Boogeyman, and he forever will be."

"He doesn't like to be called that, though."

"He's clever. He's manipulative, he's tricked you."

"No, no," Morgan denied. "Maybe you two just need to meet. Here, I'll see if-"

"I don't _want_ to ever see that snake again! And I especially don't want him near you!"

"He's different!" she screamed. "You just won't give him a chance! It's just like with Benedict Arnold-"

"Is _that_ what he told you?" he gasped. "Oh Pitch, I see! You used allusions from history to get her to feel sorry for you! You are sneaky, aren't you?" Jack had heard her opinions on Benedict Arnold several times.

"Jack, he just wants a friend..."

"No, he wants to be believed in! Do you know what happens when people believe in him? They fear him. And that's what he wants. He wants you to fear him."

"No, _you_ want me to fear him!" she accused, popping up and staring down at him. "You're so blinded by your prejudice for him that you can't take the opportunity to really understand him! You're determined to hate him! This is just like-"

"If you compare me to the Civil Rights Era, I will break something," he seethed. He was no longer just concerned, he was also riled up and getting frustrated with her stubbornness. It was always so hard to convince Morgan that what she thought was truth was all a lie. It also put her in an emotional tailspin. Once she changed her mind about something she thought she had previously been lied to about, it was going to be nearly impossible to convince her to change her mind once again.

"Mr. Jack Frost, getting violent, so scared!" she taunted. "Are you going to throw a snowball? Because that terrifies me, ooh! Pitch was there for me when you weren't! I needed a friend to help me deal with my mother, and he was there! He has been there to wipe away my tears and hug me, and he says he doesn't remember the last time he cared about anyone this much!" Jack could have gagged.

"Those are all lies!"

"You're as bad as Tristan!" she laughed. "Except instead of thinking I'm crazy... actually, no, you still think I'm crazy! But for believing Pitch rather than believing IN him!" Jack's nostrils began to flare... but he wasn't going to scream at her. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He didn't want to hurt her, especially when all her emotions told him she was already suffering so much. Streams of black slid down her face from when her tears met her eyeliner. Jack plunged his hands in his pockets and walked around her towards Brad's open window. He clung to the frame and looked back at Morgan's beautiful stature, marred by her anger through shaking shoulders and screwed up facial expression.

"I'm coming back," he promised. "No matter what you believe Morgan, I am staying in the area. It's going to get cold with me around, so you might want to tell your mother you guys won't need the AC on much longer. And put on something warmer, you'll freeze." He forced himself not to think of the short clothing she was wearing to beat the heat. "I am going to protect you."

"Morgan, what's will all the yelling up there?" echoed Mr. Kenter's voice from downstairs.

"I'm telling Jack to GET OUT OF MY LIFE!"

* * *

**I watched ROTG AGAIN today. I wanted to wait til this weekend when I watch it with my friends parents (I live with my friend and her family currently. It's a very long story about my financial situation) but I. COULDN'T. WAIT. Everytime I watch it I hate myself (well not really. I'm actually pretty fond of myself most days) because I go "I DIDN'T PUT THAT DETAIL IN MY STORY. OR THAT. OH MY GOSH ASDFZGHJ HOW COULD I FORGET THAT.) Honestly, it's probably DreamWorks and their AMAZING detail on this film that I will forever never be able to do justice because this film was made by angels but even so, say something to make me not feel so bad? Especially since I'm a sicky? Rosie Out so she can rest. Nightie night.**


	38. Fighting with the Cold in Darkness

**Guess what everybody?! Jack came by and blew a blizzard through my town - that means school was cancelled! (No, like this is astounding. For starters, Minnesota practically never declares even one snow day for all schools in town. And when that happens usually Universities still stay open. However, this is the SECOND time this has happened this SEMESTER. In like, a month I think. The impossible has happened guys. Plus I mean it's APRIL. April is supposed to be a SPRING month, right?) So because of that, you guys get an extra treat. Early chapter!**

* * *

_~Jack~_

Jack leaped onto the angled roof of the Kenter house, where the sleigh was parked. North was reclining in the seat. He spotted Jack and sat up into a position of alertness.

"I was watching skies!" he defended. Jack smirked with amusement. Tooth fluttered towards Jack, with a hopeful look on her face. Sandy then joined them, and Bunny hopped onto the roof. Jack dropped his eyes and they knew he was unsuccessful.

"Pitch has convinced her," he explained "He's manipulated her and now she truly believes he's trying to be good."

"Why would she believe that?" Bunny asked with hurt curiosity.

"It sounds like he compared himself to a character in history Morgan defends.

"Ah, crikey..." Bunny moaned, running a paw down his face in distress.

"Well, we just tell her something else!" North resolved. "Get her to believe again!"

"It's not that simple," Jack stated. "Do you have any idea how Morgan reacts when she discovers what she has believed in has all been a lie? When she found out that Thomas Jefferson wasn't actually for complete equality, like he drafted in the Declaration and Independence, and believed strongly in slavery and thought African-Americans were inferior, she was distressed for weeks. Everything she believed in was incorrect and she couldn't handle it. Imagine that with Pitch, when she believes everything said before about him was wrong. Now we're trying to reverse that _again_!" The other Guardians exchanged nervous glances. Jack ran his fingers through his frost-colored hair. "Pitch's hold on her is strong. Incredibly strong. She's convinced he cares about her and that they're friends."

"So what are we going to do?" Tooth asked.

"I'm going to stay in the area... keep watch on her," Jack explained. "Keep an eye on her."

"But it's August."

"I know, I know," he groaned. "It's not the first time I made summer cold, you know. Winter will just be colder this year, more harsh. They can handle it, I promise. I need to make sure Morgan is safe. Pitch may be leaving her dreams alone right now, but how long is that going to last? I can't let Morgan be hurt!"

"But Jack, if Pitch does try to hurt Morgan..." North started. "Is it a good idea to take him on by yourself?" He held out his staff.

"If Morgan believes in him the way she says she does... then he may be incredibly powerful!" Tooth exclaimed.

"Keep a watch on the Globe Cam," Jack instructed. "If you keep a watch on her and you see something happens, throw the Aurora and we'll know to meet here."

"Jack?" The Guardians turned to see Brad sticking his head out the window, and glancing up to the roof. "What are you doing on the roof? And why is Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman with you?" Jack slid across the shingles and threw his hand down in front of the window. A little perplexed, Brad took Jack's hand and yelped when he was tugged up to the top of the roof.

"Bradley!" North said, his large belly shaking with his laughter. "You need to learn to be better boy!" He wagged his finger playfully at him.

"Is this about my sister?" he asked.

"Yes, Brad, it is," Jack sighed.

"How can she be friends with the Boogeyman?" he asked. "The Boogeyman is bad. He's always bad. Does that mean Morgan is bad?"

"Oh, no, no, no, not at all Brad!" he assured the kid. Brad's eyes were quickly coated with blinding tears. He sniffled and wiped at them, trying to appear tough. Jack placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and offered him a smile. The two may have fought a lot, but Brad obviously cared very much about his sister. "The Boogeyman, his name is Pitch, and he lied to Morgan. He is very good at lying and making people believe him. He made Morgan think that he had become good and now they are friends."

"It's his fault."

"What's his fault?"

"They thought that you were a game," he explained, rubbing away his tears. "Morgan doesn't pretend things. I think there's something wrong with her that always kept her from playing make-believe. Well, actually that's wrong. She used to pretend she was Queen Elizabeth when she was little, but that's someone who actually existed. She never made things up, but they thought that maybe you were a little bit of make-believe. Mom was a little worried about her getting so much older and believing in you, but they were okay with it. But the Boo- um, Pitch. Morgan started talking about him and well... they said it was disturbing that she would claim to be friends with something that makes kids scared."

"So Pitch is the reason she's seeing a psychiatrist?" Jack asked.

"And she only fights with Tristan when Pitch is around," Brad nodded.

"He's not planning on filling her with nightmares, Jack!" Tooth declared frantically. The rainbow sheen in her wings flickered brightly against the hot sun. "He's tearing her down, bit by bit! He's going to ruin her sanity, ruin her relationship, and who knows what else!"

"Brad, I need you to do something," Jack asked the worried boy.

"What?"

"Your sister is in danger, but she won't listen to me right now. So I'm going to stay here and watch over her, okay?"

"Okay...?"

"I'm going to stay outside, hang around in the trees, and keep an eye out for Pitch, making sure he doesn't do anything. At night is when Pitch is the strongest, when he likes to target people's dreams. It doesn't seem like he's doing that, yet. But he might. I need to be in the house at night. Morgan has closed her window to me and locked it. I'm not like the others. Tooth can fly through windows, Bunny can create tunnels, North has portals, I can't do any of that. I need to go through open windows. So I'm going to go through your window each night, okay? And get in that way. So don't freak out if you see me coming into your room at night."

"Are you going to watch her sleep like that creepy vampire in Aubrey's books?" Brad teased. Bunny snickered and North belted laughter. Tooth smiled politely. Jack turned and gave them a dull look. He pointed his crook and zapped ice on both North and Bunny's faces.

"No, I'm just going to be watching the shadows."

"Okay," Brad nodded and then looked down at his feet anxiously. "You should probably put me back before mom notices I'm on the roof. She'll have a heart attack."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He spent the past month sitting in trees, sitting on the roof, watching through Morgan's window for any trace of an increase to the harm Pitch was doing to Morgan. He was messing with her mentally, but it was really hard for her to see that. Now Jack understood why. He enchanted her with his affections, sharing laughs, and feeding her compliment after compliment. He played games with her, and watched films with her. Did everything they had ever done, except everything seemed a little more... tense. A tension Morgan could not detect. There was a dreadful feeling whenever he was around, even Jack could feel it at his distant perch. He had citizens complaining about how the weather seemed to go from unbearable hot to cold after he had been in Harrisburg a while. Morgan had quickly gone from shorts and shoulder exposure to long pants and hooded jackets. He was angry at himself for being disappointed in the lack of flesh she was showing these days. He started calling himself a pervert.

It was hard to see the fear that Pitch was pumping into the room. Jack felt it, but Morgan must have ignored that feeling. Or maybe she liked it. He had heard once girls liked the thrill of danger and that's why so many were attracted to bad boys. He wasn't sure how Morgan was when it came to attraction to boys, but he had hoped she wasn't one of those. Yes, Pitch did seem like the perfect friend, but he had heard everything else. The lies he fed to her about Tristan, about her family. He was so subtle in the way he spoke, making it sound like he cared and always said something like "I'm sure they really do love you and they are only doing what they think is best, so don't blame them." He made himself sound so innocent. Jack himself was almost fooled, and of course Pitch just had a voice that was so influential. Of course Morgan believed everything he said. He was irresistible. That was the problem with fear. You couldn't resist it.

That also meant he had to suffer watching her embraces with Tristan. She still had a little bit of time before she was even thirteen, so it wasn't like they were heated or intense, but they were enough to fuel Jack up with jealousy and desire. He didn't want to harm Tristan, but he would have enjoyed pushing him down and laughing at him. He wanted to be the one tangled in Morgan's arms. How was it that every year, she got so much prettier, so much less awkward, and ached Jack's chest even more? Every year he cared for her even more. At this rate, he would be dead again by the time Morgan graduated high school from cardiac arrest.

Then one night, in late September, just when Jack had to return to his job and touch all the leaves in the world so they glazed gold and shone red, he returned to the house and slipped through Brad's window. He closed it, tightly, so the chills he created wouldn't blow in. Brad stirred at the noise, but didn't wake from under the covers. A scene in gold sand portrayed Brad flying in a rocket ship. Jack tiptoed and turned into the hallway. Reaching Morgan's door, he tapped at the door so it squeaked open. He tore his eyes away from the dreams Morgan was having of Tristan and her getting married. She really shouldn't have been thinking of those things when she wasn't even thirteen yet. He stopped and rolled his eyes at the medication bottle. It was filled with real tablets now, but Morgan wasn't taking them. Every day, she flushed a pill down the toilet.

He took his spot in the corner and rested his staff against the wall, ready to spend another eight hours staring at each shadow in the room. He wrote on the floor and formed letters of ice crystals, writing first his name, then Sophie's, then Jamie's, then Mrs. Bennetts, then Morgan's. Then he wrote his over again, but this time wrote "Jack Bennett." It had a nice ring to it.

The sand broke and the covers, which he was glad to see was still the old one with the foxes and the snowy scene, shifted as her head lifted. Jack tensed and tossed his head from side to side to find a place to hide. Hiding under her desk didn't conceal him that well.

"Jack!" she hissed in the dark and crouched in front of him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Wow, when did you start using such strong language?"

"I'm nearly thirteen, and it's not so strong," she scoffed. "Are you watching me sleep?!"

"I'm not watching you sleep!"

"That's really creepy!"

"I'm not watching you sleep, Morgan. I'm standing guard."

"Of what? Of Pitch? We went over this, Jack! He's not going to hurt me!"

"But he is!"

"No, I refuse to argue you this! How did you even get in here?! My window's been locked!" The ice of the blue topaz in his eye's shifted. Morgan's jaw dropped to react with her surprise. "Bradley! He let you in!"

"It's not his fault!" he said, and pulled at Morgan's arm so she wouldn't leave. "He was concerned, so I've been keeping an eye..."

"Been?! Are you telling me you've been watching me for a _month?_" she gagged out. "That is sick, Jack. Really sick. You think just because you're a Guardian, you can strut in here and stalk me?!"

"I am not stalking!"

"Shall I list the famous stalkers throughout history and what punishment they've received?"

"No! Morgan, I am so _sick_ of you using history to support a freaking argument!"

"You thought my vast knowledge of history was fascinating before!"

"When you're not using it against me!?" The shadows on the floor changed and grew from under Morgan's bed. They took form and solidified so a man of tall stature and intimidating aura dominated the room. Jack stood up and gripped his staff tightly, ready to charge at Pitch if he needed to.

"Morgan, why do I hear yelling when you should be-" Pitch's golden eyes expanded when he laid them on Jack. His lips carved a smirk of amusement into his shadowy face and he clutch his gut while he laughed. "Frost! Well, well, it is so nice to see you again, old friend!"

"We're not friends," Jack told him lowly. "Morgan is protected, so lay off her."

"I don't need protecting," Morgan growled. "I need you to get out of here."

"I promised I would never abandon you," Jack snapped. "Are you going to do that to me?"

"He's right, Morgan. You really shouldn't cut other friends out of your life simply because they refuse to believe you or sneak into your bedroom late at night while you're sleeping, disgusting as it is."

"And that's not what you're doing?" Jack scoffed, holding out his staff. "You just said you heard..."

"I'm the Boogeyman, it's my job to hide in closets and under beds! But I'm not watching her sleep, like you. I am... standing guard."

"I've been stressed and he's been keeping an eye out for me," Morgan explained. "It's really sweet."

"When I do it, it's creepy. When he does it, it's sweet?" Jack questioned. This logic was not making any sense.

"If he really cared about you that much, he wouldn't leave you in the summer when you needed him most," Pitch said. Morgan nodded.

"That's true."

"No, it's not!" Jack yelled. "He's feeding you lies, Morgan! Why can't you see that?!" Jack reached forward and took her arms, pleading to her with her eyes. For a second, Morgan looked closer at him and read into the worry on his face. Then Pitch spoke again.

"He doesn't love you, like he says he does, Morgan!"

"You don't...?" Morgan whispered, a tear leaking from the inner apex of her eye. Her mouth opened to let out a cry of grief, but nothing came. Instead, she stared at him so Jack could see her heart break in her eyes.

"Morgan, this is what he has been doing to you! Little by little, filling your mind with this lies, and convincing you they're true when they're not! Now you'll believe anything, you don't even argue. You need to-"

"NO!" She threw Jack into the wall. "I don't want you here! Pitch is the only friend I need! Leave, and never come back again!" When Jack hit the wall, he looked up through his crystallized tears and watched Morgan's face fall from anger, then sunk into shock, then sunk into grief, and then sunk into fear. She collapsed on the floor, holding herself up with her hands. She breathed heavily. Jack crawled over to where she was and looking into her wide-eyed stare, her warm brown hair hanging down on the sides of her face. He pressed his fingers to her hand and she didn't move from his touch.

"I know he has a hold on you, so I know this isn't you," he said to her calmly. He glared evilly at Pitch, and then looked back at Morgan's miserable expression. "I'll leave the house. But I'm not leaving you. And I do love you. He's just blinded you from seeing it." Jack used his staff to prop himself up and abandoned the room. Things were getting much too serious.

* * *

**So I'm going to speed up my pace a TEENSY bit, get thins moving that I planned for earlier, because I really want action to happen. I think I've been building the tension up enough for you guys. Besides, I have other things planned after Pitch. I have a job interview, so I have to do that before I put up another chapter. Also I am happy to report that my library ordered the Rise of the Guardians soundtrack and I am the very first one on the waiting list! But I can't pick it up because it's closed due to weather (I would skip my interview if I didn't need this job so badly), and the library NEVER closes for weather... Jack has really done it, hasn't he?**


	39. The Darkest Embrace

**Interview went great! I feel like I am pretty much hired! But before I can do thaat, they want me to take a drug test though, which is standard procedure for job hiring for those who don't know, so I have to get that done tomorrow. Ugh. I hate peeing in cups. So awkward. Anyone, so here's where things really heat up. It sounds like some of you are getting really emotional so... I humbly apologize. You might actually cry and scream in this one.**

* * *

_~Jack~_

Jack decided he was going to need extra help. Someone who had experience with Pitch, but wasn't a Guardian. Morgan would say the Guardians were prejudiced after all those years Pitch spent warping people's hearts to be filled with fear. Maybe he would even listen to someone who was closer to her age and not over three hundred.

Having being considered a member of the family now, Jack knew where the spare key to the lock was and went inside the house, waiting for school to let out. Ms. Bennett had come a half hour before the kids did, and it gave them some time to catch up. She was surprised to see him back so early, but was overjoyed to have him. Working at a bakery, Ms. Bennett was one of the best cooks he had ever seen, and so he did not protest when she began to fix up some sugar cookies from scratch. When she had put them in the oven and finally sat down, the door flew open with the entrance of the kids.

"Jack!"

"Jack!" They both clung tightly to him, and Jack tingled with joy at seeing them again.

"Hey!" he said and Sophie took up her usual spot in his lap.

"You're here early," Jamie said, tossing his backpack to the ground. "You usually don't come til October."

"October's only a few days away," he chuckled. "Actually I was really early. I've been back in the states since August."

"I wondered if that was you!" Ms. Bennett exclaimed after sipping on her coffee. "There have been peculiar cold fronts around Harrisburg, but nowhere else!"

"If I remain in an area too long, even if I'm just walking around, it gets pretty cold," he explained.

"You missed that girl, didn't you?" she chuckled.

"I did, but I had to come back because she's in danger,' Jack started, and then launched into the whole story. He told them about Pitch becoming close friends, about how Morgan was getting help even though she didn't need it, how her relationship was suffering, how she refused to listen and had this hatred towards Jack that could only be explained by Pitch dominating her thoughts. "I don't know what to do! So I thought, maybe she would listen to you. You're more her age, and you're a mother, she might listen to you more. You also have experience with Pitch." Ms. Bennett set down her mug and picked up Jamie's backpack on the floor.

"Jamie, fill Abby's food dish, and grab some things to do," she commanded without even taking a moment to think it over. "We're going to Harrisburg!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Bennett children were dazzled by the city. The old and the antique buildings collided right in with the modernized architecture. Much of the skyline was low, but there were several buildings in the city center that towered over everything else. The children had gone to see Chicago every year, but this was different. Chicago was incredibly modernized city. This was mixed with antiquity, and it just made it shine all the more brighter, like its past and its future were co-mingling peacefully. Jack had gone on ahead, promising to meet them at the house. When they pulled in the drive, Jack was lazily leaning against a tree in the yard, poking the fallen leaves so they cracked under the frost. He nodded to them and Jamie walked up to the door, pressing the worn button next to it.

Mrs. Kenter answered the door and Jamie asked for Morgan. A call upstairs was soon followed by Morgan skipping outside. She appeared with a smile, which was quickly lost when she saw Jamie standing on the doorstep. She then looked over to Sophie, and then her eyes widened at the sight of Ms. Bennett.

"Um... hi," she greeted.

"Morgan?" Ms. Bennett said to her politely. She nodded. "Would you mind stepping outside?" Suspiciously, Morgan slowly stepped outside after she had shut the door.

"We need to talk to you about Pitch," said Jamie. Morgan rolled her eyes and made to go back inside. "Just wait, okay? He is incredibly powerful. You don't know what happened three years ago-"

"In case you forgot, I was old enough to remember what happened!" Morgan snarled, cheeks flushing from her embarrassment at yelling at Jamie in front of his mother. "I remember my nightmares. They were horrible! I kept dreaming I was being hanged, or at the executioner's block, or under the guillotine. Every night I revisited my death in so many ways, and it made me scared all the time, and I felt hopeless! I know that was Pitch, but he doesn't want to do that anymore." Jack joined them, igniting a response of rage from Morgan. "You told them?! Why can't you just leave me alone, and let me be happy!? Why do you always do this?! You keep ruining everything! That's what winter does, it kills all the life and everything dies! That's why you're the spirit of winter! You are upset about dying and losing your sister, and so you feel the need to kill all happiness!"

"Hang on a second," Ms. Bennett tried to intervene, ushering them towards the backyard so they were away from the neighbors. Sophie looked between them fighting, and looked a little nervous. While Morgan was still insulting Jack, he noticed her boredom, and conjured a butterfly from ice out of his hands. She giggled and rolled it over in her hands.

"... think about is finding ways to hurt me! This is out of prejudice and jealousy for you, isn't it?!"

"Morgan, he's telling the truth!" Jamie interrupted. "Think of all the times you and Jack had, everything he did for you! The way he talks about you with us, he really cares about you!"

"Jack wouldn't lie about something like this," Ms. Bennett calmly told her. "He gives people chances."

"Pitch is different though. They have a history he can't let go of!"

"He is infested with fear. It's diseased him, something that can't go away," Jack told her. "The Fearlings, they are forever a part of him. He can't change."

"The Boogeyman can't just disappear," added Ms. Bennett.

"You are all against me!" Morgan wept.

"You have a boyfriend, right? And you fight?"

"That happens in relationships, of course we do!"

"And do you fight when Pitch isn't around?"

"Uh..." Morgan paused and then thought. "No. No we don't. But that has nothing to do with him. I talk to Pitch when he's around and then Tristan can't handle me because he thinks I'm going insane again. Which I'm not. And he argues that if I let myself be helped everything would be okay!"

"Pitch knows you won't stop telling the truth, and won't stop including him," Jack explained. "And that's why he's doing it. He's doing it on purpose. His fear has infested you!"

"The fears I have are because my family thinks I'm weird!" she yelled. "My mother thinks I'm psychotic and is so cautious around me! Peter makes fun of me, Aubrey is too busy for me, Dad won't say anything to me! Brad has never liked me, and Todd, my only defender is at home! Brianne isn't even my friend anymore, and you keep lying to me! Of course I'm terrified of being lonely!"

"He feeds on that!" Jamie said.

"No, he's helping me!" Morgan screeched and stomped her way back in the house. Her eyebrows anger to portray her disapproval. "Good-bye!" The door cracked at it's slam and the Bennetts all looked at each other fearfully.

"That wasn't productive at all..." Ms. Bennett groaned. Jack slammed his head against the tree trunk, a starburst of ice ferns expanding from his area of collision.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The only thing left to do was to go back to keeping watch. Jack had to stay back and look into the kitchen window as Morgan celebrated her thirteenth birthday with her family, all her gifts consisting of foxes, history related items, and art supplies. She actually did seem happy. She delighted in an expensive looking gold plated laurel wreath Tristan gave her and kissed him passionately in front of her family, making Jack's stomach turn. He starred at four statuettes of canopic jars in his hand he had a small child get for him in a gift shop in Cairo. He got them a while ago, before she decided she hated them. He really hoped she would like this gift for her birthday. Not many people had replicas of the four canopic jars. Not many people even knew of their existence. He simply strapped the box on her windowsill and hoped she would find it.

She must have, because the next day, they were standing up on her dresser. He was unsure if it was her way of saying she was no longer mad at him, or if she simply could not resist historical items. At this point, he was guessing it was the latter. When he saw her walking around her room, sketching away in her notepad while looking at something interesting her new book about Ancient Rome, he caught the glimmer of something around her neck. She had replaced the Anne Boleyn necklace he gave her, but that wasn't the part that bothered him the most. It was a chain pulled tightly around her neck, and its pendant was a black stone of oval, with a gray carving of a woman's silhouette on it. He had seen many cameo necklaces before, but none of them had ever made him feel grieved just by glancing at them. The black stone below the picture glistened too much to be worldly. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that this necklace was custom made for Morgan, and given to her as a birthday gift.

The days ticked by, and every day he kept watch, calling on Bunny to take his place for watches when he needed to go and make somewhere really cold or snowy. He thought North would get distracted, and Tooth and Sandy always had a job too. Bunny was the best bet to keep watch. He was also pretty tough, so he was armed and ready for everything. Bunny, too, was seeing how the arguments between Tristan and Morgan were always initiated by Pitch, and making it seem like it was simply a relationship having simple problems. November came, and Jack had to go create the first snowstorm of the year in Pennsylvania, caused mostly by his own despair. When he returned, Bunny was on a tree branch, wiping away snowflakes off his arm. Jack expected some remark about him lightening the snow a bit, but his focus was on Morgan's window. His pink nose twitched anxiously and Jack had never seen his eyes so round before. He was emotionally invested in the scene going on in the house.

Pitch was in the corner, but the real action was between Morgan and Tristan. Instead of simply screaming at each other their hands were flailing in every directions, and both their faces had the same shade of angry scarlet. Every hand movement was directed towards each other. Morgan reached up and tore the laurel wreath off her door, stomping on it fiercely. Jack leap over to the window and pressed his ear against the edge to hear the conversation.

"You never listen!" Tristan screamed.

"No you never have faith in me anymore!"

"How can I when you never do what you're told!?"

"I'm going to submit to someone when they're wrong!"

"But you're the one who's wrong!"

"Tristan I am not!"

"God, why did I ever believe in Jack Frost?!" Pitch perked up in the corner at hearing him say that. "He's the reason we met, why we're in this right now!?"

"What are you saying, Tristan?!" There were tears in her eyes, but she was yelling much to loud for Jack to tell if she was sad.

"He's the reason you're like this in the first place! He's the reason we're together! And now he's the reason I can't deal with this!"

"Can't deal with what?! Just say it, Tristan! Come out and say it!"

"I can't deal with you! I tried to help, I liked you, I love you, but you can;t be helped! You refuse to let anyone help you! And I can't be with anyone like that. I can't be here anymore. I can't handle you! You're mad, Morgan! And you won't get any help from anyone until you realize that!"

"I don't want to be with someone who isn't going to support anyone!"

"I hope you're happy with your imaginary friends, because no one else is ever going to date you, Morgan! You're too wild, too insecure, too weird!"

"Get out of my house! I hate you, Tristan! I hate you!" He was out the door before she even finishing screaming. She beat against the door after it slammed, her frantic yells slowly slipping into tortured cries. She sank to the floor and wept. The shadow in the corner moved and Pitch was at her side once again, a skeletal arm curving around her shoulder. Morgan was now fully enveloped with tears, turning her head into Pitch's chest.

"I just got dumped..." she sniffled, and then led into a fully blown bawl.

"Oh, I know, and I am so sorry, love!" he cooed sadly. Jack rolled his eyes, but his chest felt bruised from the pain he was feeling for Morgan, "But he didn't treat you well, did he?"

"No! He never believed in me!" Morgan cried harder.

"Then you don't deserve him."

"But I don't hate him! I love him!" She made an unattractive nasal sound that made Pitch pull back a little. "I feel like I've been stabbed..."

"It's the worst feeling in the world..."

"He's right though... no one can handle me. I'll be alone forever."

"That is not true!" Pitch told her with almost an authoritative scold to his voice. Jack found he was agreeing with him. "There is someone wonderful there for you."

"No one loves me. No one will." Jack shook his head inadvertently in response. Pitch clicked his tongue and let out a long groan.

"This is the worst time to tell you this..." he started slowly. "But I know that's not true. There is someone who loves you... truly cherishes you. I know there is someone who has fallen madly for you. He didn't try. But he fell really hard for you Morgan. You are all he can think about, especially as you grow and blossom into a young woman. He feels he shouldn't love you because in so many ways you are still a child, and he is hundreds of years older than you." Jack froze. He was always frozen, true, but he just stopped working, and could only listen in. He had forgotten how to think, wasn't even aware of his surroundings, and waited for when Pitch told him the dreadful truth about Jack having feels for Morgan.

"Who?" He was gripping onto the side of the house firmly.

"It's me, Morgan."

Silence had never been so dead.

"What?!" Bunny screamed.

"What?!" Jack screamed.

"What?!" Morgan screamed, although she hadn't sounded as shocked as the other Guardians.

"I've been harboring these feelings for a long time," Pitch told her, and Jack was impressed at his acting abilities when a tiny tear dropped from his eye. "It felt wrong. You're thirteen, and when I died I was... well I wasn't old, but definitely not your age. If I was human, I could go to jail for it. Prison even. So I tried to keep them away."

"Why didn't you say something...?" Morgan muttered, seemingly unfazed after thinking a little. "It makes senses actually... I don't know why I didn't see it."

"I shouldn't have said anything," Pitch said, pulling away from her, Her fingers latched on his arm, keeping him from moving.

"No... it's fine," Morgan whispered. "Stay.

"You don't need this. Not after he broke up with you two minutes ago."

"Maybe I do... they say the fastest way to get over someone is to date someone else, right?"

Bunny and Jack simultaneously shook their heads. There was heavy pumping below Jack's sternum. Every muscle in his body was tightening and there was a nasty taste in his mouth. He felt like he was being strangled. His skin tightened, which was interesting because he never felt the cold. But he did now. For the first time he felt the cold, but it was a cold of fear. The colors before him blurred together, and he could form a coherent thought. Nothing should be this way.

"Morgan, are you..."

"I am." She leaned forward. "Prove it, Pitch. Kiss me."

The rage Jack was feeling was so great, he could have plunged his staff into the ground and killed everyone within in a fifty mile radius by freezing them to death.

* * *

**I realize it's creepy. I got creeped out writing it. I DO NOT SHIP MORGAN AND PITCH. I actually felt like gagging and various points. But I feel that I should point out, and I hope you figured it out, but Pitch is a huge metaphor and symbol for something else. It represents something else happening to Morgan. Yes, he really is there, because this is ROTG, but it's what he does to her, so him becoming so... involved with her means something else. His romantic advances are an intensity of that symbol. And it means more than just fear, although fear is what starts it all. So I hope you know that. And I hope you figure that all out.**


	40. Turning On A Light

**This is a very long chapter, but it had to be incredibly long. This is the conclusion of Morgan and Pitch. Hope you enjoy.**

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_~Jack~_

For about the forth time, Jack begged for Tooth to claw out his brains so he would not remember the kiss Morgan and Pitch shared. Bunny and Jack fled the scene immediately, Bunny practically needing to pull Jack away before he did something he would regret later. They collected Sandy first, and Bunny used his tunnels to get to Tooth, before taking another tunnel to the North Pole. North, having been keeping constant watch over the Kenter household, was already distressed. He had just seen the... interaction.

"We can't just sit around anymore!" Jack yelled. "We need to do something."

"I know this, I know this," North responded, his thick fingers slicking down his beard several times with nervousness. "Christmas is in little over month, this is too much for me right now!"

"We need to do something!" Jack panicked. "This is wrong in so many ways... I don't... how can she be okay with this?!"

"Morgan is too far gone with the darkness, Jack," Tooth told him gently, fluttering down to his side. She placed her dainty hands on his shoulders. She cringed under the anger and guilt she could see in his eyes. "Just look at abusive relationships. People will stay in them forever, and refuse to believe what anyone else says."

"But why?!" he voiced angrily. "How can they not see the danger?"

"By doing exactly what Pitch is doing..."

"Jack is right," Bunny said. "We can let the little sheila go on like this. If she involves herself in a relationship with Pitch, she enters something that can only be dangerous for her." Sandy displayed a question mark over his head, asking what could be done.

"I need help," Jack said.

"That is what we do!" North declared proudly. Jack shook his head.

"No, I mean I need the Bennetts. I need Brad. I think I might have an idea."

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The next night, Bunny went to retrieve the Bennetts, being very mindful of Abby. The dog was still struggling to be get acquainted with the oversized rabbit, despite Bunny's best efforts. Jamie and Sophie jumped at the opportunity to go traveling by tunnel, but Ms. Bennett was nervous about it. He simply laughed it off. Jack, on the other hand, had spent that cold November day preparing a special snow storm for the occasion. He had found Brad in advance and asked him to unlock the window Morgan had kept closed to Jack this whole time. When Morgan was out, he had slipped inside, and turned the knob on the bottom of the pane. Tooth came by around nine pm to tell Jack that everyone was waiting near the dumpsters in the back alley behind the bookshop.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked once again.

"You and Bunny keep my Sophie safe," he responded solemnly.

"But you're baiting everyone..." Jack just smirked at her.

"That's true, but we'll be okay." He chuckled to himself. "We have the fiercest, bravest, boldest team imaginable. Don't you remember how Sandy kicked Pitch out of here last time? Don't you remember how brave Jamie was? Have you seen the size of Ms. Bennett's heart? And how about Bunny being a warrior? North's determination. Your fury. My staff. Brad's love for his sister. Trust me. We got far more than Pitch has. Everyone knows what they're getting into. I've explained the situation. The only way Morgan will know that Pitch isn't who he says he is is if he tries to hurt someone she cares about." Jack pulled himself up from the branch and stretched his arms wide. He glanced sideways smugly to Tooth. "Don't worry. We have the best fighting team there is." Tooth blushed and flew towards the window, pushing the window up.

Inside Morgan's room, she was sitting on the floor, slowly scratching on a way on a sheet of paper, solving math equations. She gnawed on the end of her pencil, which would soon become sawdust if she didn't stop chewing it, and let out a noise of frustration when she looked at the problem. Pitch was sitting beside her and tousling her hair playfully.

"You're distracting me," she mumbled. "Stop it. I need to finish this."

"I thought you said this wasn't due for a week?" Pitch laughed, as he tousled more of her hair.

"It doesn't matter."

"You never do your homework early, unless its history. Especially not math. What's wrong, my dear?"

"I just feel I need a boost on my grades that's all." Pitch moaned and dropped his hand from her hair. Morgan rolled her eyes and turned over. "Okay, what is it?"

"I professed my undying love for you. That doesn't make you happy?"

"Of course it does!" Morgan said, tossing away the sheet of paper filled with numbers and letters that didn't make a lick of sense together. "But I did just get out of my first ever relationship. And it ended badly. And it's awkward seeing him at school. I need some time to adjust and heal. That's why I asked if we could take things slowly. Surely you understand that." Pitch looked to her out of the corner of his eye.

"You want him, don't you? After the way he treated you?"

"Pitch, it's not like that, I just can't..."

"Did that kiss mean nothing to you?"

"It meant everything to me!" Morgan propped herself up and pressed his lips against his thin ones. "And I cherish you, I truly do, but I'm trying to just... take my mind off the pain a little bit okay?"

"But my distractions aren't enough to take your mind away from the pain."

"Stop being so clingy," she huffed and took back her math. Pitch fell onto his back, holding out his arms. Morgan looked over to him flirtatiously. "Hey, we can stay up late and watch a movie?"

"I'm sorry I'm being so... clingy, love. I am just so terrified I won't be good enough for you."

"Oh, no, never think that!" she cried and went to hug his neck. But a perfectly aimed wad of white cold fire struck Pitch in the face. He gasped in surprise and bolted up, wiping away the snow off his face. He twisted on his torso, and looked out at the spirit of ice and snow, holding a threatening snowball in his hands. His crook was swung over his shoulder and he was giving him a wicked smile. Pitch growled and stumbled towards the window.

"Jack, why can't you just leave me alone?!" Morgan screamed out from behind Pitch.

"No matter what you do, Jack, you will never be able to pull me away from here!" the black shadow taunted. "Morgan has promised she would stay with me forever..."

"Well... I didn't say forever..." Morgan said so only she could hear.

"I highly doubt that!" Jack laughed, whimsically walking across the tree branch. "I bet you don't even love her."

"Oh, don't be such a sore loser, Frost!" he spat. Jack launched the next snowball, and prepared the other. Pitch was wiping away the last one just as Jack was flinging more ammo. A deafening yell flooded out of Pitch and he tore forwards, leaping out of the window towards Jack.

"Uh oh," Jack said casually, and began leaping across roofs with Pitch chasing after him.

"Pitch stop it!" Morgan screamed. She hurried downstairs and jumped into her boots. She barely had her coat over her shoulders before she flew out the door. Pitch and Jack were still barely in her sight, watching them scamper across the rooftops.

"Frost, I am going to be rid of you once and for all!" Pitch cackled wildly.

"I've heard that one before!" Jack launched threw snowballs behind him, angering the Boogeyman even more. He sped up and and lunged for Jack. But he jumped off the top of the roof and ran across the street, stepping across the few cars that came down. Pitch breezed his way between the traffic and chased Jack down the alleyway.

Drums beat in Morgan's ears as a flood of emotions overtook her body. She couldn't understand what had happened over the summer, that Jack was determined to ruin every aspect of her life. Now she was plagued with hurt from different directions, but anger was invigorating her. What Jack had done was uncalled for, and now she was being forced to cross the street in the middle of traffic in order to keep up with them. Her throat began to hurt from her heavy breathing. She could feel stabbing down her throat, realizing she was incredibly out of shape. But she pressed on, needing to stop this madness.

Pitch and Jack ended behind a bookstore, near the garbage cans. Tooth and Bunny were standing off to the side, standing in front of Sophie. Bunny was armed with his boomerangs, Tooth was rolling her own snowballs. Sophie was holding a half-formed clot of snow and was ready to throw it and the "bad man". Jamie and his mother were harboring their snow ammo. North was there, with his swords drown. Sandy held out his arms, ready to lash Pitch with his whips of vibrant dreamsand. Brad was right in front, clutching a snowball furiously. Jack smugly looked over to the shocked Pitch, who was holding in a startled breath.

Morgan turned into the corner she saw them disappear in, seeing all the Guardians gathering near the dumpsters and the Bennetts there too. Brad was in the front of the line, and everyone looked furious, holding their weapons of choice. Morgan slowly stepped into the sketchy area, avoiding the questionable patches of trash on the ground.

"What... is going... on..." she asked patiently. Sandy struck first, his whips slapping Pitch in the face. "Sandy, what are you doing?! Leave him alone!" A barrage of snowballs struck him to the ground and he forced himself again. He bared his teeth to them, anger rising to his eyes. His golden eyes flared with the fire of hatred.

"What did I ever do to you?! I've left you alone in peace, haven't I?!" he snarled

"No, you didn't..." Jack remarked, before slinging a snowball right at him. Pitch wiped at the water on his face. He caught Sandy's sand whips and they turned black at his fingertips. His laughter slowly built from a chuckle to an eruption of satisfaction. Morgan stepped back. There was something changing in Pitch, and his shadow grew longer. She stepped away from it. Her heart was now being pumped by fear, and the cameo at her neck burned against her skin. She yelled and clawed at it to get away. She felt devoid of any happy feelings and now she was seeing herself alone. She grew into a panic as it occurred to her she may never have a true friends ever again. Morgan finally pried the necklace away and sapped it's chain. She kicked it away from her, and the fearful feelings seemed the lessen. She breathed and looked up to see what was happening. Perspiration dreamed down her face and she whimpered with betrayal, watching everyone go against Pitch like that.

Brad stepped forward and slung his snowball to Pitch. He growled and slapped the glistening black whip. Brad was caught in the whip's lick. Pitch pulled at it and it tightened around his middle. He dragged the young boy closer to him and spoke through his crooked teeth.

"You're going to pay for that you little brat!" he seethed. Morgan stumbled forward, holding out her hand as a gesture for Pitch to stop. She collided into him and caught him.

"You were doing so well!" she cried. "Stop this, you're slipping, leave my brother alone! He didn't mean to, Jack probably just talked him into this plain..."

"Morgan, get off!" he shouted, and kicked her body away from him. She flung back into the back wall of the bookshop. Morgan's eyes glanced up and two blinks was enough to conjure tears to her eyes.

"Pitch...?" she whispered. Brad wriggled in Pitch's grasp, trying to break free of his bonds. "Let my brother go!" She charged at him and made to get Brad away from him, but with his other hand, he pushed her back. Bunny chucked one of his boomerang and it cut the black chord and Brad scampered away. More snowballs attacked Pitch. He struck the black whip across the crowd, trying to catch someone. North used his swords to slice the whip to bits. The black sand disintegrated into the ground. Jamie flung another snowball and Pitch fell to his feet.

"We don't fear you, Pitch!" Jamie declared. "And you will leave that girl alone right now!"

"It wasn't supposed to be like this!" Pitch said. He pointed an accusing finger at Jack. "You were supposed to crumble under this, and she was supposed to completely succumb to me!" His finger now moved to Morgan, who gasped at hearing the truth from him.

"You lied?! About everything?!" she said.

"I'm the Boogeyman, Morgan!" he said sarcastically. "I said boo, kids run away! It's who I am and that's never going to change!"

"This was a revenge plot?!" she screamed.

"Well, of course it was!"

"How could someone, even you, be so evil?!" she screeched and began to use her feet to stab at Pitch's side. "You. Lied. To. Me."

"Morgan, please... stop..." he wheezed. Jack wrapped his arms around Morgan, attempting to pull her away. But her aggression was too focused.

"IT WAS YOU ALL ALONG! JACK WAS TELLING THE TRUTH! BECAUSE OF YOU, EVERYONE THINKS I'M CRAZY! BECAUSE OF YOU. MY FAMILY HATES ME! BECAUSE OF YOU, TRISTAN BROKE UP WITH ME! AND I GAVE YOU MY HEART, PITCH! YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME AND I BELIEVED IT!" Tooth and Bunny were now by her, jerking her away from Pitch. She cawed and kicked back and forth as they pulled her away. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU RUINED MY LIFE?"

"Morgan, not everything I told you was a lie..." he pleaded, stepping up. He now appeared very small and incredibly weak. This made it all the more easier for Morgan to strike at him like she was doing.

"ALL YOU DO IS DESTROY AND RUIN AND LIE! I WILL NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU SAY EVER AGAIN! YOU ARE SICK! YOU ARE THE WORST PERSON TO EVER LIVE! I'M GLAD YOU LOST YOUR DAUGHTER! I'M GLAD THE FEARLINGS INFECTED YOU! YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING BAD THAT COMES YOUR WAY!"

"Everything you say is true!" he added. "This was all plan to make Jack weak, to get rid of him, because it was the children's belief in him that brought be back down when I was just beginning to rise again! I wanted to crush Jack, break his spirit, and I knew that if I got to you, that would be the thing to do it!"

"You don't know anything about cherishing someone!" Tooth yelled, flicking her tail feathers in his face. "All that does is just make someone angry, and strike back! When you attack someone who is truly loved, then that person will stop at nothing to save them!"

"I lost my chance to truly cherish someone! And then I was filled with... the love for fear, but Morgan believed in me... so easily." His eyes brightened a little. "And she truly cared about me, fought for me. No, I... I'm not in love with you. That was a rouse to try and completely crush Jack's soul. You viewed me as a friend... I can't remember what that was like. You gave me a chance. I truly do care about you, Morgan." He stretched his hand out to the girl, who appeared as crushed as she was angry. She turned her gaze from Pitch, refusing to look at him. Ms. Bennett stepped out in front of Pitch and Morgan. He arched his back, surprised to suddenly realize this woman was not looking past him, but looking at him, and she was an adult.

"Step. Away. From. The. Girl," she growled.

"Anything you say, whether true or not, I will never believe..." Morgan muttered sadly. "You filled me with your darkness, and I intend to get rid of it. All of it. Even you. I'm living in misery, now matter how much I try to tell myself I'm happy with you. You made me fall in love with the dark, and that should never happen. You took away my best friend, and I can't forgive you for that. You marred me. I hate you and if I ever see you again..." she gestured to the small army beside her. "You don't stand a chance." Pitch was now looking on the throng before him and beginning to hyperventilate encapsulated by his own fear. "If you truly care about me, you will never come and find me again." Pitch teetered on his way out, but he had sprinted as far as he possibly could go.

Brad coughed and approached Morgan, holding her hand. She turned up her head and saw her brother for who he really was for the first time. She pulled him towards her and cried into his alien shirt. He patted her head. Jack smirked as he watched Morgan cry and hold her brother, fighting back tears himself. Sophie cheered from the corner she was in, and Bunny scooped her up, tickling her with the tufts of fur on his face. Jamie collapsed on Morgan for a hug, and then Ms. Bennett also joined in. Tears were shed, but were often interrupted by laughter and joyous shouts. Tooth picked up the cameo necklace and smashed it under her foot. It disappeared in a black shadow.

The crowd pulled apart and Jack lifted Morgan into a hug, even though she was getting much too big to be held like that anymore.

"I was so stupid!" she cried. "I don't know what I was thinking, I should have never acting like that..."

"Shh, shh, it's okay, the nightmare is over!" Jack laughed and clutched her close to him. "It's okay."

"You're really never going to leave me..." Morgan laughed and nuzzled her nose into the chill of his neck.

"Nope."

"Good." Tooth held out her hand with the black ash of the necklace to show Sandy. He ran his fingers over it and screwed up his lips.

"It was a part of a shadow," Tooth explained. "Feeding into Morgan's fears so she would be rapidly consumed by darkness." Ms. Bennett scoffed at the disgust of such an act.

"What is your greatest fear?" Jack asked. "Getting an F in history?" Morgan chuckled and closed her eyes.

"No," she whispered. "Being alone forever." Jack leaned his head against hers.

"Well you will never be alone!" Jamie said. "Morgan, look at all these people who came out here to save you! Because they care about you." Morgan laughed and nodded with agreement. It felt good to know so many people would defend her to the death. And then she looked on her little brother, who sometimes was okay, and sometimes a nuisance. He stepped up and allowed himself take the most direct of Pitch's blows. He was putting himself in danger simply so Morgan would removed from Pitch. She never would have thought he would d something like that in all her life. It occurred to her that maybe her whole family didn't hate her.

"You're not so bad..." she said.

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All the way home, Morgan refused to let go of Jack, and all the way home she refused to let herself off and constantly insulting herself for getting tangled in Pitch's web of lies. Jack was constantly combating her remarks, but she just wasn't having it. She never listened.

Jack had tucked Brad into bed and commended him for his bravery that date, then he went to check on Morgan, who was dressed in her pajamas and diving under the covers. She patted the edge of her bed and with a smile, Jack planted himself next to her.

"You... never gave up on me," she said.

"Of course not," he said. "I never stop believing in people."

"That's something I should learn..." she laughed.

"I think you did. The hard way, but you did."

"So rude," she teased. "I think I know what a real friend is now. And I am so glad the Bennetts are your family. I should visit them with you sometime... tomorrow, I'm going to tell Mom I want nothing to do with Pitch, that I don't see him anymore. Maybe she'll lighten up in the visits."

"Your mother's pretty headstrong."

"I know... but I understand her worries now." Morgan tugged at the blankets. She looked back at Jack and her eyes watered. "Stay with me? Please... I'm so afraid of..." she shuddered. "Nightmares." He leaned forward and his frozen lips touched her hair. Morgan leaned into his icy touch.

"I will never leave."

* * *

**And yes, Pitch did learn to care about Morgan. He really did. But that's the price he pays. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now I am going to head in a different direction. Things will be as they were... and then things will change 3 Night all. Rosie out.**


	41. A Path Into Happiness

**So... this took me six hours to write. :S I'm sorry. My roommate put on the Goonies, so I got distracted, and then she watched three episodes of Doctor Who and I... was too distracted to write. My bad. Also I got the Rise of the Guardians Score today! THE MUSIC IN THIS FILM IS JUST PHENOMONAL, although, is it blasphemy that I don't like Renee Fleming's voice on Still Dream? I think I would like the song I just... don't like her voice... But anyway, I gots me some inspiration for my writing! Have fun meeting a new character who I hope will be constant. I hope you like her :)**

* * *

Morgan lazily turned the pages of her book, only taking in the simplest bits of information from the contents. Appearance-wise, thing were back to normal, but there was a brokenness to Morgan. The recent events left her battered, and her spirit had been stepped on. She had been kinder to her brother and had her moments where she shone brighter than the sun, but she was distant. She wasn't herself and it gnawed a hole in Jack's stomach.

"You don't seem very pleased with your homework," he observed. Morgan flipped to the next page.

"It's English homework," she sighed impatiently. "You know it's not really my thing."

"It's the _Diary of a Young Girl_!" Jack tapped the front cover. "It's the exact contents of the diary of a Holocaust victim. History doesn't get more pure than that!"

"I know I'm being selfish," she groaned, and slammed her book shut. She rolled over on her bed and stared at the ceiling. "Anne was my age, and she had to hide, was taken from her family, went through real hell, suffered the most horrendous of conditions, starved, and yet was still brave through everything. And I'm moping over a break-up." Jack laid down beside her and put his hands behind his head.

"It wasn't you," he said.

"'It's not you, it's me'" Morgan said sarcastically.

"No, I mean it. It wasn't you. It was Pitch. He knew how you worked, and he played on that. He broke you up. He filled Tristan with fear that there was really something wrong with you and he plagued him with that. Tristan was afraid he couldn't help you and afraid of the struggle. I truly think you guys would have made it." He turned so he was looking at Morgan. "But Pitch infected the both of you, and it's his fault you broke up."

"I was so stupid..."

"I never want to hear you say that. It's not true. Pitch can be very tempting. And when you're at a weak point in your life and you're vulnerable, lonely, and insecure... and teenagers commonly are... it's not hard to believe you could fall into his trap. I almost did."

"Really? But you're Jack Frost..."

"Well at the time nobody believed in me... and Pitch wanted to be believed in again too. Both of us were suffering from loneliness. He offered to partner with me, and I was so dismayed I almost did. But I knew what Pitch would do. All he would do would be make all the children terrified of the world."

"But I didn't."

"No, Morgan, but... you have a caring heart. A strong heart. Pitch obviously learned more from last time. He knew you were lonely, so he made himself your best friend. He knew your interests, so he paid attention to them. When he knew you were lovesick, and hurting, he made himself the charmer. He knows how to make people fall for his tricks. It wasn't you. "

"Jack..." she whispered. Her forehead wrinkled into concerned disgust.

"Hmm?"

"I kissed the Boogeyman!" she exclaimed with incredible shock. Jack chuckled wildly. "I mean, I actually kissed the Boogeyman! Maybe I do have something wrong with me, why would I do something so... disgusting?!" Jack laughed harder and she flung her hand against his side. "It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry!" he laughed. "It is a little funny..." As hard as she tried to stay mad, it was impossible when his mirth was so infectious. She let a small giggle escape her mouth as well. He pulled her closer and hugged her tight. She inhaled his crisp scent of frost, feeling invigorated and relaxed by its refreshing chill. Being beside him once again reminded her of what happiness felt like, and she relished in it. It dulled the ache in her heart left behind by Tristan's harsh words. Jack didn't know it, but he was able to freeze her negative feelings for just a little while and bring rise to every happy memory she had with him. Even now, shortly after the events with Pitch had come to pass, he made her forget her misery for just a little while.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lunchtime at school was probably the worst part of everything. Having no more school friends, no more boyfriend, lunchtime was when she was left alone with her thoughts. When school was in session, the lectures and the lessons the teachers gave forced her to think of equations, chemical reactions, figurative language, how to speak in another language, and the facts left behind by the past. When she got home, Jack was there to distract her. If her heartache was too much at night, Jack would stay awake with her until she fell asleep. Every other waking moment, there was something to keep her from reminding her of the dull pain that pounded in her chest. She was always able to do something so she didn't appear so much like a lifeless body wandering through the halls of Harrisburg West Middle School. Things were fine until the interruption of her half hour lunch period. Then she sat alone at a corner table, picking at her reheated lasagna and side of macaroni and cheese. Jack asked if she wanted him to be there when she told him about how lunch time always sucked, but she told him that she didn't want anyone to think she was talking to herself. She had had enough trouble as it was.

Two weeks before Christmas, she once again was at the corner table. She stabbed at the rubbery piece of chicken nuggets. For a second, she wondered if school food could eventually give someone cancer. It tasted horrible and was probably pumped with chemicals to make it filling. She looked around at all the other students during her lunchtime, conversely animatedly about what they were doing for the holidays. She enjoyed Christmas with her family and was looking forward to it as much as anybody else, but at school she couldn't share it with anyone. She couldn't blend in and couldn't take her mind off Tristan. She glanced over at him, far on the other side. He was sitting with his four friends. Two of which, Morgan was pretty okay with, one she despised. He had completely forgotten about her. They were currently timing each other and having a competition in seeing who could eat their chips the fastest. Thomas won and the other three groaned and began to playfully tease each other. She turned away from, once again becoming victim to her heart-wrenching memories.

As she looked down a her food, she caught a shadow of movement pass in front of her. She raised her head and saw a face from her past. Much taller now, and filled out so she wasn't so skinny, Brianne looked down at her. Morgan figured her expression was supposed to be something along the lines of concern, but her dramatically drawn eyebrows that arched over her glasses counteracted the care.

"Sitting by yourself. A little pathetic, isn't it?" she said lightly.

"Not all of us have the luxury of being surrounded by friends," Morgan said, looking down at her pathetic excuse for a meal of salad and chicken.

"You're pretty popular when you get to travel."

"Well, huzzah for you."

"Oh, stop," Brianne scoffed. "There's no need to be so snippity with me."

"Actually, there is... you were really only my friend when it benefit you and I was told by Ja... someone that I didn't need that in my life. Which is why I wrote you off like I did. It's funny that you were the one so pissed." Brianne rolled her eyes and then sat down at the table.

"Look," she sighed. "I think you're a good person, and talented, and I wish you the best, but I like having friends, and you prevent me from having friends. Besides your constantly rambling about history is... really annoying unless you're giving me test answers."

"I've accepted the fact we're not going to be friends again," Morgan told her. "Did you come over here just to further my misery?"

"No. I came over here to tell you that... I am sorry Tristan dumped you. You didn't deserve it. Unlike me, he has never cared what other people think of what he does, and I respect that. He's telling people he dumped you because he liked another girl, but I don't think that's the whole story. Mainly because it's not Tristan, but also because he has never hung around any other girl, an we don't see him with any other girl. You also don't act the way someone would if they were being cheated on." Morgan's chest rose and fell with the lightness in her chest from her admiration for the boy. He didn't want to tell people about Morgan and her "mental" state. Even after breaking up with her, he was looking out for her. Bittersweet tears coated her eyes. "Please don't get all weepy, I'm going to want to hug you and it's out of my comfort zone enough just coming over here. Whatever the reason, it's something Tristan wants to hide. He wouldn't do that if he thought you were worthless." Tristan never thought anyone was worthless. "So I'm sorry. And I hope you find someone amazing. Later." Brianne walked away, immediately getting caught up in the cheerful conversation her friends were having. Morgan looked down at her food and realized her appetite was gone. She took her tray and dumped the remainder of the food in the trash and shuffled her way through the tray collection counter. She adjusted the straps on her back and then pushed through the door of the closest girl's bathroom. She stood at the sink and twisted the knob, using the flow of water to saturate a towel and dab at the smeared make-up around her eyes. A weighted object plunked to the floor behind her, and then a dulled sound of something moving across the floor followed it. Her ears followed the sound, tracing it to where it now was near her feet. An orange was stopped from rolling by her left ankle, and there was a soft dent in it from where it had hit the floor.

"Um... excuse... Excuse me..." echoed a small, and sweet voice, a little influenced by the trace of some oriental accent, but mostly incredibly East American sounding. "Could you just... pick that up and hand that to me? Under the door." Morgan turned and looked over to the one closed stall door.

"It touched the bathroom floor..." Morgan stated.

"Just the rind... please I need to eat it... I get enough food." She reached down and curled her fingers around the fruit, but didn't hand it back.

"Don't get a lot of food...?"

"We can't... afford much. Anyway, please, could you hand me the orange? I'm hungry..." Morgan passed the fruit under the door.

"Are you eating lunch in there?"

"Yeah..."

"Why?"

"It's... not really a big deal."

"Your voice sounds familiar." There was a few seconds of silence.

"Well, everyone thinks all Asians sound the same."

"That's not true at all. That's actually racist."

"I know, but everyone says it. I've just learned to be quiet."

"Are you in my math class?"

"Please don't get on me about math. I've already heard everything about being a 'stupid Asian.'"

"Stupid Asian?" Morgan repeated. "Why would I think that?"

"Because everyone else does."

"Who is this everyone?" She was becoming really tired of talking to a bathroom stall.

"Just people. People who see I'm in the lowest math class that's offered here."

"As am I."

"But you're not Asian."

"No, but I don't see why that's a big deal." A sigh.

"There's a stereotype that all Asians are super smart and are geniuses at everything and people think I should know the answers to everything, be in advanced classes, and ace everything. But I'm average in everything, especially math. Math and science are the classes they expect me to be best at. It really sucks. Teachers are always talking about using certain words and saying certain things about other groups, but I feel like... my culture gets ignored."

"Are you Linda Tan?" Morgan guessed, paying close attention to her voice.

"Most people don't get it right the first time, congratulations. Or they make a smart comment about me being Lucy Liu."

"I've never seen you be treated that way."

"You sit on the opposite end of the room. I hear the comments from those around me. I hear them in science too. In English people like to throw haikus at me, that are usually pretty insulting."

"Aren't haikus Japanese?"

"Yes."

"And aren't you Chinese?"

"Yes."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"I know... but people at this school like to group all Asians together." Morgan had certainly noticed certain instances. For the most part, xenophobia wasn't as big as problem as it was in other schools, and she couldn't even recall a time when she heard something racist about African-Americans, other than song lyrics or talking about films. There were other groups though, that she saw problems in. There was only one person that she knew was Native American and she had seen people like to paint their faces around him, or do something that mocked a ritualistic dance. She did have experience in people grouping all Asians together. Everyone seemed to believe that Asian only consisted of Chinese or Japanese, never once thinking about all the other countries that made up Asia. And the Hispanic people were constantly asked what their parents did. Because the school was currently so worried about religious problems, taking care of the planet, and watching out for the kids who were struggling with their sexual identity, they seemed to have turned their backs on racial prejudice. It was good that they were doing those things, but they forgot about the people of different nationalities who suffered under the cruel comments of students. It made Morgan sick to think about how people believed that racial prejudice and racism was dead. It was alive and well, it was just hidden under the agenda to sweep it under the rug. "Just leave me alone and let me enjoy my lunch in peace."

"Nobody can enjoy their lunch in a bathroom!" Morgan said.

"I've learned to."

"Why do you eat in the bathroom? You can't eat in the cafeteria?"

"I don't have any friends."

"Neither do I!"

"But you're..." Linda hesitated. "Not Asian."

"No..." Morgan agreed. She tossed her backpack to the ground and slumped against the divider between the two stalls. "I'm a German-Norwegian-Irish-English-Czech-Hungarian. That shouldn't matter. The only thing that separates you and me is the fact that this area is dominated by European descent, so they can see you're Asian. But that shouldn't matter. They've been... teaching us since we were young to not bully, to use kind words, to not judge people by their appearance. But kids get older and decide they don't care, anymore. That's the problem here. Nobody cares. And I hate it. I hate the way kids are these days. That's why I'm not popular. I don't treat people like crap."

"You're really weird."

"I've been told that a time or two."

"No..." the latch on the door clicked and the ugly yellow door swung open. Linda stepped out, finally deciding to show her face. There was too much make-up around her eyes, trying to hide her unique eye shape. Her luscious black hair was short and layered, but had been ironed with some cosmetic gadget to lie perfectly flat. The lack of food she claimed to get showed on her skinny frame. She was dressed in a knee-length blue skirt and a white shirt with flutter sleeves. She was wearing those brown boots that were incredibly popular, but Morgan thought were ugly. Her appearance told Morgan she was trying incredibly hard to look "American." "I mean, you're weird because you're treating me nice."

"Well, hello!" Morgan laughed. "Finally nice to see your face!" A small smile was pressed upon her lips.

"Hey," she said.

"I don't have experience with racial comments," Morgan said. "So I unfortunately can't offer up any meaningful advice. But I can tell you you don't have to eat your lunch in the bathroom. It seems we have the same lunch period, so why not eat with me?"

"Aren't you afraid of being labeled the girl who eats with the stupid Asian?"

"I've been labeled so many things, what's one more?" Morgan laughed. Linda helped Morgan jumped to her feet and gave her a grateful look. "And you're not stupid. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. I can't sing to save my life. My friend Jack tells me that my humming is okay, but when I start to form words, every dog within a mile radius howls in pain."

"That's pretty cruel!" Linda laughed. She held the door open for Morgan to pass through first. "Wait a second... you said you didn't have friends?" Morgan's mouth dropped and her eyes looked around for some inspiration on what to say.

"Uh he's kinda... invisible."

* * *

**The school info as far as the way they treat racial prejudice and bullying and any issue in school, is pretty true of many schools I think, but it's definitely based on how my schools were. Unfortunately I didn't truly see the problems until I was a senior in high school, and I hate how I never said anything about it. Linda is based quite a bit on a friend of mine. As someone who is 75% German speaking countries, 6% Scottish, and a freaking amazing conglomeration of European countries, I have never struggled with these problems, and I am using from what I learned in my Racial Issues classes and what my friend told me (She's from the Phillipines and she has MANY stories because people just don't seem to... know that the Phillipines exist here, I swear. Everyone thinks she's Korean *rolls eyes*)**


	42. New Possibilities

**Hey! So the Northern Lights are supposed to be seen from certain areas tonight. I read it was supposed to be seen almost all over Denmark. Minnesota was supposed to be able to see a green haze, but I don't live in the country anymore so visibility isn't so good here. Did you see them? Or will you see them? I absolutely love the lights. Maybe the Guardians were being called again? Speaking of which, my roomie found the Jack plushie at Barnes and Noble today on clearance, but she wasn't sure if she should get it for me because it's not the greatest looking. I saw the picture and I said for eight bucks, it's okay, so we might get it tomorrow... today... I dunno, it's nearly 2 am. It's cute enough anyway :3 (The Pitch one is ghastly though, ugh) So tomorrow I am thinking that I really should actually do my homework and I work open to close tomorrow... so I apologize if I don't get something up. I really want school to be done. THREE. MORE. WEEKS. And it sounds pretty good that I'm getting this other job. AND THEN I MOVE AGAIN IN JUNE. UGH. SO. TIRED. OF. CRAP.**

* * *

"Explain to me again why you told this Linda you had an invisible friend," Jack said to her calmly. He rubbed the area where his nose bridge met his forehead, trying to understand why Morgan would bring this up again to someone who couldn't see him. His tone was similar to a parent who had just spent the last hour arguing with their child and had given up on the argument.

"It will be fine," Morgan told him, tossing a notebook over to him. "We have a big science test coming up before break. Quiz me." He opened the notebook and scanned through the chicken-scratch that hastily written down school notes often created. In the margins were little cartoonish drawings of famous scientists, like Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Charles Darwin. He smirked. It was interesting how her mind worked. She loved everything to do with history, including scientists and what they did for the world. Of course, these were all pretty well-known scientists, she probably didn't know a lot. But the ones she did know, she studied a lot. However, she couldn't care less about the equations of theorems and the process they took in the discovery of their theories, or their advances in science, or the things they invented and created. She seemed to enjoy learning about the people and the events surrounding them, but not what they did. Which was a little upsetting when the classes only included about five percent on the people.

"Hang on," he said. "What did she say when you told her about me?"

"Ugh," Morgan scoffed. "What's the big deal?"

"When you last told someone you believed in me who didn't believe in me, things ended very badly for you."

"First of all, Pitch was involved. It was my belief in Pitch that made everyone think I had something wrong with me, and it was Pitch's presence that made them give into that fear. Pitch was the reason that all happened."

"But Pitch was right in saying there was always going to be fear," said Jack. "That could come back."

"That's what the Guardians are for right?" she laughed and lightly punched him in the arm. "You're there to fight and protect me."

"Yes," he said with a grin. "But it's better if you don't get yourself in these messes anyway. Fighting is exhausting!"

"Jack, do you really think I'm going to listen?" She grabbed a pencil and her sketchpad before sitting beside her friend. He blew an annoying draft of incredibly chilly air in her face, so her hair blew out of place and fell in front of her eyes. Her eyes drifted over to him to stare him down. He chuckled.

"But what did she say?" he asked again.

"I told her that you invisible, and then I said, 'Please don't think I'm crazy but he's only invisible if you don't believe in him. His name is Jack Frost, yes the Jack Frost from that Christmas song and those crappy films, but he's nothing like what they say. I swear he really does exist as mad as it sounds.' She looked at me for a second and then said 'It does sound crazy, but I don't think you are. My mom says there are things in this world we can't explain. She believes in angels despite never having seen them, and I guess that takes a little more belief than believing in something and then seeing it.' I was actually really shocked to see how she just... took it as it was. Didn't think I was crazy, didn't seem disturbed."

"Maybe she thought you were joking."

"I don't think so."

"Well, come on! Gold."

"Ugh... Ag. Silver. The number is 47 and the the weight is approximately 108."

"And it's a..."

"Metal?"

"Transition metal."

"That's stupid," Morgan said. "I have held silver, it is very clearly a metal."

"It doesn't mean..." Jack stammered. "When it's in its pure... as an element... I don't get it either, okay? It says it's a transition metal. Or transvestite metal. I can't read your handwriting."

"Transvestite metal sounds like a band name," Morgan, giggled, leaning against Jack to pear at her notes. "Teachers talk too fast for me to write down everything nicely." Jack's chest hardened under the tension of his muscles. He was feeling that change of temperature again, the tingling of her body heat as she pressed her cheek against his shoulder. Lately, she had been so much freer about showing affections towards him, and it made things really difficult for Jack. So many times, she would brush up against him and he just wanted to turn around and kiss her, and he didn't like that he wanted to do that. He despised the ferocious purr in his gut that rose when she walked into the room and the weird sensation that flowed through his muscles when he took in her scent of mango and vanilla, splashed over with a hint of fresh laundry. The most difficult moments were the ones when she set herself in his lap and she pressed her head into his chest. He was so shocked he hadn't yet felt the tense of his arms when he put them around her. His feelings seemed to grow around her every day and he was becoming really annoyed with himself, but to rip himself away would be murder to his heart.

That girl he had kissed that one time. He really liked her, but he had never experienced such troubles, or such strong desires with her as he did with Morgan. What was it that she had that made him act this way? He wished she would stop, whatever it was. He just wanted to be her friend. He was getting sick of the disastrous impure thoughts that snuck into his mind at night.

"Hey," she said. "Did you suddenly lose your voice? Read the next one."

"Uh, sorry. Um. Ra."

"Ra! Or Atum-Ra, identified as a sun god in Heliopolis, who is often seen as a falcon and was merged with the Egyptian god Horus in the later dynasties!" Morgan laughed at her own little joke, that nobody but Jack would understand. He looked over at her and shook his head.

"How about Radium?"

"I like my answer better."

"Your answer won't help you get a B... or how about we try for an A this time?" Jack encouraged with a hopeful smirk. Morgan's hazelnut tresses tousled as she shook her head.

"An A in science is impossible for me," she said. "I've been a C student in science all my my life. As science gets harder, I highly doubt I'm going begin getting better."

"Then why bother studying...?"

"Because it keeps me from getting an F." She turned her head so she was looking up at him. Her eyelashes fanned out across her chocolate diamond orbs. The glistened in her eyes tickled Jack's heart, and her rosy smirk left his body weak, but pumped strength into his arms that made him want to jump and just pin her to ground so he could have his fill of her lips against his. Trying to scramble Morgan's notes focused him enough to keep from doing so. There was a dusting of pink to her cheeks that just made her so... alive. So human. And he adored the light of life in her cheeks and the color to her skin. A coloring he didn't have. And the color made her beautiful, but it was more than just her being alive. Morgan was filled with more color than he had ever seen before. When she walked in the room, the background seemed less saturated and the hues of the world collected around her. She was the sun to him. Jack had always been so cold, but Morgan was quickly reminding him how it felt to be warm.

"Morgan..." He set the notebook aside and she watched him with a little bit of bewilderment. "Listen, uh... what happened with Pitch..."

"Can we please stop talking about it? It's not something I really want to remember..."

"I'll stop after this, I promise." She sighed and sat straight up. His body inadvertently tried to cling to her, but he kept his hands in his lap. "I just want to know... why were you so... easily swayed to..." But finishing the thought nearly made him blow ice chunks.

"Fall to his seduction?" Morgan cringed.

"It wasn't a... seduction," Jack said. She raised her eyebrow.

"For one night, Jack," she corrected. "For one night, I allowed myself to be embraced by the darkness..."

"Which means...?" Jack urged. He shoved his hands in his pocket so she wouldn't see how much ice was collecting on his hands from his anxiety.

"When you were at the Pole, Pitch and I were..." She slapped a hand over her eyes to avoid his expression. "Were kissing pretty heavily." The inner part of Jack's ears felt like they were being crushed so they pushed against his skull and created a feeling that show down his middle and ended in his stomach, resulting in a feeling of being slugged under the sternum. The idea of Pitch with anyone was nauseating, but with the most precious girl of the world was death by vomiting.

"You have got to be kidding me..."

"I agree..." she sighed. "And that's what I don't like to talk about it."

"There must have been something there that made you believe that... that appealed to him to you in that way..."

"Tristan had just broken up with me, and the thing I wanted most was a boy to cuddle me and kiss me and tell me everything would be all right and just cherish me... that's the time I needed a boyfriend most, but it was him leaving that made me feel that way. And Pitch was willing and told me he loved me. And I believed everything he said. I was needy and vulnerable, and for crying out loud, thirteen years old. I was lonely, and I loved hearing that someone loved me. It wasn't really Pitch I was interested in. He just formed himself to be everything I wanted at that moment, and that was what hooked me in."

"So, let's say you hadn't written me off for a second..." he commented casually.

"Well," Morgan said thoughtfully. "You are, I guess, everything Pitch made me believe he was, except you truly do care about me and would never deceive me. I think what would have happened is I might have clung to you and begged for your affections, maybe even kissed you a little." She blushed and it made him feel a little too jittery. "However, you're not like Pitch. You would have pulled me off and told me I just got dumped and I was just upset and wanted a bit of comfort and attention and just held me." Jack chomped down on the inside of his lip. Morgan believed in him a little too much sometimes. While that is what he would have liked to do, should do, been the best thing to do, he knew that if that happened he would have just let things go and kissed her for as long as she wanted him to.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgan had asked Linda to come over sometime during the holiday break, and she wanted Jack to be there. He told her hundreds of times he did not think it was a good idea, but she insisted that everything would be fun. Of course, as always happened, he couldn't refuse any request of hers, and waited in her room as Morgan went to meet her friend at the door. They seemed to be getting along fine. They had lunch together every day and because seats weren't assigned, Morgan started to sit by her in math, so she wouldn't abandon her comfort zone. Slowly, Jack could see her beginning to heal, and Linda was a huge part of that. She was finally able to talk to someone who was human, who was a girl, and who was her age that she could relate to so much better than she had with anyone else. Jack played with the limbs on her stuffed fox, that had now had its ear and its leg sewed back on a couple of times.

"And this is my room!" Morgan said, and Linda gasped at the insides of it. Jack set the fox down.

"How did you get that blue to blend in with that purple?" Linda asked. She pointed at the wall, that had recently undergone another change. The more Jack was present in Morgan's life, the more her room reflection the collision of their lives. The wall had a Marina blue slowly fall into a deep aubergine tone. The top of the wall had been trimmed with sponges of white that peacefully fell into the middle of the wall, looking like snowflakes.

"I just blended it," Morgan said. "It was really simple."

"But it just has this elegance to it," Linda awed. "You did that."

"I have a bit of a knack for artistic things," Morgan said. Jack moved over as Morgan said beside him on the bed. "I needed something to do after Tristan left and... I remembered how much I loved winter. And purple is my favorite color, so I thought the two worked well." Jack beamed at her response. He wished the two of them could collide as well as the colors on the wall did. Morgan slipped her hand into Jack's and raised his hand. "Now, Linda... I know this is going to be really difficult for you to believe but... Jack is in this room right now. If you want to be my friend, I'm going to tell you right now... you're either going to have to believe in Jack or accept that I believe in him, because Tristan did neither and it didn't work between us."

"He's here right now."

"Please, just for a moment... truly believe in him. For sixty seconds. That's all I am asking. That's all you need." Linda stared blankly at the spot next to Morgan. She squinted her eyes at her hand before she sighed. Her eyelids fell so her lashes created this beautiful contour of angled black brushes. Then she lifted open them again and the dark irises expanded at the sight she was taking in. She shrieked and and held out her hands to keep from falling. Jack grinned at her reaction, knowing it could only mean one thing.

"Holy crap, it's Jack Frost."

* * *

**Ew. I almost threw up typing out the stuff Morgan did with Pitch. I mean I know they were JUST making out, but... ew. Making out with Pitch. I know, I know some people find him very attractive so to them, it's not such a bad thought. As far as looks he's not so... bad, and he's voiced by Jude Law (who has a voice that is pure sex. As far as he looks, he's only okay, but his voice... me-ow.) But I mean, his personality just makes it so CREEPY. And not to mention that he has had a daughter, and I imagine him to be about thirty... (he's probably older than that) which is disgusting, although he played the whole "I never age" card... blech. Just... ew. I'm going to sleep now and try to not have bad dreams about that. Rosie out.**


	43. A Third Set of Eyes

**A little bit shorter chapter here. This is more fun and fluff for you guys, but also as a sort of introduction to Linda. She's going to be around for a really long time, okay, so I'm going to make her really fun okay? And I really want you to like her. ALSO ANNOUNCEMENT. There's a new Guardians of Childhood book coming out in June and GUESS. WHAT. It is RUMORED that Jack is going to be canon in this one. I have absolutely no idea how true this is. as I can't find any info on this book and I only saw it via tumblr, so if you could find me so info that would be GREAT.**

* * *

Morgan stared at him smugly while Linda gaped at the frost boy seated beside her. Jack shared a look that seemed as equally surprised and then looked over at his friend.

"She sees me," he said, as if Morgan didn't already know that.

"Jack Frost actually exists," Linda said. "You weren't lying!"

"Of course I wasn't!" She snapped with offense.

"But he... he's just a... how... I don't understand! A fairy tale, a child's story..." Jack slid of the bed and twirled his staff before propping himself up against Morgan's wall.

"Yeah, I'm really fictional," Jack joked sarcastically.

"Are you... like a ghost?"

"Only to those who don't believe in me, but those people can't see me."

"So you're... solid?"

"Solid?"

"Like am I able to... touch you?" Jack's eyes moved in a circular motion with exasperation. He sauntered over to the girl and casually grabbed her hand. She yelped and pulled away. Jack simply chuckled at her reaction.

"It's okay, I often have that affect on girls."

"You're freezing!"

"What did you expect, a nice summer tan?" he laughed. "I'm Jack Frost. I'm a winter spirit, in charge of the snow and the ice. Of course I'm freezing." Morgan simply remained on her bed with her lips pressed into a satisfied smile.

"Uh... Morgan...?" Linda squeaked and tried to discreetly gesture towards the door. Morgan pushed her brows together in a bewildered scowl. She held up a finger to Jack to let him know they wouldn't be long and met with Linda right outside her bedroom door. Linda shut the door tightly. "Oh my God!" she enthused in a silent shriek

"Isn't it cool?" Morgan laughed with her.

"Very! I am so glad you were right!"

"You guys will get along so well!"

"I hope so! He's totally hot!"

"Uh, actually he's not," Morgan responded. "You said it yourself, he's freezing."

"That is not what I meant! He's _gorgeous_!"

"Ah, no. No no no. Jack's off-limits with dating. No no."

"Why, are you two together now? You got over that break-up fast."

"NO! Jack and I just... no, no." Morgan's face reddened under Linda's assumption, who was eying her skeptically. "He's not human, he's like over 300 years old, he never ages..."

"If he never ages, then 300 years is not big deal. As long as every part of him works, if you know what I mean!" Linda giggled and threw open the door.

"Ew Linda tha- actually," Morgan stopped as her friend flew back in room. "I am a little curious as to if being that old and a Guardian affects – NO I AM NOT, THAT'S DISGUSTING."

"We should ask!" Linda asked, giggling wildly.

"NO WE ARE NOT!" Morgan growled and caught Linda by her arm just as she got near Jack.

"What are we asking?" Jack wondered with a beaming grin. It was clear he loved having this affect on Linda.

"We want to know if your-" Linda started, but Morgan's hand slapped over her mouth. A tiny moan of pain could be heard under the coverage of the palm.

"-not the only one!" Morgan finished. Jack's eyes popped with the sudden act of violence, however he wore this skeptical grin on his face, knowing Morgan was trying to cover up for something.

"The Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and the Sandman are also Guardians alongside me," Jack laughed.

"Sheng Dan Lao Ren is _real_?!" Linda gasped, having pried away Morgan's hand. Both Jack and Morgan stared at each other blankly. "Ugh, that's Chinese for 'Christmas Old Man.' As in Santa Claus."

"Oh, yeah!" Jack nodded. Morgan was making a relieved sign of the cross over her chest, despite hardly being religious. Linda had obviously been distracted by hearing of the other Guardians. She swung her feet over the edge of Morgan's bed and listened intently on Jack's stories about the other four Guardians. She quickly became fascinated as she listened to his story about who he was, filling in parts Morgan didn't tell him, and how he came to be Jack Frost and a Guardian. Morgan began to draft a scene on her sketchpad, an smile playing on her lips with delight. Linda threw up her hand to stop Jack when he came to the part about the Boogeyman.

"Wait a second, he exists too?!" Her dark irises expanded with fearful wonder.

"That's why the Guardians were chosen," he said. "To fight against Pitch."

"Has Morgan met him?" The girl across the room grimaced at her question. Jack nearly cackled at her reaction.

"Morgan is very familiar with him," he said.

"How?"

"I will leave!" Morgan threatened, holding out her pencil as if it were a sword.

"You never told her about you and Pitch?" Jack asked.

"It was an affair I would happily forget!" Morgan bellowed obnoxiously, and stabbed her pencil into the paper.

"Are you telling me that Morgan..."

"Made out with the Boogeyman? Yep."

"JACK FROST!" Morgan growled, slamming her sketchpad to the ground.

"Someone has to tell her!"

"You could act a little less overjoyed!"

"I'm not overjoyed!"

"Well be like... somber or something. Depressed." Linda watched their interactions back and forth.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized genuinely. Morgan nodded slowly to show that she accepted his apology, and made to pick up her art again. Jack folded his hands and tucked in his chin so he was staring at the carpet. "Dearly beloved, we gather here today to remember the time that Morgan Kenter decided to shove her tongue Pitch Black's slimy throat-" The sketchpad slammed against the wall and Morgan flung herself into Jack, pinning him against the ground. She situated her elbow into his chest and he coughed under the pressure of the point of her arm.

"Okay... I'm done..." he hacked.

"That's fantastic, because it will make my job so much easier!" Morgan taunted and ground her arm into his chest.

"I will give you frostbite!" he warned and wheezed against the pressure.

"You like me way too much to ever do that." Her eyes squinted under the edges of her smile. He cut the air with his arm, surprising her so she lifted her arm for a second. She screeched with shocked playfulness and he leaned over her on the floor. His vibrant eyes of blue topaz analyzed her own eyes of glistening brown. A shadow of pink colored her cheekbones under his gaze. Morgan's chest moved under the pressure of her heavy breathing. His eyes were looking into her in a way she had never before seen, and it was making her feel like she wanted to hide herself. Despite three layers of clothing covering her chest, for the first time she felt completely naked under the deep blue of ice in his eye sockets. She wanted to cower under something. His stare terrified her, and most of all, she was terrified that she liked the way he was looking at her. His eyes danced over her expression with the most adoration she had ever seen in a person – closest was only ever in members of her own family. Morgan plastered her palms against her carpet to prevent herself from reaching up and brushing her fingers against the bite of the cold on his skin. He was still Jack, but there was something to him that was so much more. She hated this feeling she had towards him, but it felt so good and the same time and she just wanted to let it control her.

"I won't give you frostbite?" he chuckled. He pushed his hand against her cheek. She hissed at the cold touch of his skin, but when the shock left three seconds later and her skin cooled to his touch, she desired to press into him and be forever locked in his grasp. Instead, she knocked away his hand and then pressed her hot, and sweaty, palm to warm her face. He laughed at her reaction. She shifted away from him and ducked behind Linda to use her as a human shield. Linda turned her head and looked over at Morgan knowingly.

"What...?" Morgan whispered. She just scoffed and looked away.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You are in a flirtationship!" Linda squealed, hanging on her friend excitedly.

"A what?" Morgan scoffed.

"I'm sorry, am I the only one who wasn't blind back there? The entire time, you two could not keep your hands away from each other! When we played that game, you were leaning against his leg the entire time! The way you looked at each other, and then... you act so different around him! Him too! You seem so much... I don't know, like there's a part of you that doesn't come alive until he's there, and he's so much sillier and has a need to impress when you're around!"

"You're just over-thinking things," Morgan concluded.

"No, no, no. You needed a third party to see it!" Linda laughed. The two girls sat on the steps of the house while they waited for Linda's father to pick her up. "You guys kept, like, touching each other. You were clinging to each other so much."

"We're just that close," Morgan said. "He's like a brother to me."

"Bah! I don't know any sister who sits in her brother's lap, or any brother who will stroke and play with his sister's hair that affectionately! And if I did, that would be very strange."

"Jack doesn't think of me like that, and I don't think of him like that. Anyway we can't." The truth of her own words rammed into Morgan's heart. She hated that her words sliced into her. Morgan rolled her shoulders back uncomfortably with the attempts of moving the feeling away from her.

"Wow, just wow..." Linda whispered. "You really don't even know."

"Just... stop."

"If you're not going after him, then I will!" Linda cried.

"NO," Morgan barked angrily. Linda lifted her head and bore a haughty grin.

"I told you!" she sang. An angry horn blasted from the drive.

"Linda, can you not see that I have pulled up?" came a man's voice. His accent was much more prominent than Linda's.

"I'm sorry, Baba!" Linda shouted and then groaned. She clutched Morgan gently and then winked knowingly at her. Her long legs kicked behind her as she ran towards the car. Morgan's head jerked downwards so she was staring at her feet. She hated that Linda was right.

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**I'm going to ease your guys' minds a bit... what you have been waiting for is not far off... ;)**


	44. The Most Precious Gift

**This is my favorite chapter I have ever typed for this story. I am so sorry if you cry, but I promise... it's nothing bad this time. I play music to inspire my writing so if you really want the feeling I had, put these songs in a playlist (Youtube or Spotify): Not Alone by Red, Sleep Well My Angel by We Are The Fallen, Try by Natasha Bedingfield, Amaranthine (Acoustic) by Amaranthe, and All I Need by Within Temptation. Start at the xxxxxxxxxx's then play in whatever order. It takes longer to type than read so I used them all, but you might not use them all. I actually cried, like full blown crying. I needed to STOP TYPING so I could gain composure and write again. I hope you love it :)**

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_~Jack~_

"I don't know if that was the right move..." Jack fretted, gnawing on the skin of his finger as Sophie and Jamie tore into their packages below the tree. Morgan hadn't been awake that Christmas morning when he stopped by her house. She understood that on Christmas morning, Jack wanted to be with his family, so he would stop by in the evenings to give her his gift and she would give him hers. However, this morning he had to do it different. The day Linda stopped over, he had felt this strong surge of energy between them, which sounded lame and really goofy, but he had no other way to explain it. Like the feelings he had just intensified and he swore in that moment, Morgan had looked at him a way she never had before. For that day he had been hopeful, and he rushed off to see Ms. Bennett that night and to tell her what happened. In his, she had become this figure to him that just felt like a mom to him. He relied on her for everything and he didn't think it possible to ever keep anything from her. She treated him as her own son and it didn't take long for him to feel like she was his mother all along.

"We'll find out!" she simply smiled.

"I don't want to hear that!" he told her frantically. "I want you to say it was the right move..."

"You told me not to tell you that... truthfully I don't know if it was!" She shrugged. "But Jack, you've been struggling with this for so long, and it sounds like your feelings are only going to get stronger. If you don't do something soon, you're going to go mad with heartache."

"But it's so... blunt!" Jack said. "And I mean that is... wow."

"Jack, if you care about her the way you do, you can't get her some twenty dollar piece of jewelry."

"But two hundred...!" Jack tried to protest.

"Let me tell you something about girls," Ms. Bennett started. "They can see every single guy that likes every single one of their friends. But when it comes to themselves, they'll simply say 'Oh, he's just really nice' and ignore everything everyone else tells them. It takes some sort of bold action for them to notice. Which is the exact reason why many guys think just grabbing the girl and kissing her will do the trick, and I guess in some instances it does, but it's actually kind of rude... and you don't want to come out and say you like her."

"She'll think I'm teasing her," Jack said.

"So you've said before."

"From... Jack?" Sophie guessed, trying to read the tag on the festive wrapping paper.

"That's right, kiddo!" he laughed. Her lips widened with delights and she violently ripped away at the paper. Her voice reached maximum level so the other members of the household covered their ears. "Look it mom! Mom! Mommy! A pretty butterfly dress... oooh and look! A crown that looks like a butterfly! It's because I'm his butterfly princess!"

"That's right, sweetie," he laughed. He took the cheap rhinestone tiara from her hands and rose, dramatically lowering the toy on her hand. "I hereby declare you Lady Sophie: Princess of the Land of Butterflies!" Her hands slapped together rapidly with enthusiasm. She bounced and clung to Jack, nuzzling his neck.

"Thank you Jack. I love you."

"I love you too, kiddo."

"Whoa, cool! This book on sea monsters has so much stuff in it!" said Jamie, flipping through a thick book. "I'm going to tell North thank you next time I see him!"

"Um..." muttered Jack as he removed a golden key from a little box. "Thanks?"

"No," Ms. Bennett. "It's what it goes to." She removed the dangling key from the tips of his fingers. She kicked away the mess of papers and urged him to follow her. Ms. Bennett walked across the living room and ascended the steps. She stopped in front of the first door, a simple white one on the landing.

"I received the key to the storage closet? That is very exciting," Jack said sarcastically.

"Shush!" Sophie giggled, a little bit of her contained excitement leaking out. Ms Bennett pushed the key into the knob and turned it. She pulled opened the door and gestured to go take a look inside. He raised an eyebrow in question but hesitantly. His first reaction was that he noticed it had been cleaned. The storage closet had always been pretty large, a little bigger than the bathroom, but yet everything that had been in it was a scrambled mess – the ironing board only half closed and the vacuum laying on its side. Paint buckets were in a huddle in the corner and the mop had been knocked over. There had been boxes of who knows what, and some old yearbooks and trophies from when Ms. Bennett had been in high school. The shelving had always been a disaster and it was always darkened with dust. Well now, everything had been cleared out completely, and the tiny window had it's curtain of dust scraped away. Instead, the walls were painted a simple blue and the shag carpet was almost the shade of freshly fallen snow. There was a simple brown desk pushed against a wall, and three shelves in a line on the other side of the wall. There was a velvet navy piece of furniture, and it was hard to tell if it was supposed to be a couch without a back to it, or the strangest bed he had ever seen. In the middle of the carpet was a black rug with a white snowflake in its center.

"I realize you're always off somewhere," Ms. Bennett said to Jack, who was completely still and his expression remained in its wide-eyed state. "And you don't really sleep, and you're pretty nomadic... but this is also your home. And it can't truly be your home until you have a room of your own. Plus, I know that your life is stressful... more stressful than I could ever imagine, and maybe you need a place to just be alone, a place that's just your own. Maybe you just want a human moment and you want to read a book or watch a film or something, by yourself. And this is where you can do it. I want you to truly feel at home. I realize it's a little small, and in a bit of an awkward place, but I figured you didn't need much." Jack finally found mobility in his limbs and he almost barreled Ms. Bennett over with his suffocating hug. Frost streamed down his face as the tears froze to his skin. She embraced him tightly, rubbing his back.

"Thank you, Helen! Thank you so much! This means so much, you have no idea! This is greatest thing you have ever done for me!" he muffled into her robe. "I just can't believe all the work..."

"We've secretly been working on it when you've been at Morgan's," she laughed. "And now you two have a place to be alone if she ever comes over here!" Jamie's tongue rolled out his mouth with disgust. Jack's stomach clenched again when he remembered the item he left on her nightstand at four in the morning. He really hoped she wouldn't freak out so much, or if she did, it would be in a good way.

_~Morgan~_

She could not understand why someone, who was such a good friend would leave something so valuable and exquisite on her nightstand. She had never even received something like this from her parents. She searched all over for something that indicated its value, but any tag had been removed from it. The lining of the box was a very fine red velvet, and those weren't the kind of boxes they gave you with the fashion jewelry at the local department store. Morgan kept turning over the bracelet in her hand. Her mind was clouded by its appearance, its sparkle. It was a thin chain bracelet, a brilliant sterling silver, and there were ten charms on it, hearts and snowflakes, alternating. The snowflakes were silver and were formed by what she hoped was cubic zirconia. They weren't the typical pointy, sticky snowflakes one would normally see on cheap holiday jewelry. They were round, elegant things, almost like a flower. And the hearts were vintage looking, cut out of garnet, and some kind of darker metal weaving and snaking around in elaborate designs on the points of the hearts. She kept rolling it around in her fingers. The hearts appeared like old-fashioned regal jewelry, worn on monarchs, often looked in photos. And the snowflakes caught the light and expanded it so the charms glistened wonderfully. She kept feeling the chain, hoping it would stiffen, or a link was less smoother than the others, as cheap jewelry so often had, But there was nothing. It was all polished symmetrically and smoothly moved around. Jack taught her how to love the snow again, and she loved the way the hearts looked so old-fashioned, like something out of a period piece, but this was not a simple piece of jewelry. The bracelet easily cost a couple hundred dollars and that was just something she could not expect. And who in the world would give him so much money to get one gift? Tooth certainly wouldn't.

Her mother called her again she answered back. When she woke, she had been all excited for Christmas morning, but this gift had completely made her forget all that excitement. Jack always came in the evening and exchanged gifts with her, why would he sneak in and night an leave it on the table for her to find. What was he trying to say? It was even more difficult that he left a cryptic message saying "I just wanted to tell you..." but it told her nothing when it just left off like that. Her min kept coming up with a conclusion, but she continued to beat it away. It wasn't a feasible conclusion and it was ridiculous she even thought of it. She finally slipped downstairs, but her mind was in a fog the whole way down.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For the fourth time, Morgan adjusted the cheap bow on the box she spent time carefully putting together. She huffed again and stared at the piece on her arm. A hole was being made bigger and bigger by the monster gnawing angrily at her gut. She didn't want to talk to him about it, but refusing to ever bring it up would just leave her wondering and she would never be able to focus on anything else. She was happy about the bracelet, but its weight of possible significance was way too outrageous for her to ever believe, More than anything, she was petrified that all of the possibilities that came to her mind were completely wrong and he was just being super nice. There was no other reason for someone to give her something so pricey, but there was no way Jack would be into her in that way. He was Jack, he looked out for kids, he never wasted time trying to woo a girl. Besides, they were childhood friends, they were like siblings. It would just be weird, right?

She hugged her knees and realized she wasn't sure if she would be okay with the "you're a really good friend" answer. The day Linda was over was the day she realized that everything she felt about him, and all the attention she had been giving him, was a result of her being so comfortable with him, she had fallen into this weird state of infatuation for him. She had a little crush on him when she was younger, but that was only because he paid attention to her and took care of her and he could do cool things, and it was just so silly. How could it have ever evolved to this? And when did it happen? After Pitch? Before Pitch? Before Tristan? Had she slowly been spiraling into this insane madness of desire for him and Tristan and Pitch had distracted her from everything?

The sound of a window being pushed opened caused her to lift her head again, and she was aware of the pace of heart picking up at the sight of him entering her room. She swallowed, realizing this was the first time she was really looking at him, really seeing the brilliance luminance of his moonlight colored hair, the way it swept over his face like the wind came by and tousled it. She always thought his eyes were astounding, the color of the lapis lazuli stone, iced over, but looking at them, she realized they far more spectacular than that. They were more like the wings of the blue morpho butterfly, it's wings catching the summer's light so they glistened in their cerulean sheen. She fought against her body's natural reaction to go to him and stayed in her position on her bed.

Jack shut his mouth with the fear of her hearing his heavy breaths of elation when he saw the bracelet dangling at her wrist. A line of frost traced his eye line where his emotion of gladness that she had accepted his gift seeped from his eyes, but did her acceptance of the gift just mean that she thought it was a nice gift. His gut tightened when the thought occurred to him, and then he realized that was the most likely reason. He suddenly hated himself for listening Ms. Bennett about how to tell her how he felt and he tried tell himself that girls were different than they were twenty years ago, they didn't respond the same way to those things. He had an urge to run away, to just leave, but he couldn't now. He was there, and he was staring. He ripped his eyes away from her to stop his staring. He only stared at her perfect beauty these days.

"What is this?" she asked innocently. That gnawing shot up into his throat. The questioning had started.

"Uh... a bracelet?" he answered, trying to ease the tension he was feeling. "You're the girl, you're supposed to know..."

"Stop playing stupid, Jack," she said in an exasperated, sharp tone. He backed up as she walked over to him, pleading in his mind that she not come any closer, but she did. Morgan's eyes followed the contour of his jaw and then instinctively went to his lips. It killed her to be this close to him, but she needed an answer from him and she wanted to be firm in talking with him. "This is not nickel. This is sterling silver. And it's beautiful, I'm very grateful, but this is not a gift you give a friend."

"I've seen friends give people jewelry. I gave you that Anne Boleyn necklace." Her hand went to the B at her neck.

"And it's lovely, but it's about thirty, right? This is not thirty. This is like... what? Five times that? More? I think all of the other gifts I've ever received from you didn't even add up to the cost of this. And what about what's on the bracelet?"

"Well... I thought those hearts looked like something from the Tudor era, something you would like... and you like winter... and it's Christmas... and red's a Christmas color..." he said quietly.

"None of the Tudors ever wore a heart... well, they might have, but they never did in any of the paintings I've seen of them. They do look old-fashioned, I'll give you that, but they don't. And I didn't look so fondly on winter til I met you, you showed me how fun it was," she argued, and then realized what she might have just admitted by saying how Jack made her love winter. "This is something you buy for someone... special. This isn't a friendship bracelet, Jack."

"I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I told you I got it for twenty dollars at a thrift shop?" he tried. She shook her head.

"It's way too polished."

"Ahh..." He made noise as he took a breath. He was finally giving in. He started this and now he was going to have to fess up to everything, tell her what was going on with him. Jack felt dizzy under his final decision at revealing everything to her. So he made his way as slowly as possible to her bed and held his clenched fists against his knees. He looked away from her. Seeing her was just going to make everything harder. He pushed away at an ice chunk in his throat to make room for the words and made the decision that he needed to speak and say everything he had been pained to say for so long.

"I was trying to tell you something with that bracelet..." he admitted, and Morgan wondered if he had done something to completely freeze her bones or if his words just had done that to her. "You're right. I wanted to get you something nice, something I knew you would like, but I just... there was something I needed to say and lately it had... weighed on me even more and I just couldn't handle it anymore."

"What what what?" Morgan hurriedly said, crouching in front of him and her eyes looked up to him impatiently, shifting in a jittery way.

"I... I just... I never expected this would happened. The Guardians never expected this to happen. Nobody ever hangs around anyone long enough for it to happen... and certainly nobody who's even old enough to make it happen. Kids, they... they stop believing and we never see them. You were supposed to stop believing, that was the way things work. Every time I came back from Antarctica, I expected you to not believe in me, and that would be that, but you still believed. That made me happy, and I just kept coming back. Your belief in me kept bringing me back. None of this was supposed to happen. I'm cold, you're warm. And you were supposed to grow up, which you did, but you're also warm and I'm cold, and the warm should never be where the cold is. But somehow I was drawn to you, and it happened and I can't... I just can't deal with..." His breath quickened in his panic, and his words stopped. His emotions were getting the better of him and he clenched his fists tighter, trying to move on. "Three hundred years and this never happened! I never felt this way since that girl, I never felt this strongly about this girl. I don't know what it is about you Morgan... I don't really know when I stopped seeing you as a girl and started seeing you as a young lady, but I remember when I came back, the summer just before you turned twelve and it really hit me that I did not feel the same about you. There was something different, and you were different, and I saw you with Tristan and I just couldn't... I mean he was a good kid, but I wanted to be in his place, I didn't like him with you... and then Pitch came in, and even if I didn't like you that way, I would have been angry and would have rid of him, but I acted the way I did, and was far more angry because he was manipulating the most precious person in the world to me and it made me sick just to think about him being around you like that and I couldn't..." he took another moment to catch his breath. Morgan remained in front of him, her eyes never once blinking from their wide-eyed expression. "I thought I was frozen completely, that my heart had lost all capability to feel this way anymore. I thought once you were a Guardian, this couldn't happen. And honestly, the thought of being with someone never really occurred to me other than a fleeting thought until the last couple of years."

"Actually it makes perfect sense," Morgan finally answered. "Forming a friendship... a best friend... and then you get into puberty, and your body changes, and there are chemical changes and you realize this childhood friend of yours is so different. This never happened because the Guardians never hung around children, and that is why they stopped believing. But you kept around me, and that was why I kept believing. You held onto your promises, and it was those promises that I kept believing. I have changed so much these few years, and changed because of you. You have helped mold me into him I am as I grow up, and … maybe our souls are a little connected because of that. Linda saw it, and I guess it was her observation that had to make me realize how I saw you." Jack looked up at her, a hint of hopefulness sparking in his eyes. Morgan allowed for a small grin to appear on her face.

"You... saw me?" he stammered.

"I don't know when it happened either... it was different with you than Tristan. Maybe its because you were this otherworldly being, or because I was so small, and it just snuck up. But now that I see it, I can't imagine anything else, anyone else." Jack caught her hands, a relieved laugh rising from his lips.

"I've felt for you... liked you for so long, and... I've kept it... When Pitch had a hold of you, when you suffered like that, I thought I was dying."

"So did I," Morgan lightly joked.

"There's nothing in this whole world I wouldn't do for you." He let himself fall from the bed so he crouched in front of her, mirroring her kneeling position. He tangled his icy fingers into hers, and raised one hand to brush back her hair. She leaned her head into his touched. "No matter what force comes at you. I will never let anything come and hurt you like that again."

"But Jack... I'm going to grow up. I'm going to get old... I'm going to die... I'm human, I'm not like you... how is this even possible..."

"Hey, hey," he said and now put his hands on either side of her face. "Not right now you're not... we've got a lot of time, don't we?" His thumb massaged her cheek comfortingly. "Don't think of the future, snowflake, just think of right now... and how I need you right now in my life. Even if it's not forever... I know maybe it's not realistic, but... I need you right now, and if you need me... and decide you're okay with just the now, even though it's not realistic then please... take me. But I understand completely if you can't." Morgan quivered under the force of the tears pushing out of her eyes. She laughed under them, the tears slipping between her teeth.

"You're crazy," she whispered to him and held out her arms. He welcomed her into his arms and the two sat on the floor, Morgan pressed her face his chest, his temperature chilling the tears so they stuck to her face. "Of course I need you. I think I would die if you weren't ever by my side."

"That's..." he started to say, and then paused to smile to himself. He entwined his fingers with hers and felt the radiation of her warmth against his skin. "A little dramatic, right..."

"Oh shut up," she wept. "You're everything to me... Truly. You were a best friend before you were... whatever you are now..."

"I like the sound of the word boyfriend," he suggested. Morgan laughed.

"I think that's the perfect word for what you are." Jack pulled her closer and cradled her more intimately than he ever had before. He pushed his lips against the top of her head his thumb patted her hair down. "I like the bracelet, but I hope you didn't spend too much on it."

"I wouldn't worry about it..." he chuckled. "It could be the Hope Diamond and it still wouldn't be more valuable or precious than what I am holding."

* * *

**I also had to take my break and tell my fiancee I loved him while writing this... I don't think I've ever been prouder of my writing than now. BTW Please look up the blue morpho butterfly. Its wings really do look like Jack's eyes. My friend had a dead one that her aunt brought back after finding it in the rainforest, and it truly is a spectacular thing to look at. It's mesmerizing, actually. I really would like reviews and comments on this chapter so please tell me everything you are thinking. Have a good night. I think this is a good time for me to sleep :) Rosie out. More tomorrow**


	45. Lessons in Math Class

**I am updating, as I do every day, because I want to remain reliable to you guys, but before I do I want to really talk to you, as a person and forget about this story for a second. I want to reach out to anyone affected by the Boston Marathon Bombing. And I mean anyone. Whether you were in Boston when it happened and it impacted you, or you had a family, or a friend there who were hurt or emotionally devastated, or maybe it triggered some memories, if it affects you in any way, shape, or form, I want to tell you that I am thinking about you, and I love you. And I care about you. And I am praying for you. And if you are affected, then I actually sincerely hope you are not reading this and are spending time talking with family or friends or whatever it is you need to do. But if you need some sense of normalcy, which I understand completely, sometimes in tragedy you need this, and you need to read this story then please do that. Most of all if you just need someone to talk to, need some sort of comfort, my Private Messaging box is open for you, and or on tumblr if you prefer that (my username is the same there as here). I pray that you're safe, that you're with loved ones, and that you know you are being thought of. I love you, okay? Even if I have never talked you, even if I have never seen you, I love you.**

**And for those in need of a story, whether because they need a distraction or simply because they have been waiting for my update (which is okay too :) ) I hope you enjoy. **

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Break had come to an end and daily routines returned to normal. Gone were the spontaneous snowball fights with her family, gone were the moments with the entire family, dancing in the kitchen during breakfast, and gone were the movie nights. Middle of the night excursions Morgan took with Jack where they went sledding, or flying on the wind, or chasing the dreamsand had also been cut incredibly short but her need to sleep for school and the soon to be assigned homework load. School removed her times with Jack in the middle of the day where they would play a game or watch a film, or head outside, while she was tangled in his arms. He was always reluctantly to hold her as tightly as she wanted, afraid she get hypothermia, so he eventually began to demand she wrap herself up in her blanket when her teeth began to chatter. She hated how the stupid blanket always came between them, but never fought because she knew he only did it because he was worried about her.

The entire break, Linda had been away at her aunt's for Christmas in New Jersey, so she hadn't been able to speak to her until she saw her the first day back at school. Part of her bubbled with excitement on telling her the news, the other part dreaded the way she rub it in her face that she knew it would happen. She was glad to let her good friend in on her wonderful news, knowing she would rejoice it, but she could definitely wait the three class periods to tell her.

"Oh, shoot!" Linda said, as the teacher began to scrawl answers on the board in strange symbols that were unfamiliar to her. "We had that assignment over break, didn't we?"

"We had eighteen days!" Morgan whispered as her friend slipped into the seat beside her. "There were only ten questions!"

"Ten questions too many for break," Linda yawned. Her head became very well acquainted with the surface of her desk so her ebony ponytail flopped over the edge of it. "It's a break, we're not supposed to get homework. Really, it was more of a protest."

"You spend all break watching those British TV shows of yours again, weren't you?" Morgan guessed. Linda showed up and sat proudly with no ounce of shame on her face.

"My aunt has the most amazing speed of WiFi and you letting me use your Netflix account was the worst thing you could ever do. From the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep, I was immersed in worlds of fantasy and magic and aliens and detectives and the most complicated and confusing plots ever and I loved every moment of it."

"And how often did you cry again?" Morgan whispered to her.

"When I got deep within each series, I cried nearly every episode," she confessed. "And I feel no shame, Morgan. No shame."

"You want to know why you get Cs in all your classes?" Morgan said. "It's because you are constantly waste your time investing all your emotions in these television shows and all of these films, and the best selling books."

"I can't help it... they're sirens. They call to me and they're full of beauty and wonder, but they leave me in pain and a sobbing mess on the floor."

"They're not real."

"Says the girl who wept when Queen Elizabeth died at the end of that one film."

"That really happened!"

"Admit it, Morgan. You're just as emotionally invested shows and books as me – the only difference is, it only happens with 'historically accurate' things, or close to accurate." The teacher turned around and the class began to fill more rapidly. Linda lowered her voice even more. "How are you with historical fiction?"

"It doesn't make sense," Morgan sighed. "If it's fiction, it's not historical."

"Well, no, it's like... you know how things in history, we obviously don't know every moment of their day? I mean we're not going to know their eating habits or every single person they ever interacted with?"

"Well... I guess, yeah."

"Yeah, there is some historical fiction out there that completely changes everything because it's trying to represent a what if view on things."

"Which is stupid."

"It's an art form, but you're stubborn, so you'll never listen... anyway there are some really good pieces of historical fiction. They accurately portray what happened to the best of their ability, but fill in gaps of what they don't know, either based on clues they've seen in history, or making up what they think makes the most sense. They are some really good ones out there, you need to look, but I think you need to check some out."

"Ugh, fine, I'll give it a go!" Morgan hurriedly whispered. The teacher walked over to her desk and picked up her oversized instructor's textbook. "ButIhavetotellyousomethingreallyimportant."

"Whatisit?" Their speech was speeding up in order to get everything in the last few seconds before class began.

"JackFrostismyboyfriendnowhappenedoverbreak."

"Whatdidyoujust-"

"I hope everyone had a good break!" began the teacher. Linda's fingers scratched against the sides of her desk with the rising annoyances ripping at her insides.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You need to repeat what you said!" Linda hissed between her teeth. Morgan grinned pleasantly as she shoved her notebook into her bag, and then heaved it onto her shoulders. "Did I hear right? What happened?" Morgan's lips parted to speak, but then shut again as the teacher rested a stack of stapled sheets on Linda's desk. Linda snatched it up and squinted at the red markings at the top.

"It's one of my better scores," she told Morgan casually. One of the kids who say in the vicinity of the two girls leaned over to look at her paper. Linda yanked it away from his prying eyes, but not before he had seen the score.

"A C plus?" he snickered. "Lin Dan, you're a disappointment to your race." Linda dropped her arms, holding the test close to her sternum. Her shoulders arched with embarrassment and red flourished beneath her eyes.

"Um... it was the best I could... " Her whisper faltered off into quiet.

"Uh, excuse me, but not every one is amazing at math, Chris," Morgan snapped. "And her name is Linda, not Lin Dan. It is not a nickname, it is not an Americanized version. It is the name on her birth certificate, given to her the day she was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey! Which, oh, given your latest geography scores, you wouldn't know is in America and not China!"

"Then why does she have an accent?" Chris wondered, looking over at the girl now appearing very small under her cowering at his words.

"You really don't pay attention to anything, do you?" Morgan taunted. The teacher looked up to the only three students remaining in the room, stopping her pencil from marking in the giant red score book of hers. "Linda barely has an accent, and only on certain words and phrases, and that's only because her parents never completely lost their accents, and she grew up around that!"

"Morgan, please... stop." Linda whispered.

"No! I won't let him talk to you that way!"

"What's wrong with me expecting her to do well? Isn't that a compliment?" Chris said.

"Uh, no," Morgan scoffed. "You, and many others constantly ridicule her about her grades because of some stupid stereotype? You know what that does? It sets everyone's expectations for her incredibly high, so when she doesn't do as well as everyone expects, they comment on it and she feels like she's dumb, and she is not dumb. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses! My weaknesses are math, science, and English, my strengths are history, geography, and art! Linda's weaknesses are English, math, science, history, science, her strengths are languages, music, and singing! And yes, even you Chris, have a strength in something, even though you don't deserve it! Well, let me tell you, being Chinese only gives her a cultural background! It doesn't give her some super human abilities. She is a human being, with flaws and strengths, and you have no reason to tease her or assume things about her just because of what the entire world had decided she should be. You do understand what racial prejudice is, right? You do understand what racist comments are, right? I'll let you think about that. My incredibly wise, incredibly talented, incredibly flawed, human being, American friend and I are going to go to lunch now. Have fun failing class." Morgan tugged on Linda's arm, who's mouth was frozen in a gaping O. Morgan caught a glance of her math teacher grinning behind her desk, trying to appear like she wasn't paying attention. With a glow of pride attempting to burst from her chest, she strutted out of the classroom with her fingers tightly pressed against Linda's wrist.

"Morgan... what was that?" Linda laughed when they were a good distance from the classroom. "I have never seen you... I mean, I've seen you tell people to shut up when they comment about me, but never like that!"

"I've just gotten so fed up with hearing so much crap about you!" Morgan snarled, her tone suggested she was still riled up about what he said. "And I can't take it anymore. Chris has said more about you than anyone else I've ever heard..."

"To be fair, he's the only one you ever see around me... We only have math and lunch together..."

"Well, he's the most persistent one about it in that class." Linda stretched her arms around Morgan, who leaned into her.

"You're the greatest person alive, you know that?" she giggled. "I mean it. You are awesome."

"You can repay me by telling me that forever."

"You are awesome, you are awesome, you are awesome, you are awesome..."

"Okay stop." Linda giggled and then gasped.

"I demand you to explain yourself right now! What were you saying?!" Morgan's face grew hot shamefully and she smiled in innocence.

"Oh, you remembered? Haha... well, while you were partying it up with your aunt and cousins in Jersey, Jack and I were getting to know each other a little better."

"How the hell can you two get to know each other better than you already do?" Linda questioned with doubt, then her face flashed with terror and shock. "You don't mean... in the flesh? Oh my God, is every single part of him in proper working order?!"

"You are so gross sometimes!" Morgan shouted with slivers of laughter seeping through her voice. "No, I don't mean that at all! Do you see this?" She held up her wrist with the silver bracelets, and it's hearts and snowflakes dangling over her skin. Linda squealed and practically ripped of her arm trying to get a better look.

"Whatisthisohmygodit'sbeautiful! It looks expensive..."

"It is," Morgan confirmed, tearing her arm away from her. "He won't tell me how much, but it's a lot. He left it on my table Christmas morning, and I found it and then he came back later that night and I knew it was way too exquisite to be a simply gift and I gave him the Spanish Inquisition and he finally told me how much he cared for me and needed me and how... he really liked me..." Morgan smirked at the memory. "And I had realized I needed him just as much as... he became mine. I became his. And now we're a couple."

"I understand you're sharing a really sweet story, and that's totally cool and I'm happy for you, but I really am just focusing on the fact you loved having an excuse to use Spanish Inquisition as phrase of allusion to how you interrogated him," Linda pointed out.

"I'm pouring out my feelings here!"

"You're such a nerd."

"Says the lady who burst into tears when she spotted that my geography notebook mentioned Reichenbach Falls in it."

"Why would you bring that up again?!" Linda wept dramatically. Morgan ignored her and walked towards the double doors just outside of the entrance to the cafeteria. Linda cast away her emotional drama to break into a jog and stand in front of the door. "What are you doing?! We can't go outside during school hours unless its for gym!"

"I'm letting Jack in," Morgan said.

"Uh, what?!"

"Nobody's going to see him, he's invisible, remember?"

"I thought you said you didn't want him to be here because everyone would think you were talking to yourself!"

"You're going to be at the table. Everyone will just think I'm talking to you. Which I will be half of the time."

"Okay, but why all of a sudden now?"

"Jack and I can't have a normal relationship."

"Well, that's obvious. He's practically a pedophile, right?" joked Linda. Morgan stared at her blankly. "Sorry."

"Anyway, so we're trying to make it feel as normal as possible. Actually, I take that back. _He's_ trying to make me feel like I'm in a relationship that's as normal as it possibly can be, because he cares for me like that. And, what's more normally than having lunch at school with your boyfriend?" Morgan leaned against the bar of the door so the latch gave way and shouted his name into the win. He landed in the snow and walked in casually, Morgan's face aglow in his presence.

"Hey snowflake," he said and pressed his lips to her cheek. He flourished his arm and pulled it under his chest as he bowed low in front of Linda. "Fair maiden."

"Well, hello, Prince Charming," she giggled with a raised eyebrow, before sashaying away into the cafeteria. Her hair swung fashionably from where it gathered in a tie on top of her head. Jack sighed and looked over to Morgan, taking her hand in his like a normal couple would.

"So she reacted about as much as we thought she would?" Morgan took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"Yeah..." she said.

"Well. Lunch should be interesting," he muttered.

"Oh and you owe me."

"For what?"

"The bet."

"She didn't."

"She did."

"She asked if all my parts were working properly?"

"Yep."

"Fine," he said unpleasantly. "I'll take you to see New York City at night sometime when you don't need to be up at six in the morning."

"That's all I ask, dear."

* * *

**I really hope someone gets my references, or it will be sad. :( I don't know how other people's schools worked, but all my schools - Elementary, Junior High, and High School, would not let you go outside during school hours. All of the schools around this area worked that way. People of course, snuck out, but if they got caught, they were in major trouble. For special occasions, or when the weather was really warm, they would let you go to a designated area for lunch, but that was it.**

**Also Jack is responsible for a fifteen hyperventilating attack of laughter I had with my roommate today. My stomach really hurts from laughing. My roommate kept repeating lines from ROTG and I am tired, which makes me silly. And when I kept laughing, she made it worse by saying "Are you high? I don't think the white powder that Jack has been giving us a lot of lately is snow..." and that just led to a thing about Jack being my drug dealer. Oh, and finally I GOTS THE JOB I WENT TO INTERVIEW FOR. YAY. Now I have to figure out how to balance two jobs... :/  
**

**Going back to what I said in the beginning though, just saying once again. If you need to talk, my PM box is always waiting. :) Love you.**


	46. Glow of Golden Atmopshere

**A LOT of research went into this chapter! Jack makes good on his bet... I'm not a fan of NYC, but... researching this chapter made me reconsider. My experience in NYC was met under stress and was because of a delayed flight we even stayed there. We were SUPPOSED to go to Ireland, which is more exciting than NYC, so it's possible my hatred for it was just because I was stressed and expecting so much more... I might actually try to give it another go (I mean, I have to, I need to see the Broadway version of Phantom of the Opera yet). So I hope you like warm and fuzzies.**

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"You need to stop it," Morgan attempted to scold at Jack, but the cold nip of his lips grazing her cheek made her break her serious tone and she giggled under the tickle. She casually waved him away but he kept at it. Her shoulder moved against his touch as she cringed under the sensation she was feeling. She dropped her pencil against her notebook and pivoted her head so she was glaring at him, despite her grin struggling to come through. "I need to do my homework and you're making it really difficult."

"Aw, are you that distracted by my presence?"

"You're just being annoying," Morgan joked. "I told you if you weren't going to let me do my homework, you couldn't be here."

"It's Friday, Morgan," he moaned. Jack pushed his lips into her hair again, his cold flesh being massaged by the fine soft strands. "What people do their homework on Friday?" She raised an eyebrow at him and held up her history textbook. Jack rolled his eyes and leaned against her pillow, his eyes rolling so they were now staring at the ceiling. "I understand the fascination with monarchs, and battles, and wars, and the ancient customs and cultures of people, and how they lived, and some of the feats of some great people. But even you need to be bored by the Industrial Revolution."

"Nope," Morgan stated and flipped to the next page. "All the stuff we have now, the machinery, it came from the progression of the machinery in this period. It's so fascinating to know where we are now, and where we came from." The clock on the wall ticked as the hand moved to show it was now five-thirty. Morgan looked down when her stomach gurgled, muffled by the position she was in with her bed pressed against her stomach. Jack smirked cheerful and hopped over to where she was, lightly throwing the cover over so the book slammed shut. "Hey!"

"Trust me, you're not going to be wanting to read that," he laughed and then skipped downstairs. Morgan pounded down the steps after him, fists balled in annoyance. Sometimes his annoyances were cute. This time, however, he was simply frustrating. Jack whimsically stood nearby her violet coat hanging on its hook. He gestured to the coat with his head and waited for her to take it down.

"Have a good time at Linda's!" her mother sang to her as she reached the door. Morgan twisted her body to look at her mother, with perplexity as to where she got that idea from.

"I'm not going to-" then she caught a glint in Jack's vibrant blue eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making dinner dear..." her mother answered, unaware, thankfully, that she wasn't talking to her. "Don't worry, there will be leftovers."

"Yeah, thanks mom," Morgan mumbled and stared at Jack, now anxiously pointing at her boots. She grumbled, but jumped into her shoes, tying them up quickly, and Jack rushed to do the other one when he decided she was too slow. She scowled at him and then pulled on her coat. While Jack kept tugging at her sleeve, she opened the door and told her parents goodbye, Jack sending a draft of air to slam the door shut. "Okay, what the hell is going on?"

"Just fulfilling a bet," he said. Morgan shrieked when he suddenly slipped his arms underneath her and she only threw her arms around his neck with the instinct of clinging to something. He shot off into the wind, holding her tight so she wouldn't slip out of his grasp. After a moment to get used to the height, as always happened when she flew with him, she settled against his chest and rested her head against his cheek. She laughed loudly at the joy of seeing so many houses blanketed with the twinkling snow that Jack made fall just that morning. The darkness had muted the colors of the streets and the houses and the cars far below them, but the Man in the Moon gave them a new kind of life in a it's protective, ethereal glow, making the whole shine through its night. Morgan nuzzled against Jack as he sped up. She giggled in his ear and gave him a quick peck along his jawline. He smirked gratefully and then weaved through the air, giving her as much exposure to the blue lit earth in its snowy brilliance. Occasionally the towns below became filled with more lights that colored the scenes, and larger buildings which gave the beauty a more frantic look, but they quickly passed over them, sailing over the quiet neighborhoods once again, and then the scene changed dramatically.

The first thing Morgan saw was the lines of golden against the horizon, but in an organized, gridded pattern. Then she traced the black lines against the dark sky. Soon it became clear that the golden lines, which soon became tiny dots, were pinned within the lines, The gold was scattered all over the place, and nearly looked like a fire igniting the air in a central area. There were soon other flashes of color against the structures that were now becoming buildings. The lights seemed to grow brighter as the night completely settled in. Within the midst of the golden gems against the sky was a faint blue light. She spotted tiny dots zipping between the buildings. She dug her fingers into Jack's neck with excitement.

"Is that New York City?" she whispered. He nodded and zoomed closer so Morgan took in the shapes. Most of buildings were cubed shaped, prism shaped, but there were a few that were pointed or rounded. She was able to spot the empire state building, and the Chrysler building no problem. Her ears caught waves of thumping music and she laughed at Jack flew closer yet. He zigzagged, taking a route that avoiding the planes that were zooming into the nearest airports. Jack quickly landed, so the New Yorkers would not spot a little girl flying through the air. Her mouth widened with awe at the glorious lights and the sounds. She sniffed the air, taking in the smell of the greatest food New York had to offer. Between the lights and the people brushing past, if it weren't for the black and the luminescent orb above them, it could have been daytime. Jack's hand only barely touched Morgan's before she was already gripped his fingers. She pointed out familiar buildings squealed silently and some older buildings.

"We're going this way," he said, and the nodded to a small child who was waving to him as his mother pulled him along.

"Something about this streets feels familiar..." she commented. They turned down a street with a row of red brick buildings, walking towards the really old looking one on the corner. It was incredibly square and simple, made completely out of red brick with three stories of white framed windows and the American Flag waving proudly above it's granite arched doorway. Morgan's mouth transformed from one of awe into disbelieving shock. Jack chuckled and pulled her along through the door. Morgan was having trouble moving her feet, and he had to push her through the door. A man behind the counter smiled down at her.

"Say your name," he said. "First and last."

"How can I help you?" asked the polite man.

"I'm in the Fraunces Tavern..." she whispered.

"Yes, you are! Magnificent, isn't?"

"Yes..."

"Say your name!" Jack begged again. "They can't see or hear me!"

"Uh... Morgan Kenter?" Morgan told him curiously. His eyes lit up and he grinned even wider.

"Yes! We've been expecting you for a couple of minutes." Morgan turned her head to look over at Jack who was grinning brightly. "Come this way!"

"What's going on..."

"I'm not allowed to say," the man laughed, and he walked around the tavern, leading Morgan into a smaller room, with old wood flooring. There were several lines of rustic, wooden tables but only the central most one had been set with two dishes and two flute glasses, and an array of silverware. Benches were in front of the tables instead of chairs. Morgan scanned the room with shock. Lanterns, a couple hundreds of years old, illuminated the dim room against the walls. A painting of George Washington hung on a middle wall. Morgan stared at it longingly. "I was told you would understand the significance of this room?" Morgan nodded robotically. "How old are you?"

"Um... thirteen."

"Wow. It's not every day you meet a teenager who understand the weight of importance of this room."

"There's no one else here..."

"The entire room was booked for you and your date for the whole hour. Your date's contact said he would be here around 7:10, and he would just walk in, knowing where the room is. I expect he'll show up. Not many people pay in advance and walk away from it."

"I'm not worried about being stood up," Morgan told him. The man smiled.

"Good! I'll have the cook bring out your orders! They were prepared a half an hour ago, they have only just come out of the oven."

"How did he know what I wanted?"

"Oh, uh, I was told that you would never pass up the opportunity to try George Washington's favorite dish."

"Okay, never mind, he knew." The man laughed proudly.

"This guy... he must be pretty special if he spent all this money and went to all this trouble to keep it a secret surprise. I'm not supposed to bother you between receiving your meal and seeing you leave." Morgan nodded to the man and smiled.

"Thank you." He nodded in gratitude and ducked out of the room, closing the doors behind him. Morgan spun to face Jack, but all she could do was look at him. Every word that flashed across her mind could not even compare to how perfect this was. He smiled, already knowing what she was trying to convey.

"How did you know...?" she whispered.

"I was alive during the American Revolution, remember," he said. "I've seen George Washington come in and out of this tavern, and I knew it was still standing after all my years of flying around the globe,": he explained as his eyes memorized every emotion expressed in her beautiful features. The dim lighting danced in the moisture in her eyes so they sparkled. Her color was beautiful accented under the lanterns. Her golden waves were highlighted by the fire's charm. "You wanted to see New York at night, but I wanted to do more for you than that. I remembered this place, and thought it would be perfect. When I stayed in Burgess, I planned with Ms. Bennett. She worked extra hours to help me afford this. She set up this reservation and paid for her. I knew exactly which dish you would want and paid for that, and my own. She also did research about this room, and I knew this would be what you wanted. She took care of everything, even lying to the man on the phone about my arrival so he wouldn't get upset about never seeing me or get suspicious." The man arrived again, holding a platter with a a couple of dishes. He gracefully placed the dishes out on the central tabled and smiled again.

"One tray of Bangers and Mash for the soon-to-arrive Jack," he announced. Morgan giggled happily. "And one Fraunces Tavern Pot Pie, George Washington's favorite, made the way it would have been then. "Also, a regular lemonade for you, my dear. I'll leave you to it. He has two minutes to get here."

"He keeps his promises," Morgan said.

"That's very good to hear," he smiled. "So I am going to get out of your way. You have a lovely evening my lady."

"Thank you... Darren," she said, reading his name tag. He walked out of the room. Morgan sat on the bench, her cheeks red from her elated smiles. Jack sat on the other side of her. She grasped her fork, but took a moment to look around the room. "Wow... this... is where George Washington said goodbye to his troops in 1983 before becoming President. That is amazing..."

"You need to call Linda in the morning and tell her everything," he said, nibbling on the potatoes. "Wow. This really taste old-fashioned. It's nice to have food that's like what I used to eat... even it freezes on my tongue." Morgan giggled and tore into her dish, dramatically rolling her eyes at the taste of it. Jack laughed at her expressions as she ate. There was a color to Morgan's face he had never seen before. He wondered if it was being in such a historic place that made her appear so delightful, but the way she watched his eyes and his mouth while he talked and observed how gorgeous she was, only glancing up once in a while to look at something around the room, and in fact it was that, but also so much more. Morgan was experiencing the greatest joy of her love. Part of it was being immersed in history, but it was Jack's actions. He had planned all of this with her in mind, putting together something she would love, and knowing exactly what she would want. Doing it all in secret, and all because he cared about her so much. This was the greatest joy she had ever felt, and she wanted nothing more than to remain in his arms forever. The smile on her face was aching, but she didn't care. Never in her life had something mattered so much to her, had she felt so mattered. She watched him tell jokes and tell stories about Linda and how she kept imagining all the sordid stuff she thought they would be involved in. Reflecting on the way his voice made her feel, and how he had done all of this for her, how he stared at her and watched her with every little moment. This was the happiest she had ever been in her life, and the epiphany of what that could mean caused the most joyful tear to fall into her pie.

"Morgan?" he asked with concern. She laughed, and ate the last of her food.

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" She giggled, using the bit of a napkin to blot her eyes. Her musical tones of laughter assured him it really was nothing, and it was her delight escaping the only way it could. The twinkling of notes blending together in an artful form made her look up. She spotted a man sitting in a corner, with a red cape pulled around him, exposing a little bit of a blue tunic. He had a hood pulled up that covered his face, but she would see the shine of friendly eyes and grin that said he was very pleased to me there. In his hands, he held an ancient looking string instrument. Similar to a harp, and hand held, but it wasn't a harp. This couldn't be someone who worked here. Jack turned to see what she was staring at and waved to him.

"Thanks again, Orpheus," he said, and the man nodded.

"Orpheus...?" Morgan squeaked.

"I wasn't going to get a band," he explained. "It would be weird for them to see you dancing with... no one." He rose from the table and walked around it, bending lowly in front of Morgan and holding out his hand. "Madame, may I have this dance?"

"Why good sir, of course!" she giggled and placed her hand in his. He swung her around while Orpheus plucked at the lyre. As Jack pressed her body against his, she reacted to the touch of his chill... but it seemed to go away. Being so close to him, she realized he, for some reason, didn't seem so cold anymore. She placed her hand against his neck and enjoyed the touch of his hands on her back. Orpheus played marvelously, sounding like three or four lyres all playing together. Morgan leaned up and touched her lips to his. Jack's grip on her tightened slightly with passion, pressing into her kiss. Her warmth tingled on his mouth, and he swore he was almost burned under the sparking of the heat. Her fingers found their way into the stiff icicles of his hair, making a path with her fingers. She loosened her lips from his and placed her head back on his chest, spinning in a slow circle with him.

"Jack..." she muttered to him.

"Hmm?"

"I think... I'm falling in love with you." He chuckled and kissed her again.

"You're not the only one. In fact... I think I already am in love with you."

* * *

**I have never been to the Fraunces Tavern. BUT I REALLY WANT TO GO. Also, yes, it is a bar, but it is also a restaurant, so I think they would let kids teenagers in... BUT I DON"T ACTUALLY KNOW. This was all research, I haven't been, so if you have and something I have said is wrong, LET ME KNOW! At this point in this story, it's actually February. Just so you know. They've been together about two months, and considering their history, it's pretty realistic they love each other (From the time I met my fiancee, to the time I told him I loved him was... four months. And we had been dating six weeks. So I feel it's realistic) Anyway, that's all tonight. I have to really be reading my book for American Lit... my report is next week D: I hoped you liked the chapter!**


	47. Interference

**I had no idea where this chapter was heading when I sat down to write it, and I am so proud of how it came out! A lot of dialogue, so I hope that's okay with you. Also lengthy. There are some interesting things that come up in here and you FINALLY get to meet Cupid (I have a photo, made from merging celebrities faces and then using an editing tool if you want to see how I came up with his appearance. But I mean, this is me. Cupid is supposed to be the most gorgeous man to ever walk to earth, so think of that) I'm really proud of this chapter. Lots of tension and important topics come up, and I hope you enjoy it.**

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"He said what?!" Linda screamed over the phone, hyperventilating through her glee. Morgan could hear her smile slipping through the phone.

"He said he loved me..." she giggled, watching the window slide open and a handsome boy in a frost-covered sweater of dusty blue and brown bottoms slipped in quietly. Morgan sat at her desk, rubbing a emerald square of chalk into a teal tone. She moved the phone away from her phone as Jack crept up to her, swiftly placing his lips against hers and pulling away. "After I said it first."

"OhmyGod," Linda whispered. "Are you serious...?"

"Yes," Morgan laughed, tipping her head back. Jack leaned against the wall, smugly beaming with pride in himself. Morgan tossed an amused grin his way, blushing under his smitten gaze. "It was the most amazing night of my life I ever had..."

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are? I wish I could have someone like that. He's s wonderful... you know if you ever break up, I'll take him."

"We'll never break up, so you can't have him." Jack laughed, guessing what Linda was saying.

"Of course, he couldn't take me to a historical landmark."

"No, he would need to take you to the set of one of your shows or movies," Morgan said distractedly. She shifted the phone and used both hands to blend the colors together. Her mouth contorted so Jack snickered while she concentrated on her drawing.

"Or he would just need to be Benedict Cumberbatch," Jack commented.

"I heard that!" Linda said in Morgan's ear. "However, he has a point."

"You're like, half his age. Or whatever." Morgan told her. "Crap. Now I have to go over that."

"I don't care. You said it worked for Pocahontas."

"She was 12, Linda."

"If Benedict proposed to me right now, I would never say no."

"And he would be in jail for pedophilia. Just saying."

"And I would wait for him... hey do you think you and Jack will get married?" Morgan's chalk slipped and left a streak of green across the entire scene of the "shot heard round the world." She unleashed an enraged cry and chucked her chalk so it split in half.

"Sorry... I mutilated my drawing and it... looks like the British soldiers turned into Hulks."

"Ooohh... I shouldn't have mentioned that thing about marriage... but I mean, think about it! If Jack planned this amazing, elaborate plan just for a date, what would his proposal be like? I bet something amazing and so romantic."

"Linda, it's really too early to be talking about Jack proposing to me." Morgan's conversation made Jack look up with eyes perfectly round with sudden surprise. He slid to Morgan's side and try to push his head in near the phone to catch what Linda was saying. Morgan laughed and pushed his face away. "Can Guardians get married? I wonder what that would be like? How would that even work? He would stay young forever and you would get wrinkly..."

"Linda, please stop," Morgan begged.

"I am not planning on proposing some day soon, so best not to mention it!" Jack said quickly into the phone before Morgan pushed him away.

"Why aren't I you?" Linda pouted.

"Because you're you and you're an awesome person to be." Morgan said, crumbling the chalk drawing. Jack watched sadly as she threw a masterpiece that was mostly okay into the garbage pail.

"For one minute, could you let me dream and not be so inspirationally awesome?" Linda told her with annoyance.

"Never." The floor below their feet vibrated and soon a rumbling noise was hard behind the crescendo of the shaking. A depression appeared in the floor, leading into a moss coated tunnel of dirt. The large rabbit leapt out of the hole and stood fiercely, looking over Jack and Morgan. "Uh... Linda I need to call you back."

"Okay but-" Morgan already clicked the phone to hang up and slowly backed away from her chair. Bunny turned his eyebrows so he was now looking at them with a slight trace of concern.

"Jamie said ya might be here, mate. Dunno I didn't think to check here first," Bunny told him. Jack snatched his staff from the wall and padded over to Bunny heroically. He seemed to be under the impression something was up and he needed to be ready to stand up to something. He stood at the edge of the tunnel before he realized something was missing from this picture of a heroic mission and then looked back at Bunny.

"Wait a second," he stopped himself from jumping into the hole. "If you're here to collect me for something, I'm guessing we're meeting at the Pole." Jack was quickly learning the Pole was really their headquarters.

"Yep."

"He's called everyone."

"Yep."

"Why didn't he run the Aurora?" Morgan quizzically twitched her brow.

"Nobody is in mortal danger yet."

"Then why is everyone together?"

"Because we need to prevent somethin' happening that could be disastrous. As of yet, it hasn't happened."

"Wait... no I'm confused," Jack stated, seeking for an explanation.

"Morgan's coming to the Pole too," Bunny told him nonchalantly.

"That just made me even more confused," Jack added. "North doesn't usually let humans see the workshop. Those explorers even get on his nerves." Bunny smirked devilishly.

"Lemme explain something to you." Bunny put his arm around Jack in a brotherly way. "You know how North keeps an eye on the children, but does even more so around Christmas?"

"Yeah, to find out who's been naughty and who's been nice."

"He's not the only one who does that, mate. Cupid watches couples to see who he needs to get together, who belongs together, how to best plan to shoot his arrows, make sure he hits the right people – it's hilarious when he doesn't. Or at least, he's supposed to. Anyway, he does much more when February starts. To prepare, ya know?"

"Oh no..." Jack moaned, slapping a hand to his face.

"Now yer getting it."

"What, what is he getting?" Morgan asked frantically. "Bunny, what are you talking about?"

"Cupid saw us last night..." Jack guessed, and Bunny nodded to confirm. "And he told the Guardians, and now the Guardians... ugh."

"Why is that a problem?"

"The Guardians don't want us together, Morgan..." he explained. "And the fact that Cupid's involved makes things even worse."

"What's wrong with Cupid?"

"Everything... ugh, okay, Morgan. Give Linda a call and see if she'll cover for you again. I'll run and get your coat and boots. The Pole is freezing. Well, it will be to you and Bunny." He smirked playfully at the Easter Bunny, who turned away in exasperation.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The place stunned Morgan. When she hopped out of the tunnel and took first glance at the toys floating in the air and the remarkable artwork of the architecture kept her eyes open. Red wood had been used and the coloring on the walls were spectacular usages of reds and greens and silvers. Thousands of books lined the crevices of the shop, and Morgan wondered what could be in them all. The giant globe, dotted with golden lights of belief rotated slowly in the center. Toys swam and snaked in the air, adding a wonder to the workshop. Yetis bumbled about, pushing past to get toys put together and affairs handled. Miniature characters in pointy red hats jingled and often got in the way of walking. Morgan didn't care. She was far too captivated to take notice of such hindrances.

"You like?" asked a curious man with Russian dialect coating his face.

"Oh, North, it's wonderful!" Morgan rejoiced. "It's so beautiful..." Jack watched a dozen different expressions overtake her face with her awe at the workings of the shop. Overjoyed at her wonder, h e squeezed her hand tightly, and she leaned against him, head looking up at the magnificence over her head. Tooth, who had been flying in just then, smiled nervously when she saw the two together.

"Is this really necessary?" Tooth asked, her wings buzzing as she darted about. Baby Tooth zipped to Morgan and Jack, flitting and weaving around them curiously. Morgan;s eyes landed humorously on the little fairy.

"Of course it is!" Bunny declared with demanding eyes. "This isn't something that can happen with us!"

"I don't understand, what did we do wrong...?" Morgan muttered to herself.

"Perhaps I can give some sort of uh, explanation?" From the direction Tooth had just come from, a man of incredibly physique entered the room. He was robed in some old-fashioned Mediterranean garb. He leaned against the wall dramatically, and his perfect pair of bright lips spread into a secretive smirk. Morgan was once again captivated with wonder by the enchantment that lie in his sparkling warm pools of the clearest summer sky in his eyes. He touched his hair and it's golden brown locks bounced off the light, making his cherubic curls settle seductively over his eyes. Morgan's eyes following the tracing of the muscles on his arms and her mouth fell open a little more while she examined with a lust she had never known existed in her body. Jack elbowed her, perhaps a little rougher than he had intended to. She snapped away from her trance and grinned sheepishly under his dull look at her.

"Uh, sorry..." she whispered.

"_Everyone_ does it..." he groaned. "I'm not surprised you are too. It's just the fact that it happens so often that's annoying."

"Wait, so he's been around humans?"

"He's Cupid, of course," Jack said. "But I get what you mean. He unites people's hearts, supposedly, but because he oversees, supposedly, love himself, he also has desires himself he wants to explore. He's the one night stand guy you always hear about, running off in the morning. I'm not sure he's ever had a relationship last more than a week,"

"Wait, aren't you all just childhood heroes?" Morgan asked.

"Uh, Cupid is more for the end of childhood, for teenage years and adolescence. No one ever believes in him for more than a few hours, but it;s enough for him. He usually convinces people in a drunken state to believe in him while he... gets what he wants," Jack said delicately.

"Isn't that like... a form of date rape?" Morgan asked with disgust.

"They're consenting, they say yes. They _always_ say yes..." he groaned. "So, no, not exactly. But it's in bad taste. Does Cupid ever care? No of course not."

"You don't seem too fond of him."

"No, I'm not..." he grumbled. "But that's because he never watches relationships which is why there's so many bad endings and broken hearts." Cupid sauntered over to Morgan and touched her cheek seductively. Morgan, of course, didn't pull away and instead seemed to be lure to the touch of his finger against his skin. As he drifted away, the sudden absence of his touch made her stumble and she suddenly realized she had slowly been leaning towards his actions. Jack just sighed in annoyance. It wasn't really jealousy, but rather a tone of someone who had grown tired of seeing the same thing play out a dozen times or more.

"Jack..." Morgan whispered. "Please do not tell me he died during sex or something..." Jack snickered.

"That would be a very sad story indeed. I wish that were the story. Tell you some other time."

"Oh, Morgan Kenter... how _lovely_ to finally get to meet you. Face to face!" Cupid continued, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.

"Please don't touch her," Jack begged. Cupid lifted his hands.

"Terribly sorry," Cupid apologized, how delicately touching Jack's face. "I forgot how upset you would be by another man touching your darling angel. It really is no wonder how you fell for this delectable creature."

"She's a girl, not a creature," Jack demanded dully.

"Look at her!" His voice was only lightly louder than a whisper, it's softness a powerful seduction on it's own. His voice settled somewhere between dramatic and flamboyant. "Look at that color of brown! It's like your average brunette, but a fire illuminating it from behind, so it's not brown, but walnut warming under the sunlight. And the color in her cheeks! Her eyes seem to be filled with such warm firelight. How _warm_ she is! It's like the sun birthed her itself!" Morgan was filling up with more color from his affective charms. "What a beauty! I cannot wait to see how she turns out in five years! She is going to be stunning! You may have trouble holding onto this one, dear Jackie." Cupid rounded the two of them so he was now dangerously close to Jack's ear, his lips nearly grazing Jack's skin with hidden desire. Jack flinched under his touch.

"Is he bisexual?" Morgan whispered to Jack.

"I don't know... I just kinda figured he liked everything that moved..." Jack sighed.

"If I knew he was so hot, I might have taken Valentine's Day more seriously..."

"And that's the other thing everyone who has ever been attracted to men has ever said about Cupid," he sighed, letting his hand, still holding his staff, fall hopelessly.

"You know, in five years, I might just track you down myself..." Cupid chuckled. A lurch in Morgan's chest made the idea of such a thought appealing to her, but then she looked over to Jack and it was enough to lessen the power of the lurch.

"No..." she said.

"Ah, you're only saying that because you're so dedicated to love right now," he laughed. "In five years, you'll be single and your mind will change." The light lined Cupid's face so the ever present redness to his cheek glowed with allure. Morgan wiped away the dot of saliva that had been seeping from her mouth.

"I plan to still be with Jack in five years," she nervously said to him, finding his presence made it really hard to say anything convincingly.

"Ah ha, that's cute. Childish ignorance... ah. Well, I can tell you this. If somehow, you do find a way to make this work and you're still together, we could always have a little fun... together. It's been a long time since I've had two at once." He stood behind the two of them, draping his arms across both of their shoulders. Jack turned away from disgust and although Morgan didn't make any gestures of disgust, she didn't leave from under his arm. Cupid looked at the two of them with a smile so bright, it challenged Jack's freshly-fallen-snow teeth.

"You're revolting..." Jack sighed. "The Man in the Moon chose you to guard and protect love, not abuse it."

"I still do that!" he said defensively, placing a hand to his heart dramatically. "I just like to have a little fun once in a while."

"Enough with the flirty goo goo eyes, Cupid!" North said, and Cupid suddenly seemed to snap in an obedient stature, which actually just added a whole new kind of appeal to him – one of dominance. Morgan cringed at the quickening of her heart, and Jack pulled her close to her side. "Now, we talk business. Cupid... tell them what you see last night."

"Right," he said with authority. "As I have already said to Tooth, and Sandy, Bunny, and North, I saw you two at that little tavern in New York City. And you were both completely immersed in each other in the most natural beautiful way, and I tingled in every part of my body to join you. Orpheus, Jack, that was a clever move, you beautiful boy. He always wins the ladies' hearts."

"And the problem is...?" Morgan prompted, tightening her grip around Jack's hand.

"Problem is Guardian and girl human!" North stated very clearly. Sandy, who had been hanging out at a distance, floated towards them and displayed a picture of Jack, then a picture of Morgan, then an old woman who looked a little like Morgan, then a casket, and then Jack appearing sad.

"I'm not thinking about that right now," Jack told them.

"Well, maybe you should, mate!" Bunny told them angrily. "There's more to this than just you, ya understand? Yer both gonna suffer from this."

"How?" Morgan questioned. "How can you suffer from being in love?"

"Right now, you cannot see end. And that is fun, beautiful time!" North declared happily. "But later on, how will you feel?  
"Happy. Always happy," said Morgan.

"No, no," Bunny argued. "You claim you love Jack, right? Well, what is this gonna do to him, eh? Let's say ya never break up. He cannot grow old with ya. He stays the same forever. You pass on, and he's left broken-hearted, and it's not like he can follow ya any time soon. He constantly has that loneliness weighing on him. He is filled with grief, and you have left that with him for eternity. Do ya really want him to be left with that?" Morgan sifted uncomfortably.

"It will be worth it!" Jack retorted. "All the pain, all the grief, it will be worth it to spend a few precious moments with her!"

"Yeah, well what about Morgan's life?" Bunny continued, now focusing on Jack. "She's going to grow. She's got to finish school, and go to college, right? And she's going to have a boyfriend nobody can see. She's already experienced suffering with her family thinkin' she has mental problems. How do ya think they're gonna react to her in college? Ya can't even be a normal boyfriend! Ya can't go on normal dates with her because she'll look like she's alone!"

"I figured out the tavern, didn't I?"

"Ya can't do that every single time!"

"I'll figure something out."

"Well, crikey, that's great," Bunny said to him sarcastically. "But after college? What if she wants to get married?"

"And some day I do!" Morgan shouted, her voice rising to the ceiling. "What is marriage but the promise of being together forever, of making a declaration of unity, to join your lives together?! If Jack and I get to that point we can do that! I mean, yes, in order to be official, recognized as a joined couple, and receiving benefits, you need someone who is ordained to legally marry you and a certificate of authenticity to prove you're really married. But I mean... maybe we'll live up here, where Jack could be with me year round because it's cold enough and we can visit Burgess in the winter. When we're up here, none of that legality matters! And what does legality mean if no one can see him anyway?" Jack smiled at her response.

"What about kids though?" Jack's smile faded. "Ya can't have children, mate! Ya can't impregnate a human! Yer a Guardian! It's like trying to mate a cat and a dog."

"It's not exactly like that, we're both of the same species..." Morgan tried to argue.

"Maybe not exactly, but he has no capabilities of giving you children! Jack _died_! Can't you get that through yer head?" Bunny was now slowly becoming more enraged as he spoke, and the rest of the room was becoming even more quiet under his expressive shouts. "And he didn't just die, he drowned, and then froze over! Everything in him froze, Morgan. Froze! Do ya get what I am saying when I say _everything was frozen_?!"

"Just to be clear," Jack jumped in, holding his staff in front of defensively. "It's not like _everything froze solid_. I still have... mobility." Cupid smirked immaturely and Morgan was blushing under the topic.

"It's not like things would work properly to give anyone children, though," Bunny said, "And even if they did, the Man in the Moon had to change yer body chemistry to make ya who ya are! Like it or not, ya may be humanoid, but yer not human anymore! Ya do not have the ability to ever have children with anyone!"

"I just won't have children!" Morgan shrieked. "It's fine, it's totally fine..."

"Ya say that now," Bunny said. "But things could change in five, ten, fifteen years?"

"Bunny, maybe we should back off..." Tooth told him compassionately. "They may not be together in a few years..."

"There are too many what ifs that play into situation, Toothiana," North explained. "But Bunny, perhaps you should calm down little..." Jack was now watching Bunny with sympathy, overlooking his menacing snarl at the two of them. He shifted his mouth sadly and pulled himself up to a nearby table.

"Bunny..." Jack started, dangling his bare feet over the table. "I know you had a family. I know you had kids. I know this topic hurts you. But if you could have them back, wouldn't you take the chance? Morgan and I will... never be able to have children." He looked over to Morgan who looked crestfallen under Bunny's words. "But maybe that's for the best. I'm here to protect the children, and watch over them. When would I have time? And I certainly wouldn't let Morgan do that by herself. Plus, in this world where so many bad things happen..."

"I have to agree with the Bunny," Cupid announced. "My line of work is to get people together, and I can see when relationships cannot work."

"Shoot yourself with one of your stupid arrows," Jack snapped. "You can see what can work, and what can't and on Valentine's Day you work to bring people together and delight in the rocking beds at the end of the night. But what about all the other days? What about the broken hearts that could have been prevented if you had just cared a little? What about the lives who never crossed and forever lived unhappy in love because they never met their soul mate? You;re supposed to be in charge of all that! You don't get a say in who can be together and who can't."

"I can only control so much. I have to let people be in charge of their own love lives as well."

"The problem is you control nothing!" Jack screamed, pointing his crook right at the handsome man, who 's eyes widened at the action. "Absolutely nothing! Where were you when Pitch was in Morgan's life? You would have done something to make it so he never laid his hands on her."

"Pitch, what are you talking..." he asked. "Pitch is old. Pitch has no desire to be involved with anyone. He isn't even on my radar. I don't have a blip for him, his love life is nonexistent."

"Well, you should fix your radar because for one night, he manipulated Morgan and yes, they were together. Briefly, but intimately." Cupid's eyes flew to Morgan who was shrugging her shoulders with embarrassment. Pain swept in waves over her eyes and the gnawing of the memory tickled her. She touched her arms where she remembered being touched and shivered.

"Okay, Jack," he told him. "That was _not_ supposed to happen. I didn't even know that _could_ happen."

"He was manipulating a heartbroken girl. He will use any manipulation necessary, of course it could."

"I swear Jack, if I had known, I actually would have done something," Cupid promised, clasping his hands together with genuine oath. "That isn't right, that's sick. That's raping of the mind, and any form of rape, I try to swoop in and prevent."

"And you're terrible at it."

"But I try. That counts for something." Jack growled while he turned away, heading to return to Morgan's side. "I would have, Jack! I swear! Any romance with Pitch is only headed down a dark road, and it's dangerous. I would have saved her!"

"But you didn't," Jack snarled. "It was us, and it was me. I saved her from Pitch, okay? And if you still don't think that Morgan and I should be together that you're delusional. I am in love with her, and you all are... completely out of your minds. How can any of you not remember what it was like to truly love someone? To do anything for them? Morgan wants me by her side..." she nodded as proof. "And I will do that for her. If the day comes she asks me to leave, I'll do so. But until then I am staying by her side. It's a thing we have, about me and promises. Ever since she was little, I always promised to stay by her side, and I would promise never to leave her. That promised has never been truer. I. Will. Not. Leave. Her. Not even if the Man in the Moon asked himself. And you're just going to need to learn to be okay with that."

* * *

**Okay. I looked outside and it is April 18th AND THE SNOW IS STILL NOT GONE AND IT IS SNOWING AGAIN. If I abandoned this story for three days would it stop? I couldn't do that to you guys, buy my roomie said it didn't snow this incessantly until my ROTG obsession... Minnesnowda sucks in the winter. If the snow isn't gone by the time this semester is over, I'm suing Jack. North can be the juror.**


	48. Everything's Okay

**GUYSGUESSWHAT?! So today my roommate, her mother, and I went to get new clothes for me, because there's a dress code where I am going to be working and I need certain colors that I don't own, so we went out, found stuff in thrift stores, and then went to go get shoes at this other store that wasn't a thrift shop AND GUESS WHAT I FOUND. I FOUND A BLUE HOODIE, PLAIN AND SIMPLE, THE EXACT SHADE OF JACK'S HOODIE FOR 8 DOLLARS. IT WAS ORIGINALLY 50. AND YEP, YOU CAN BET I GOT IT. So my amazing friend IdrilPuck is a fantastic artist, and she has agreed to paint (or... whatever you do) some frost on it so I can have Jack's hoodie. IMMA SO EXCITED.**

**I'm pretty sure Jack was playing with me today. It is EARLY morning April 19 and the snow is STILL coming down. (I blame Rise of the Guardians. Because of that film, everyone believes in Jack and he's so happy, he never wants to leave.) Earlier today I complained about the weather and we got six inches of snow today. I was at the bus station, going home from University, and I was standing below an awning. A slab of snow slid off it and landed IN MY FACE, knocking me down. It was almost slapstick, I swear. It was as if someone planned it.**

**Here's just a continuation of the last chapter. Lift your spirits a little. :)**

* * *

It was unclear whether Jack's words had rendered the other Guardians, and Cupid, speechless or if Jack had just refused to discuss the matter any farther, because he had grasped Morgan's hand and pulled her along, showing her around the workshop as if it were his to show.

"What are those lights?" Morgan asked, looking at the monstrous globe in the middle of the room.

"Those are the kids who believe," Jack answered with pride. He jerked her up to the top of the globe, where there was one tiny light glowing, possibly brighter than any of the other lights. "Look. Normally it shows you in Pennsylvania, but you've moved. So you're the only light in the whole of the North Pole..."

"Wow... that's me..." Morgan awed, and then lifted her eyes to Jack. "Did you really mean that? That some day you would marry me?"

"Little too early?" Jack guessed, wincing at his stupid words.

"Well... yes. Not really something I'm ready to think about. But it's a nice idea. But let's say... we did. We could?"

"You're normally not too keen on the future," Jack teased, batting her nose gently with his finger so it tingled under his touch.

"Your words were just..."

"Morgan," he cut her off. "It is early, and it's hard to picture life, five, ten years from now. But I'm fond of the idea."

"And living here...?" Morgan asked. Jack frowned and looked back down.

"That's just something I said. I wouldn't actually do it."

"Why not?"

"Because I couldn't take you away from your friends and family. We would stay in Harrisburg, so you could be near them. I wouldn't do that." He reached over and took her hand, ignoring the fact that the other Guardians were observing them with scrutiny.

"But I'd want to be with you! And I can go and visit them... here, we can have a normal relationship! And it's always cold. We can build some sort of hut and I will be safe from the cold..."

"Let's not talk about this, snowflake," he chuckled. Truth was, discussing it bothered Jack. He really wasn't sure where they were headed, but it was hard to imagine a life where he was taking everything away from Morgan for his own selfish desires. He couldn't imagine forcing her into seclusion, denying her the joy of children, and a normal life with a normal marriage. The fear of what would happen to them was always in the back of his mind, and he had always tried to find some type of mischief to distract himself from it. "Would you like to see downstairs?"

"Is it really your place to be giving me a tour? This is North's Workshop!" Morgan pointed out in a laugh. They looked down at the jolly, robust man. He crossed his arms, his tattoos displaying proudly, and just gave them an approval look, but one that warned them. Jack grinned and pulled Morgan along, heading into the elevator and heading down a level. Toys that could fly or float were being tested in the area, moving around in the area, The pathway spiraled around, allowing room for the steps that continued to lead downwards. Along the path were hundreds of worktables, with various toys, of every kind imaginable, being made, tested, and worked on vigorously but big, burly Yetis in colors of grey, white, brown, and black. Morgan's mouth dropped farther and farther which each new thing she took in.

"The elves...?" Morgan questioned.

"Apparently they don't make the toys," Jack chuckled.

"Well, what do they do?" He pointed to a group of thirty or so small creatures, with what looked like red, pointy hats pulled over their whole bodies, with room for the points of their ears and their faces. The tip of their hats had bells, and jingled as they walked. They were currently involved in making catapults out of their bodies and launching other elves at the wall. The elf would land, and then walk with a goofy grin and stagger as if they were drunk.

"That," Jack said.

"This is fantastic. I mean, you always imagine Santa's workshop, but never in my dreams did I imagine something this amazing." Morgan turned and saw a crane lift a heavy crate from the space in the center. Cogs moved, operating some sort of machinery that helped assemble larger toys.

"Jack! Keep her away from table 126!" North called from behind them.

"Oh, right," Jack laughed. "Christmas isn't for another ten months yet, can't see your gifts early."

"Aren't I a little bit old to be getting gifts from Santa Claus?" Morgan wondered. "I don't really play with toys anymore. In fact I never really did..."

"People who still believe still get gifts from Santa!" North blurted loudly, as he approached them to help steer Morgan away from curiosity. "And that is not true. I remember seven year old girl asking for dresses and tunics for Barbie and Ken dolls that look like different times in history."

"But, I mean, I was using them to reenact, I wasn't making up stories!"

"Is still playing." North placed his large hands on either side of Morgan and Jack. "Why don't we have talk?"

"Are we going to your office again?" Jack wondered.

"Yes."

"Are you going to traumatize me again?"

"That is possibility."

"Ah, boy." North guided them to a pair of doors with frosted glass windows and shut them when they had all entered the room. Once again, Morgan was in awe at her environment. Russian trinkets were hung on hooks around the room. Books and old artifacts lined the shelves, and there was a fire going in the corner. Several small toys – helicopters and planes – and paper cranes fluttered around the room. A Christmas tree was lit in another corner. The most amazing thing was the usage of ice. The furthest wall was composed of ice and snow, windows carved into it and candles placed in small crevices created to make lighting. There were a couple dozen or so things around the room constructed of ice. An ice windmill. A race track overtaking the desk in the middle of the room. A working train track extending around the room. On another desk was huge chunks of ice, and small toys used to carve things out of ice. So this was what North was hard at work doing all day.

"Your competitiveness with Bunny is not going to get you anywhere, Jack," North started. "Sandy's real thoughts may not come across real clear. You know how fast he talks when all fired up about something."

"Talk... right..." Jack muttered to himself with amusement.

"And I am afraid Tooth is not real objective when it comes to you and relationships."

"I think she's got her head on a little straighter than people give her credit for," Jack defended. "But I get it."

"And well... Cupid is pretty unreliable," North grinned.

"Um, you think?" Jack scoffed with sarcasm. "He's never there when people need his help. Plus, how can he give advice when he's got Morgan all starry-eyed and giggling as if she had some illegal substance." He was surprised for a second to see she had left him and was now peering over the books. Her fingers glided over the brown leather spine over a book that was antique in appearance. She drew her fingers back immediately after feeling the touch of its leather, squinting at the rough yellow lettering on the side.

"North... is this an original first folio?!" Morgan barely squeaked. His belly shook with his thunderous laughter.

"I should have known you would find that."

"What's a first folio?" Jack wondered.

"How do you not know what a first folio is?" Morgan scoffed.

"I'm sorry I have no idea."

"The First Folio of Shakespeare," Morgan stated, and then Jack got a little bit of an idea of the importance of this. "It is the very first edition of all his plays published together, put together by actors in his plays."

"Okay... but you're not into literature..."

"No, no, no, but Shakespeare is history."

"All authors are."

"Do you not understand Shakespeare?" Morgan repeated with annoyed tone. "He's like the greatest writer to have ever lived or ever will live. I myself, am not that into literature, but as far as history goes he is the top dog in writing. There is no one who can grasp the language like he can, and it's so much more than that. There is so much of history that was influenced by Shakespeare. So many idioms we use today were coined by Shakespeare. Dead as a doornail. All the world's a stage. All that glitters is not gold. Good riddance. Eat out of house and home. In a pickle. Like the Dickens. Too much of a good thing. Send him packing. Night owl. Love is blind. That was Shakespeare who came up with those. Language has its history, too. And he did so much for out language Not only that, so many of his plays account for things that happened in history. They're pretty accurate, although there are a few things wrong."

"How many have you read?" Jack asked curiously.

"Oh, none," Morgan answered and left an amused smirk on Jack's face, but her back was turned. "His plays are hard to read. I'm not much of a reader, except when it comes to descriptions of what happened. I don't think they're meant to be read anyway... oh, I'm so nervous to touch it." North erupted joyfully again.

"Is very amusing, but we must speak," North said calmly.

"But the folio-!"

"Will be there when we are done." Morgan groaned, looking longingly at the ancient book and joined Jack's side again. "Bunny feels as strongly as he does because he has lost family. His entire village gone. He remembers wife and kids and would never take that away from someone. Bunny sees you being selfish. Cupid, himself, does not stock much in taking of committed relationships. He works in getting people together, but he does that because he is spirit, he cannot maintain relationship. Cupid being Cupid, he still have needs, and so he does what we does and we refuse to know more. Jack, you are right in saying he needs to take more responsibility, but he is smarter than you give credit for. He has seen relationships end badly."

"Because he doesn't help fix them," Jack moaned.

"The couples need to figure some things out themselves."

"But he never does. Even the times when its desperate and he is needed. Think about the high divorce rate these days."

"Yes, he has gotten lazy past couple hundred years or so. But he is also trying to finally make progress in same-sex relationships as well. He is stressed, so he slip up."

"He slips up a lot," Jack mumbled.

"That is true, but this is not about Cupid. He has seen how relationships end just in human world and how bad that can be. He can foresee this not ending well, because he knows every single reaction, and with a Guardian and a Human, all he sees is bad endings, and worse. It is worldly mingling with other worldly. Two forces that were never meant to be together after childhood. When they become lovers, he is afraid of the effects on both of you."

"I'm not going to stop seeing Morgan, unless she tells me too," Jack firmly stated.

"And I'm not going to tell him to leave," Morgan added.

"I am not asking this," North told them defensively. Jack and Morgan both looked at him skeptically. "This is what Tooth believes. She think, no matter how it ends, no matter what happen, some things are necessary to be in a certain moment. Sometimes love, even horrible happens for reason, even if it does not have happy ending. To teach or grow. Morgan, do you think you should have dated Tristan?"

"Well... I... I'm upset it ended the way it did. But I don't regret being with him. He was a nice kid. He taught me that things needed to be looked at not with a twenty-first century eye, but as a product of their time and that there's still always a little truth in even the fictional things, and there's value to fantasy."

"Exactly!" North said, his cheeks warming with red. "And Pitch?"

"Whoa, whoa, Pitch didn't teach her anything!" Jack said. "That was only a day they were together. He manipulated her in a time of weakness, that's all."

"Actually, Jack," Morgan told him sweetly. "He's right. Even in that short amount of time. In fact, even our friendship before that. He taught me trust needs to be earned, some people are deceptive, and you need to be cautious and careful. He taught me that you need to protect yourself."

"Very good! Hey, maybe you should be Guardian."

"Just throw in a good word for me with the Man in the Moon," Morgan joked, and North released a boisterous laugh.

"And I think you are teaching each other," North said. "Do I think it is good idea? Maybe not really, but maybe it is necessary."

"So... what do you think?" Jack wondered cautiously.

"I think I do not know everything and you two are in charge of own lives." The two lovers smiled at his response. "I suppose there is definitely worse girls you could fall for Jack. And Morgan could date someone who is not s good man."

"Already done that," Morgan teased, and then made a gagging noise that caused Jack to snicker.

"But be careful. Not everyone be as okay with this as me. And I... would keep eye on Cupid." North winked.

"Oh, I'm not worried about him," Morgan said lightly. Jack rolled his eyes.

"I am," he said.

"It's so nice to know you have so much faith in me," Morgan retorted with sarcasm.

"It's not you, it's him! Do you not remember how you acted when he waltzed into the room? It's a part of his power or something. He has the power of appeal and him just speaking pulls you to him, whether you want to or not. If you're attracted to men, then it's nearly impossible to resist – I've seen it."

"What about people attracted to women? Or people who don't see gender or sex?"

"It's easier for them to resist. For the latter group, he still strikes up appeal. It's not as strong. But for anyone, he has some sort of charming effect."

"And for you?"

"If I am not purposely focusing on ignoring what he says, or looking at you, or keeping my distance, I find myself very easily swayed to his words. It's like he's incredibly persuasive. And I just want to listen to him talk. His scent also changes by what appeals to the person."

"And he smelled like?"

"Mangoes and vanilla." Morgan beamed when it occurred to her those were the scents of her shampoo and soaps of choice in the shower. "He's appealing to everyone in some form or fashion, even asexuals. He finds a way. People who aren't attracted to his... sex find it easier to resist him. As a male who loves women, and a Guardian, his appeal is only slightly annoying to me."

"What does Guardian have to do with anything?"

"Spirits have strengths and powers humans don't have, so resistance is easier. As a Guardian, he tones it down a little. He backs off of us a little. He still flirts and plays around. You? You are attracted to men, you are human. Right now, your age is protecting you. But I really think I should be near you the day you turn eighteen." Morgan laughed and then realized he probably wasn't joking. Jack looked over at North and nodded to him gratuitously.

"Thank you North. It means a lot," he said. "We appreciate it."

"There are lot of worse things that could be happening right now. This is really business not of ours." Jack smirked and pulled Morgan behind him. One last run through gave Morgan a final glimpse of the splendor that surrounded her. This time, he pulled Morgan out of the workshop, and per Jack's request, she clamored onto his back, looking down at the phenomenal site of the workshop on the edge of the mountain of ice and snow, peering below into a large crevice. She looked up across the expanse of white brilliance as they shot away from the workshop. She turned her head back, eyes forward to look for an aerial view of Canada.

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**I might type another chapter for you tonight, but I am really considering not. I need to do a report next week for this book I am only halfway through (Lolita. That book makes me feel really gross and icky and disturbed. And then it's really well written with some of the most beautiful wording I have ever seen, and then I feel disgusting for thinking it's beautiful wording because the book is about pedophilia. It's an awkward novel to read.), but it's disturbing and if I get too disturbed I might set it down and come back to this.**


	49. Deeper

**I opted to type the story instead. I'm too obsessed with this thing. Good news for you?**

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After returning from the North Pole, Jack decided he needed to spend some time with his family, with the promise that he would be back in three days for Valentine's Day, despite his despising the holiday. Morgan had used the time to catch up on homework, and read her history books and watch the documentaries she had been neglecting in order to spend some time with Jack. By Jack's request, she told her mother that, since Valentine's Day was rapidly becoming a day for couples only in her generation, she and Linda were having a lonely girl weekend and she was spending the night. Morgan was getting tired of telling these things to her mother, especially since they occurred so often. Her mother was always glad to hear them spending so much time together, and they did spend a lot of time together. They saw each other in school five times a week, and probably hung out together a few days a month. However, her mother was under the impression that they were together almost every weekend, and actually sometimes during the week after school. It wasn't that often at all. And Linda always being more than happy to back up her lie just reminded her of how good a friend she was and how much she really should be spending with her. She was putting her boyfriend (calling Jack her boyfriend was still a thrill to her and she loved saying it out loud) before her best friend... yes, that was what Linda was, she now realized, since Jack had been upgraded... seemed a little selfish. Still, it was Valentine's Day, and it was almost a requirement for couples. One more time would be okay.

"Wait, wait, wait. Are they picking you up?" Mrs. Kenter said.

"Um... yes?" Morgan said.

"Aren't the Tans poor?"

"MOM! That's a little rude!"

"Oh, no, no I didn't..." Mrs. Kenter blushed with embarrassment. "I simply meant, you always seem to be over there, and whenever you go over there, they pick you up. And they leave quickly, I never get a chance to say hi." Morgan fidgeted. "And gas is really expensive. That's a lot of driving."

"They don't live that far..."

"I'll drive you."

"Nooo...! Mom!" Morgan whined as she fished for the keys. She puffed her cheeks, filling with breathe before she searched for words. Morgan scrambled upstairs, plowing through her door so Jack, who had been waiting for her, turned sharply at her unexpected reaction.

"What's happening?" he asked with seriousness.

"My mother is insisting she bring me over to Linda's! I need to call Linda." Morgan swiped the phone from where she left it on the desk. She pounded in Linda's numbers, and she was the one who picked up. Morgan supposed she was still near the phone.

"Linda! We have a problem!"

"Yeah?"

"My mother wants to drive me to your house!"

"... Crap."

"You know how adults are. They always want to chat."

"Um... uh... okay. I got this. My mom isn't here, she had a dentist appointment. She'll be gone an hour yet. But dad... um... uh... uh..." Jack paced the room anxiously while Morgan watched him nervously. Her expressions were causing him to become fidgety and he continued to sigh. Morgan tapped the wall while she waited for Linda to say. "I know, I know. I'll... pretend I have my period!"

"What good will that do?"

"Well, I'll tell him I'm out of products and mom can't get them, can she? I'll make him go get me some."

"But mom won't let me go in the house if no one's home!"

"Morgan!" Mrs. Kenter called from outside.

"Just... letting Linda know what's going on!" Morgan shouted truthfully.

"All right, I'll be in the car..."

"I won't be with him!" Linda hissed. "I'll tell him that... I'm bleeding really bad and I'm too afraid to leave the house and I really need some and it will freak him out so badly, he'll go by himself. It will take him a good hour or so to find what I need. My dad doesn't like to ask for help."

"I don't want to do that to your dad though."

"Do you have any other plans?!" Linda screeched.

"No..."

"It's done then! That should give you enough time! I'll let you in, talk with your mom, and when she leaves, you can go with Jack."

"You're amazing."

"I know. Go!" Morgan hung up the phone and looked over to Jack, who was waiting expectantly for some news.

"What's the plan?" he asked. Morgan slung her overnight bag over her shoulder, adjusting it against her thick winter coat.

"Uh, I'm going over to Linda's. Meet me there. Her mom is out and going to be another hour yet."

"And her dad?"

"Linda's telling him she has her period and he needs to get pads," Morgan told him frantically. His eyes widened with embarrassment. "She's not really! Don't get so freaked out!"

"It's just, I feel for him. Rummaging through the store to find those... things."

"Oh my God, Jack just say it," Morgan snapped while she rolled her eyes. A horn squawked. "Coming!"

"I'll stop the snow so you can get there quicker."

"Okay." She flew to him and pecked him on the lips. "See you in a bit."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her mother would not leave. She kept saying how Morgan was always over at her place, but Linda was never at theirs, and she and her parents always seemed to elude them. Linda said that her parents were always in a hurry because they were always so busy. Morgan kept glancing on the clock, nervous about Linda's parents coming home and Mrs. Kenter talking to them about Morgan staying over. When Mrs. Kenter finally told her goodbye and her car pulled away, Morgan collapsed on the couch dramatically.

"I'm supposed to say you're here the entire weekend?" Linda asked.

"Yes..." Morgan groaned. "Jack told me to pack an overnight bag and that I would be with him all weekend." Linda's mouth made an O, and then she cackled wildly.

"You're so going to do it!" she said.

"We are not doing it!" Morgan declared.

"Valentine's Day? All weekend? You recently confessed your love for each other. You shaved your legs... in winter. Who shaves their legs in winter?!"

"I do! I don't like the feeling!" Morgan said. "Look, we haven't even talked about it, and if Jack wants to, he would ask me first ad I'm not ready so it won't happen!"

"I would be!" Linda laughed.

"Ugh... that's all you think about! Which is shocking because your parents are so modest!"

"The quiet ones are the kinky ones."

"Ew!" Morgan declared and skipped up the steps before time ran out. Linda smirked and slowly followed her friend into her room. Morgan stepped into the room, decorated with posters of her favorite films, TV shows, and Chinese décor. Jack was inside, leaning against the wall. Linda had previously left the window open for him. A smile brightened his face when he saw Morgan come into the room. She gave Linda a brief embrace while Jack nicked her overnight bag from her unsuspecting hands. He slung it over himself and waited for their girls to exchange their goodbyes.

"Tell me everything!" Linda yelled comically. Morgan stepped on the sill before she glared at her friend in jest.

"We are not doing it!" she said again. Linda giggled just as Morgan was being lifted onto Jack's back. She had mastered what force to hang onto Jack with over the years, and how to best situate herself on his back. It had now become a flawless effort to be carried by him. She also had become familiar with the altitude so the height didn't freak her out. Checking to make sure she was ready, Morgan was whisked away by her winter prince.

"So Linda thinks we're doing it?" he asked her with the trace of laughter lining his lips.

"Linda is a pervert!" Morgan reminded him in defense.

"Not going to argue with that," he laughed. "Can you imagine her around Cupid?"

"NO. NO NO NO. NEVER DO THAT." Her growl made Jack shiver a little.

"I would like to see it."

"NO. BAD THINGS WOULD HAPPEN."

"Well, not til she's eighteen."

"Hopefully it's a phase she'll have grown out of by then," Morgan responded hopefully. Jack's sudden burst of laughter told her that he thought that was a ridiculous notion.

"Oh, sweetheart..." he sighed, and reached over to pat her hand. "Sometimes you can be so naïve."

"I'm sorry, not all of us are as OLD AS DIRT."

"That hurts."

"Good!" Jack plastered his arms to his sides and shot down at a straight forty five degree angle, gaining momentum so their speed was threateningly growing. Morgan tightened her arms around Jack's neck, a little bit of fear playing on her nerves despite her complete trust in him.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!"she chanted and he pulled up. Her grip loosened and she let her head fall against his shoulders. "That was cruel."

"So was that."

"I take it I am not getting sex then?" he teased.

"You weren't getting it anyway!"

"I know..." he laughed. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

"But..." Morgan whispered softly against the tip of his ear. "You never know... maybe some day, when we're older... or I'm older."

"Don't... talk... like... that to me," he mumbled, in almost a painful way.

"Aww... why is that? Does..." Morgan ran a finger slowly down the side of his face, and lowered her voice to a sultry tone against his ear. "that get to you...?"

"Yes," he said quickly.

"So... everything does... work properly?" She breathed against his ear.

"Yes," he hissed at her, now becoming a little irritated.

"What would happen if I... continued whispered... like this..." With the last part, she coated it with as much seduction as possible, lowering her voice as far as her throat could handle. She heard him breath tightly and felt his shoulders tensing.

"Very. Bad. Things." he told her quickly. Morgan pressed her lips against his neck, and he tightened once more. "I hope you realize the discomfort I am experiencing right now."

"I'm aware," she laughed.

"You're proud of yourself, aren't you?"

"Maybe," she giggled.

"You're a little bit of pervert yourself."

"I'm not the one getting overly excited down there."

"But it's your fault."

"Yeah... it is."

"You better make this up to me," Jack challenged.

"I will," she promised. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now please go back to being an innocent so the Bennetts don't notice something weird with my pants."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They arrived at the Bennett household, and Morgan was embraced lovingly by the entire family. Jack was received with fond familiarity by his family, and Morgan enjoyed standing by and watching their interactions. Jack was hugged by Miss Bennett and she fussed over him like any other mother. Did he have a good trip, how he was doing, did he feel like eating something, had he talked to the other Guardians lately, how was their date at the tavern, etc. Jack answered all of these questions gladly and with honestly. He asked Jamie how he was doing in school and if he was getting all his homework done. Jamie responded that it had been a long time since they had a snow day, hinting to Jack that he wanted him to do something about that. Jack promised to get on that sometime and then turned to Sophie, who had been vying for his attention. Morgan was given some trail mix and juice for a snack while Sophie was tickled violently by Jack. He picked her up when he had finally given her a reprieves and kissed her dramatically on her cheek. She pretended to be disgusted, but laughed at this display of affection. Morgan sat at the table, feeling a little awkward as they knew each other really well, but she wasn't that familiar yet with the Bennetts.

"Is this your girlfriend?" Sophie asked innocently.

"Yes," Jack chuckled. "Is that okay?" Sophie nodded.

"She's pretty." Morgan couldn't help but to smile at the compliment. Her face glowed pink.

"I think so too," Jack agreed, looking over at Morgan with devotion reflecting from his eyes and caused her to turn her head with shyness.

"Why don't we let Morgan and Jack alone for a while?" Ms. Bennett suggested. Morgan was glad the be free of the awkwardness and just be alone with Jack. Jack allowed Morgan to go in front of him so his hand touched the small of her back, leading her in the direction of his room. He stood in front of the door and his smile shone brightly, building up the surprise of his room. He flung the door open and Morgan stepped inside, her mouth expanding into a laugh-filled grin. She took in the aura that reflected snow and ice and cold, beautifully pulled together within the small space.

"They did this for you?" she inquired in a soft voice, a hint of glee trying to burst through.

"I know," Jack said. "I was overwhelmed."

"So what's going on this weekend? It's going to be hard to top the tavern."

"Well, I brought you here because I wanted you to really get to know my family, especially since we're dating. Also, I wanted you to be in an environment where you could be comfortable and free about me without having to and wouldn't have... to hide me. I know it gets stressful trying to... not lie about me, but trying to keep quiet," Jack explained. "Dating me is not easy, I know. So I'm hoping that this will be a nice break for you. I have other stuff planned for this weekend, but that's why I brought you here." Morgan watched his mouth as he spoke, lips slightly curling at his words. She walked past him and pushed her hands against the door so it shut tightly. She glanced over her shoulder at him, simple smile forming to become more of a mischievous smirk. She giggled and approached him, tossing her arms around his neck. His fingertips, her skin feeling his chill radiating through her clothes, touched her waist. Jack lowered his head and Morgan met him, her lips pressing tightly against his. Morgan's one hand dropped, reaching for the bed sofa combo because she did not want to break away from the passion they were sharing. Grasping the edge of it, she pulled themselves over and collapsed onto it, taking Jack with her. She leaned her back against the wall, Jack gently stroking her arms while he kissed her fervently. Morgan opened her eyes for a moment, to gaze at the thin blue circles in his eyes, the color lessened due to the dilation of his pupils, indicating his deep interest in her. She blushed under his look, and turned her head away.

"What?" he asked through a smile. The way she turned her head in embarrassment was becoming more common lately, and he found it endearing. His fingers traced her jawline delicately while he admired how her bone structure was set in such perfect form. It was hard to think she had ever just been a small child to him before.

"The way you're looking at me..." she whispered. "It's like... I've never seen before. Like I'm something special."

"Morgan... of course that's how I'm looking at you," he explained, pressing his nose into her hair. He pulled her against his chest and then laid down, holding her on top of him. His fingers fluffed through her dark waves while she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Why haven't you figured out you are the most special thing to me?"

"Because I haven't been to anyone... for so long."

"I have a feeling your family would disagree with that." Morgan just shrugged. "And Linda?"

"Maybe."

"You're beautiful, and I don't just mean your looks, I don't want you to think for a minute that's all I focus on. I've learned a lot being around people. There's something in your soul and your heart. It's the most beautiful heart I have ever seen. Your eyes are gorgeous, and though I love their color, it's the way you look at the world. The way you see the past, the way you understand the world. You notice what no one else can. And that is stunning on you. It's your best look. Never change." Morgan's observations of her cracked another grin and she nuzzled her nose against his chest.

"I'm so in love with you..." she whispered.

"And I you."

"How about we just stay here forever? Never move. No school. No homework. Just us."

"I'm pretty sure you would miss your Joseph Fiennes and his historical films." Morgan playfully hit Jack in the arm.

"I suppose I could ask him to join us."

"Great, should I call Cupid?" Morgan laughed.

"No... I want just you," she told him with seriousness. "Only ever you." Their fingers interlocked and she reached up to kiss him again. "Am I sleeping in here?"

"Yeah..." he said. "I'll be in living room. I don't know if I'll sleep or not. I don't really need to. But I'll read or watch something."

"You won't be here with me?" Jack's eyes bugged at her response.

"You want me in here?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Morgan pouted.

"I just... I didn't want..."

"I'm pretty determined on keeping my maidenhead for a while."

"Ugh! You historians and that ancient language!" Jack teased. "Are you sure?"

"Why is it a big deal?"

"It's not I just... " Jack pursed his lips as he thought. "Couple of reasons, really. I... was a little concerned about myself..."

"We've done it before..."

"But I didn't... see you the way I see you now..."

"Arousing?" Morgan laughed. Jack sighed.

"Poor choice of words, but yes."

"Jack... you're way too protective," she laughed. "And I think you're still a little stuck in the ways of the 18th century. You are too concerned about me and my best interests. You would never do anything I didn't want to. And you would ask me about three times." Jack rolled his eyes, realizing how much that sounded like him. He pulled Morgan closer to him, kissing her hair. "Just lay with me, okay?"

"Well, there's another thing..."

"Yeah...?" He tugged at a folded quilt that he had set on the floor earlier, pulling it over her body.

"If you sleep entwined with a body who is covered in frost and is always freezing cold, you will freeze. I won't forgive myself if you get pneumonia." Morgan grumbled something and twisted herself in the quilt.

"See...?" she muttered and sleep drugged her. "Protective."

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**I will be uploading next day stuff, btw. But I wanted to give you guys fluff. Now it is past 4 am, So I am going to bed. Night!**


	50. The Power of the Pond

**I stayed up later than I should have typing this for you. This started out crummy, but then I grew to love it at the end.**

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The small window in the room leaked a narrow strip of sunlight onto the floor. Her arm fell from her face and when it occurred to her she felt incredibly warm. The blanket swaddled around her was to prevent her from waking up in a shiver, but her notice of how heated she felt under the blanket made her turn and realize Jack was not beside her. She sat up, and for a split second her heart jumped in a panic. She shifted around before a glimpse of red caught her eye and the heat she was feeling grew with the warming in her heart. She rose from the bed and lazily dragged her feet to the small table where she had seen the bit of red. A rose, as fresh as if it had been plucked in the ripening of spring, was placed across a small blue book, and note with hurried, fancy scribbles on it. She set the rose aside and took a peek at the title of the book, _Devoted: The Most Cherished People in History_. She resisted taking a look at it, and then looked over at the note. Jack's script was definitely full of loops and careful strokes, one of the few indicators of how old he actually was. He wrote in a style often seen on important documents in history. Before reading the letter, she took a moment to admire the calligraphy an the way the letters curved with poetic slants. It was still a little shaky, like it had been affected over the years. In a way, that was nice, because it may the letters more readable. It was still far more exquisite than the way most people wrote.

_My Snowflake,_

_It occurred to me how much girls seem to love fairy tales, or are always talking about a fairy tale romance. You never seemed to. And that makes sense, fairy tales are probably some of the most fabricated stories there are, so they are on the complete opposite end of what you would like. But I remember a few couples you mentioned in history, and how there were some you absolutely adored, like the guy who built the Taj Mahal (I can't remember the name, I'm sorry,) Antony and Cleopatra, and countless times I have heard you talk about how the relationship the current Queen of England has with her husband is beautiful. I'm going to let you in on something – I realized I was in love with you two weeks ago. I just didn't say anything until the Tavern because I was nervous. It was at the tavern, though, when I realized that what you would love, your type of fairy tale, would be the famous stories of love surrounding famous people in history. I can't believe my luck when I was walking in the old used bookshop with Helen, trying to find a gift for you. This had just arrived and I knew it had to be yours. So here are your fairy tales of love, love stories that actually happened to the people you care about. One day, maybe we'll be a part of the greatest figures of history and our love will be shared. I love you, Morgan. You helped this cold heart feel warmth again. Happy Valentine's Day._

_Your Jack_

Morgan crushed the note against her chest instinctively, feeling the words rupture her heart with his devotion. She sniffed the rose quickly and then laid it back down. She held the book to her chest and paged through it, excited to see people like Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson, Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine, Antony and Cleopatra, Prince Khurram and Arjumand Banu Begum (The Taj Mahal guy and his favorite wife), and the often misunderstood marriage of Juan and Evita Peron. There were also others she had never heard of, and couldn't wait to read them all. But history's tales of love would have to wait. She had a boy, whom she assumed was helping with what was emitting aromas of maple syrup, eggs, and sausage, to say good morning to.

Feeling inspired to maybe a dress a little nicer today, she dove into her overnight bag and searched for an outfit to pull together. Morgan always packed for three times as long as she needed because she was always concerned about weather and unexpected events. Often, she regretted it, but she was glad for it this time. Having always cared just a little less about clothes than most girls in her grade, it was not often she felt the need to dress nice. But today, she wanted Jack to think her as gorgeous. He always did, but it was important to her to look particularly so. At the end of her indecisiveness that took twenty minutes, she had decided on a teal cardigan that had reached her mid-thighs, with a cream colored top peaking out between the V at the collar. A full skirt in a tone of subtle brown flowed from beneath the cardigan, and her legs were protected by knitted leggings, patterned by asymmetrical lines of mocha, tones of sand, sapphire, turquoise, white, all with designs of white snowflakes and polka-dotted by dark brown. Ten more minutes to do her make-up, a little thicker around the eyes than usual, a hair comb to pull away hair from her eyes, and she decided she probably make an entrance so Jack didn't think she died.

Morgan bobbed confidently into the Bennett kitchen, where there was only Ms. Bennett and Jack running about. She was engaged in aggressively scrubbing a pan while Jack was attempting to artistically garnish a plate with eggs Benedict, a waffle with a perfect square of butter, and three stubs of sausages. Both of their backs were turned and she had succeeded in arriving noiselessly. She silently giggled as Jack sighed at the falling strawberry, and retrieved another one, trying to place it beside a sprig of mint. She leaned against the doorway and enjoyed the show of his struggles.

"I guess I give up on this..." he moaned.

"Watching you struggle over trying to make it perfect is more endearing than it actually being perfect," Morgan spoke, causing his shoulders to jolt. He spun and for a second, his mouth couldn't form words.

"I didn't expect you to be awake quite yet..." he admitted. Ms. Bennet giggled reminiscently.

"I was too warm," she told him with slight accusation. In a gentlemanly fashion, Jack slid a chair out from the table for her and gestured her to sit. Blushing under his treatment, Morgan daintily sat down and he pushed her in. He flourished the plate dramatically before her and set it down. Ms. Bennett handed him a glass of something that was a little too light to be red, a little too dark to be red. She smiled fondly at him remembering she loved grapefruit juice in the morning. When he was finished preparing her breakfast, her hand shot out to him and pulled him close to her. Morgan pressed her lips firmly to his, skin buzzing under the collision of ice cold and her 98 degrees of body temperature. His fingers stroked the ends of her hair as they kissed and Morgan was aware of her knees brushing up against his.

"Okay," he said, turning his head away from her. "Eat now." She happily complied, the wonderful smells arousing her hunger. "And I'm glad to see you dressed warmly."

"Is that all you noticed?" she laughed.

"That it is way too perfectly coordinated for you to have thrown it together," he laughed. "You're trying to impress someone."

"You got me," she said. "I planned a date with Joseph Fiennes."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing, I just thought if you were going out with him, you would dress as provocatively as possible. I do remember you saying once that if you ever saw him, you might just take him right then and there because you'll never get a chance."

"Well... I'm not wearing a bra, if that counts for something," Morgan laughed. Ms. Bennett stopped grinding at the pan, and turned her head suspiciously. Jack didn't seem to be bothered by her reaction. Instead, he was looking at Morgan, jaw slightly lowered while he tried to figure out if she was lying or not. His eyes flew back to Morgan's face immediately after looking down, and she giggled at his speechlessness. Finally, he huffed and just ran his finger over her shoulder.

"Okay you're lying..." he said with narrowed eyes.

"But you were questioning it for a second, weren't you?" she laughed, and then gnawed at the edge of the waffle.

"Try not to eat... too much," he warned. "I don't want you to puking later."

"Why would I puke?" Jack just smiled. "I don't like that... why are you smiling." He shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered away. "Jack!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The moment she had finished eating, Jack was shoving her arms into her coat, impatiently pulling her out o her chair. She kept berating him about what he was doing, but he refused to answer. When Jack finally got her to get into her winter gear, although not fast enough for him. She jumped onto his back after he picked up a small, black bag, and he flew off, the wind carrying him just a couple of miles away from the Bennett house. He flew her into the wooded area of the town, landing in a snow bank in a clearing among the trees. The clearing had been created by a pond, now glossed over by a frozen sheet. Morgan climbed off and hopped onto the iced pond.

"NO," Jack snapped, a little angrier than he had intended. "Wait."

"But it's frozen sol-"

"Morgan. Let me be the judge of that. Please." Morgan shut her mouth, remembering Emma and how he was probably thinking of her too. She nodded and Jack glided over the ice flawlessly. He walked across it, scraping over the top of it with his crook. Crystallized ferns snaked around the top of the ice, and fanned out in a unique design. He dropped the small black bag with muffled thump. "For the past week, I've been stopping here to add another layer of ice, and checking to make sure it's thick enough to be on."

"I think it's frozen solid..." Morgan muttered, slamming her foot on the ice.

"Morgan!" he snapped again. "Stop. Stomping. On. The. Ice. It freaks me out when you do that. It may be in some places, but in others it could just be thin. I need to be absolutely sure. If you wind up on a place that is thinner and you go through... I just... can't." Morgan drew her foot back, reading the traumatized past in his tense form.

"If you're so concerned, why bring me here?" she asked.

"Because I've never brought anyone here before. I've been too freaked out to show them. Ice is fine. Ice skating is fine. Kids ice skating is fine. But it's this particular pond I have problems with. It's as if this one is evil, by itself." He glared down at the sheen of hardened water.

"This... is where you... died." Jack nodded. This wasn't just a pond. This was what made Jack who he was. This was where he spent his last moments as a human, and Morgan realized... by bringing her to this pond he was opening up his past and himself far more than he had ever had. She was the only one ever who had seen the pond this way, seen this part of him. He crouched in the middle of the pond and stared at the center, boring his eyes into frosted white of the pond. His shoulders fell back and his eyes turned towards sadness in reminiscing. This was the most naked his soul had ever been, and that spoke volumes to Morgan. He was allowing himself to be seen this way by her. He was okay with it. He trusted her to see this side of him. He could only ever allow that if he truly cared for her. The depth of his love was suddenly aware to Morgan, and that depth impaled her with intense adoration and confusion. She was elated he cared about her this much, but it was hard for her to understand how and why. It was easy to explain, and see, why she loved Jack so much. But her mind could think of very little of herself that would be this valuable, that he would share the deepest thing about himself.

Treading carefully, she slipped onto the pond, Jack whipping his head around to watch her with intense caution. When she was close enough, his hand caught her, perhaps a little too aggressively with his pounding fear, and he caught her in his arms.

"Do you wish he hadn't chosen you?" she asked.

"For a while, I did," he answered. "Nobody saw me for a long time... I didn't understand what I was supposed to do... and then I realized why and what and I remembered Emma, and I was hit so hard with grief for my family, and for her that had been dormant for three hundred years. Did you know... when I found you, I was struggling coming to terms with... well, my death? My death separated me from my family, and they grew without me there. I didn't want to be Jack Frost, I wanted to just... stay dead. If I stayed dead, I wouldn't be feeling this. Now, I don't. Getting to know you, and... falling in love with you. I would have missed that. And I can't imagine ever being without you."

"But, have you ever regretted taking her skating that day?" Jack bit his lip while he thought over her question.

"I have."

"And now?"

"I think... there are things in this life that we can't answer and never know the answer to... but if it was my time to go, I'm glad it happened that way. I'm glad I died having fun with my sister, saving her from her own death, and I got to see her smile before I... fell." Jack pulled her across the ice, back over to where he had left the bag. He kept one hand on her, a little terrified of the power of the pond. He zipped it open and then produced a pair of purple skates. "I stole them from your house. Brad told me where they were."

"Ugh," Morgan responded with disgust. Jack chuckled and motioned for to sit. She hissed when she did and shifted uncomfortably.

"My butt is freaking cold," she said.

"Imagine what my butt must be like," he responded, pulling her boots off. Morgan parted her lips, a sly remark forming. "Close your mouth. I would rather not hear your comments about your thoughts on my butt."

"You felt my bra strap this morning!"

"Bra strap is not the same as the actual bra," he remarked, and leaned over to kiss her. He tightened the laces and helped her to feet.

"Um... I've only skated like... three times..." she stammered, staring down at her shuddering ankles. Jack stiffened, the image of Morgan shaking on skates looking way too familiar to the memory that haunted him. He swallowed hard and shut his eyes tightly. Morgan quickly gave in to her fear of stumbling when she saw Jack himself was nervous. If the spirit of winter, ice, and snow was nervous, then how could she be expected to be calm? Jack's eyes shot open again, and he observed the fear quaking her. He remembered his sister, how he had taken away her fear. He remembered Pitch, and how he had fed on Morgan's fear. And then he looked at Morgan, and realized he could never keep fear away from her, if he was also afraid. So he breathed, and he spoke.

"It's okay, it's okay..." he told her softly, his fingers curling into hers. "Don't look down, just look at me..."

"Jack..." her voice trembled, and he felt a strange comfort at the words echoing from his past. "I'm scared."

"I know, I know," he muttered, finding a new sense of confidance in himself. He pulled her along and she slid across the sheen of the surface. Her mouth was attempting to form a smile, but fear was still griping her. "But you're going to be all right. You're not going to fall... we're going to have a little fun instead..."

"No we're not!" she wept. "I'm going to..."

"I promise, I promise..." he recited from memory, now a smile making its way to his face. The pond was becoming less intimidating. He looked across its frosted surface and laughed at himself. It was just an icy pond. "You're going to be fine..." Morgan looked up, her panic disappating slowly. He backed up and moved her across the pond more. Her ankles stopped shaking and she grinned at the ease of it once she found the strength to hold her ankles. "You have to believe in me..."

"Always..." Morgan whispered, sliding closer to him. He tightened his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

"Good... because I believe in you..." Jack moved her across the pond more and slowly created distance between them. She yelled at him when he dropped his hands from hers, a second of fear telling her she could not do this. She kept yelling at herself internally that she was going to fall and she was never going to get the hang of this. Jack was right, there was something wrong with this pond. The fear pounded in her ears and she was ready to scream. She glanced at the darkness that showed the depth of the pond. The darkness, the one that Jack had fallen into, invoked her fear more. But then she remembered Pitch. She remembered how strong her fear was, and how she had fallen into the darkness because of her fear. To avoid the darkness, she reminded herself, she needed to get past her fear. And then she saw Jack. He had defeated her fear and kept it back, and that was what he was trying to do now. She hadn't let him before, and she wasn't about to do the same thing again.

"I believe in you," Jack said, now a good couple meters from her. The words, said once again, fueled her more than her fear did. He had believed in her then, even when no one else did. Morgan She held up her head looked forward. She pushed her feet along and cheered as she moved across with little effort. Jack triumphed boisterously while she continued to push herself along, her speed growing with her confidence. He eventually caught her from behind and helped push her along, kissing her face. She laughed while they together glided across the surface of the pond that had ended his life, and renewed hers,

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**Can I not start work at 8:45 tomorrow? Please? No? Okay...**


	51. Love's Fight

**Hey guys! Going to bed right after this, but I hope you enjoy this chapter! If you guys have been coming up with theories and analyseses (what is the plural for that word?) I would love to hear them... I try to make connections in the stories ad fill this story with symbols and metaphors and figurative language, so please tell them to me! Also, find me on tumblr guys, so i can talk you you! Username is roseofphantom. Also, if you guys send me questions - one me, on the story, on me and the story, if I get enough I might put them in a video for you!  
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**Two weeks left of school and I am DONE (not including Finald Week, but four out of five of my finals are essays). And I can work on this ALL DAY for you. Hopefully I would be updating more. But at least one a day, as always. I am also excited to start working more and not be so broke all the time **

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Jack stirred early the next morning, at the moment in time when a soft glow of light was lining the horizon against the backdrop of night. The room was still drawn under the blue black absence of light. The house was devoid of any noise while the Bennetts slept. He had been right. The pond did have a power, but it wasn't what he had thought it was. It was something more mystical than that. He had understood why he had fallen for Morgan the way he did. She had believed in him with an ease only seen in his sister, and his Bennetts, who were his family. It was true that Morgan had her stubborn and aggressive sides, but that also meant she never gave up on people. She valued people, especially those who often went undervalued. Jack watched her shift her chin against the pillow, her fingers lightly grazing the blue material over his chest. Her knees had been bent, and pulled up so she was knocking against his thighs. His hand rested on the curvature of her waist; her body heat had been scalding against his frost tipped hands, but now it had gotten used to his cold and was mildly warm. He tugged the blanket back over her. Jack was in constant fear of getting her sick if he touched her too long, but Morgan always argued she liked it when he really touched her. So far, yesterday was the only time he had allowed to forgo the blanket, when Morgan had caught him so off guard when she shoved him against the wall in fit of burning desire. He hoped the heat her body created when they tangled in the first real make out session of roughly thirty minutes had been strong enough to warm off anything freezing cold temperatures could do to her. Right now, she seemed fine. The curve on her chest rose and fell in a gentle motion that told him she was breathing fine. Her cheeks were brushed with a tint of rose, and she wasn't even shaking under his cradling arms. Clots of golden particles clung to ends of her eyelashes, remnants from the Sand that fueled her dreams. They had gotten back not too late, but Morgan has been exhausted from the day's agenda.

She had danced across the ice on the lake, gracefully sliding along the surface Jack perfected to help her stay upright. She had fallen twice, once on her posterior which she had just laughed off, another landing flat on her stomach and her face slammed into the ice. She did spent a minute moaning over it, but soon it was followed with her own jokes about falling for Jack's masterpiece, so he had understood she was okay. Several times she ripped away from him to attempt to skate by herself, which was when she fell, and the way she had laughed and the persistent confidence she had cradled his heart with proud intensity of admiration. He could only observe how wonderful she was, and had obsessed over the fact she chose to be with him, even though a human relationship would have been so much easier. The gentle snowfall he created nestled in her hair and the luminescent glow of delight grew. Jack's mood of perfect bliss caused the weather to raise in temperature a few degrees and the snow seemed to float in an almost waltzing motion. He watched Morgan, amazing to discover he thought something was more beautiful than the crystallized pellets that landed in her hair and on her nose.

"Stop nipping at my nose!" she had scolded with playful chuckling.

"You're the one who keeps skating into it," he had defended.

"You are purposely strategically planning every individual snowflake so they land on my nose," she teased, gliding towards him. Jack reached out and caught her by the middle, preventing her from moving forwards.

"That requires knowing math and angles," Jack had said. "I just let them fall." Morgan had spun on her skates, teetering as she did but her hands tightened against Jack's shoulders. He had pulled her closer so they were now pressed against each other.

"I think..." she theorized. "You are thinking about me."

"Hm?"

"The weather reacts to your emotions, right? So it's following me. Haven't you noticed how the snow is always in my face, no matter what direction I'm in?." Jack had exhaled slowly and the snow soon began to fall straight down. "Thank you."

"I can still nip your nose," he had told her, and had attacked her nose with a barrage of icy kisses on the tip. Morgan chortled under the attack and wriggled to get away from him. Instead, he had kept his arms around her, laughing at her reactions to him. She was the most perfect girl he had ever seen, and it was so hard to fathom how much she had changed in four years.

They had spent a couple hours at the lake, and Ms. Bennett fixed hot chocolate for her to counter the cold she had taken in. After she had downed the mug, they went back to Jack's room and that was when she had attacked him. Jack smiled fondly at how eager she had been to latch her arms around him, ignoring Abby while she barked at Sophie and Jamie, who thundered with enthusiasm all around the house. After lunch, they spent time playing a game with the Bennetts, and then dinner was followed by a film, a family friend that was, of course, also a true story for Morgan's interest. While they had all squeezed themselves onto that couch, Sophie on Ms. Bennett's lap, Morgan on Jack's, and Abby attempting to make room for herself, Jack had this feeling propel his heart. It was one he had felt before, but it had been so long he had forgotten it was missing from him. It was a sense as near to completion he had ever felt since the last time he saw his sister. On his lap was the girl he cherished more than anything, and his family, tossing kernels of popcorn at each other and Abby cleaned up after them At some point, Sophie had fallen asleep and Jamie offered to take her upstairs. Morgan walked lethargically to Jack's room, falling over onto the bed couch. She made the argument she was too tired to change into her pajamas, but when Jack smacked her in the face with a blue baseball shirt that said "LOVE", the O being a snowflake, and pajama bottoms with little fox faces all over it, she reluctantly complied and skipped to the bathroom. After returning, however, she passed out immediately.

That brought them to where they were now, Jack waking up beside her and memorizing the contours that shaped her eyes and then followed down to form her nose. He moved his fingertips across the petals of her lips and then navigated to the shadow of her jaw. The body was most easiest to read, in its stillness, as it slept, making it all the easier to find that trace of childhood. It was there, in the fullness of her cheeks, the resting contentedness in her brow, and the slight touch of joy that turned her lips. For a second, it made him wonder about what he was doing and he jerked back from the shock of seeing the innocence still lingering, but womanhood, and it's doom of growing up, was more apparent than it ever had. She would hate it, if he pointed it out, but skin was raised and red in a couple of places along her scalp where pimples were forming. On the outsides of her playful smirk, was the pressed patience of a girl who had endured too much to be a child any longer. The curvature of her closed eyelids was no longer as prominent as it used to be, a sign her eyes, which were pretty much always the same size from birth til death, had grown into her head. Her face had thinned out dramatically, the biggest indicator of her childhood leaving. And that was just her face. There were other parts on her body that had certainly developed and made it more obvious she wasn't a girl, but he chose not to think of them. No, Morgan was not a girl anymore. The thought both terrified and cheered him. With her innocence leaving, more and more worlds were opening up to her everyday so she would soon lose her naivete of the world. Maybe that already happened and he never noticed it, but it was not a thought that soothed him. With only a couple years til high school, she was to soon enter a world where she would see dark things for the very first time. He would be there, of course, to help her, but having always spent time with children and getting no time as a teenager himself before his demise, and it being a different time, he was not sure how to handle it. He never expected to do this. And of course, there was always the matter of her not believing.

At this point though, he believed in her way too much that it no longer haunted him as much as it used to. He had learned her deep passion for him and the prints he left behind, he was sure she would never, at least, stop believing in his existence. Whether or not she would stop believing in their love, that was a different matter altogether, and that was the one that riled his thoughts. At the same time, he could not wait to enter a world with her he had never gotten the chance to explore, to learn new things about the world and teenagers and just be one, when he never could before. The unexpected and the new of their lives together was stressful in his apprehension.

Morgan twitched once more under the tickle of his kisses and this time, her lashes lifted to expose her sunny brown orbs.

"Uhh..." she moaned tiredly and the pulled the covers over her head.

"Good morning?" Jack said to her with a chuckle.

"Nnrrrgghhh..."

"I'm not sure that's English."

"Everyone should be well learned in Waking Up Speech," she said to him in a slurred tone. "And no one should ever wake up to the sun rising."

"You should at least once in your life..."

"No." But Jack had already abandoned her side and was rifling through her bag. "Whaaatt?"

"Here." A roll of socks plunked her in the face. She looked over to him inquisitively as she unrolled them, and hesitantly pulled them on. Jack tugged at her arm, persuading her to get out of bed.

"I suppose I'm already up..." she moaned, and then allowed Jack to lead her out of the room. She yawned as he dropped her coat on her shoulders and set her boots in front of her. Lazily she stepped into them, and Jack zipped her coat when she seemed to be having trouble locating the zipper through her tired pupils. He led her out the door and she clung to him while he crawled up the side of the house. The two of them sat on top of the barn domed roof of the Bennett house and Jack positioned Morgan so she was halfway into his lap. He threw and arm around her and leaned his chin against her hair.

"Okay," she breathed, a draft of white air emitting from her mouth in the cold air. "Maybe this is a little worth it." The red orange light was now brightening and weaving into the navy sky, pockets of violet trapped between the colors. Behind them, the moon was still shining it's silver haze. Only a couple more hours and it would be no longer be visible. Morgan ripped her eyes from the beauty of the approaching dawn and stared at the silver orb.

"Morgan?" he addressed.

"Oh... I was just thinking... the moon is like... the ruler of Guardians and spirits... and he's the wisest?"

"Yeah. He chose all of us."

"Would he have something to say about us?" Morgan wondered.

"I've talked to him about it... but he very rarely responds. He seems to respond only when it's vital to us."

"And love isn't vital?"

"It's hard to know how he thinks." But Morgan clapped her hands together as if preparing for Sunday morning service and tightly shut her eyes.

"Please please speak, Man in the Moon and help us know what to do!" she begged dramatically. "What can we do?" A passing of silence bloomed into Jack's laughter.

"It's not a prayer!" he said. "It's like talking to a friend, like you're asking Linda for help."

"Well I don't know, the Man in the Moon wasn't a thing in my house," Morgan shrugged. "We were taught about the moon, and that if you looked closely you could see a face, and that was the Man in the Moon. Although I always thought the angle of the face looked feminine."

"Well none of us have ever actually seen him," Jack explained. "It's like... we can hear what he's saying it our hearts, but there's no real voice to it? It's hard to explain."

"I just keep thinking if he knew this would be a problem... if this would happen," Morgan moaned and leaned in closer to Jack. "I want to grow up Jack, but I don't want to if it means losing you."

"Let's be like Peter Pan and fly to Neverland," Jack remarked.

"You can fly, right? Second star to the right?"

"Except instead of it being spring when I go there, it would be winter."

"That's okay," Morgan said. "Oh how fun it would be to play house or something."

"What a dream that would be..."

"Can I tell you something, Jack? A secret. I have never told anyone before..."

"Yeah, of course you can, snowflake. You can tell me anything."

"I'm... ashamed to admit it..." Morgan whispered. "I have never thought about it seriously... but it's passed my mind."

"What?"

"Everyone who is a Guardian had to die or be completely overtaken to something from the spirit realm, right?"

"The latter is less common, and realm isn't really the right word since we're in the same world as you, but yes..."

"Well..." Morgan nervously scrunched the snow on the roof, her cheeks filling with red and her knuckles white as Jack's skin. "Once or twice I wondered... maybe if I died..."

"You are _not _thinking about killing yourself?!" Jack said with baffled shock rising as he did.

"No, no, Jack I _promise_ I am not!" she assured him quickly, embracing him immediately. "I am not going to do that... it's just more of a 'If I died, I wonder if I would be chosen and we could be together?' But from what you've told me, the Man in the Moon chooses people depending on how they've lived their lives and what they have done to serve and protect people. Selfless people. Isn't suicide considered the most selfish act? I'm not sure that would... help with anyone to be chosen."

"Well, I don't know, I haven't met anyone who was a suicide. Cupid begged for himself to be killed, but that was..."

"Cupid _begged_ to be killed?" Morgan interrupted with a gasp.

"For... selfless reasons, of course," Jack explained shortly. The look on her face was expectant and he knew she was waiting to hear more. He turned to her to give the account. "He lived in the area of Italy, not long after Pitch's rise to power. A couple hundred years or so. He was about twenty-three, and he had a best friend who had been his friend since they were toddlers, but they were also complete opposites. Cupid was popular, was liked by everyone, charming... you understand, I don't need to explain." Morgan snickered with guilt. "Ilario, his friend, was always at home, helping care for his siblings and working with his father. He didn't have the charisma Cupid had either. He wasn't popular, and try as he might, he could not get this one girl to like him, Gemma her name was. She had liked him since he was about your age, and he was a year younger than Cupid. She was the only girl he had ever liked, the only one he ever truly cared about. Cupid, however, never really liked anyone truly. He just..." he waved his hand, trying to avoid the subject.

"Slept around." Morgan responded.

"Yeah. And he was good and persuading them. Boys and girls. But Ilario was secret about Gemma, didn't even tell Cupid. He saw her once, and apparently she was one of the most beautiful girls to have ever existed, but she wasn't stupid and she wasn't easily swayed. When she turned down Cupid's advances, and you know how hard that is, he became obsessed with her and through his obsession he discovered he did fall in love with her. When Cupid told her he was never going after anyone else ever again, she didn't believe him – until he actually did it. He secluded himself and denied any requests for attention. She told him she loved him too and they began a relationship – a real one. Ilario, however, was not happy as you can imagine, and they got in this huge fight and didn't speak for months. Gemma was taken one day and Cupid asked for Ilario's help in finding her. He immediately agreed and the two searched for her. I don't really know how, but Cupid had built a reputation so some people did not like him, since had an affair or two or ten with some people that were already in relationships. This person also happened to be obsessed with Gemma, and the two of them together just broke him. I never learned his name, Cupid never seemed to want to say it, but it seems it wasn't hard to find her, but he had already has his way with her several times over and it had taken a toll on Gemma mentally. He was going to kill Gemma and Ilario and leave him lonely forever, but Cupid begged to be taken instead, and he did, but not before he asked Ilario to stay with Gemma and protect her from the public. In those times, rape was not seen as a terrible thing that happened to a woman, but it made a woman into some sort of whore." Morgan jumped at the term, not used to Jack using such language. "Cupid died for love. Not just for his love for Gemma, but also his love for his best friend. That was why he was chosen. To protect love and to help people find love. I guess for a while, he did a good job, and kept a close eye on Gemma and Ilario. They got married and had children, and for a while they were happy... but Gemma was always traumatized. He tried to keep her happy, but everything weighed down on him. Gemma's mentality was too difficult for him to handle, he had obtained the status as the guy who had married the girl who got raped, his children were often teased. He walked out on her. Cupid tried to rekindle everything, but he ignored _everything_, not wanting to deal with it. Gemma died alone."

"And that's why Cupid isn't as responsible..." Morgan concluded. Jack nodded.

"And he's just getting worse. Cupid sleeps around a flirts to cope. Also, it's always been a part of his personality. His story is a sad one. And that is a horrible thing to go through. But it's been years, and he seems to have turned a blind eye to the stories that did make it, and instead focuses on that one event. He's irresponsible and needs to learn how to take action, but he's not a terrible guy." The yellow white light of the sun was now beginning to conquer the town. Morgan winced under it's bright pain. Jack looked down at the neighborhood below and groaned.

"It's February 15. That means right now there's thousands of people slipping out of houses who are never going to call their nightly partners back, all because of what Cupid's done. I just wish he learned responsibility."

"No, Jack," Morgan said, clutching his hand. "I mean you're wrong, but you're not focusing on it. Sure, Cupid made have flung the arrows, and created sparks in people. But Pitch is still around, and will always be, because fear always will be. And some people are afraid of commitment... or just got drunk. The people who are leaving are leaving because of Pitch. The way I see it, people leave and some say something about it not working. That's fine, some things just don't work. It hurts, but at least they realized it wouldn't. And then there are those who slip away because they're too cowardice too say something – they're too afraid. That's Pitch, that's not Cupid. But besides that, you need to remember and keep in mind the other things happening today."

"And that is?"

"People are waking up to celebrate engagements, or are just becoming engaged. In some cases, in 9 months, new life will be born. More lives you can taunt with snowballs in a few years. Yesterday, there were weddings. There may be new relationships. They may be the ones actually falling in love, but it was Cupid that created the spark – even if he was firing blindly." He ran his hand up and down her arm, staring into the bright of the sun on the snow. "Cupid might be more aware of what he's doing than you think."

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**Thanks so much you guys for all the love and support you have been giving me. It means so much, and it really makes me feel glad to type this for you. I love you all! See you tomorrow! Rosie out.**


	52. Leaving Promises and Belief

**For feels, listen to "Sleep Well My Angel" by We Are the Fallen**

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"Geez, girl, how about slowing down on the candy?" Linda advised. For once, Morgan was actually at Linda's house instead of lying to her parents about it, and she had let her father drive, given what happened last time. This would help their cover, and yes, it would help the Tans save money. After the weekend with Jack for Valentine's Day, Morgan did a lot of thinking about her and Jack, and her and Linda. They were teenagers and she had learned enough from Aubrey that when boys interfered with friendships, it could be horrible for them. She told Jack what she was feeling, shortly after getting back home, and he had listened to her expressions of fear of her friendship with Linda. She considered the Bennetts her friends, but Linda was her only friend in Harrisburg. She had given up on Brianne long ago. She didn't want to lose Linda, and so Morgan was devoted to spending more time with Linda. The weekend after Easter found Morgan at her friend's house again, pacing around the room while her beloved fictional characters stared down from their placements against the hues of coral orange. While she walked back and forth nervously, Morgan nibbled on a block of chocolate, stopping once in a while to glance at the beautiful calligraphy painted onto a hanging scroll, a fan, or those canvas bubbles Linda had hanging on her walls. Linda did not like to discuss her culture much at school because she had always been nervous about what people thought of her since she had been met with so many harsh words regarding her ethnicity. Truth was, though, Linda was proud of where her parents came from and when she found something that was written or decorated with Chinese symbols or writing, she liked to collect it if she could afford it. Morgan admired the artistic strokes of the written language and wondered if she would ever be able to do that. Her art had given her a steady hand.

Another glance out the window, which was still blotchy with snow despite it being April now, reminded her of how Jack would soon leave as well. He had caused it to snow the day before Easter, and had been called away after Easter to receive a talking to by Bunny. Just the other day, Jack had visited her again, but things were tense between them. The two of them both had Jack's soon departure lingering on their minds and had wondered what would that mean for them? Neither one of them wanted to say anything. They had just wanted to enjoy each other's company as much as possible.

"We should not have stopped at that convenience store on Monday," Linda groaned. She leapt up from her bedspread of golden roses mingled in with green leaves and swiped away the chocolate in Morgan's hand. "Okay, stop it."

"Give me my chocolate!"

"No," Linda said. "I know the reason you're nibbling on this. You gnaw on candy when you're nervous, and you've been doing it since you got here."

"I just have a craving."

"No," Linda scoffed, a black brow raising above her knowing glare. "You think I haven't noticed? The snow is melting. That means Jack has stopped with his antics, and he can't stick around. He's leaving soon."

"Monday..." Morgan moaned. "He's coming by tomorrow night to say goodbye."

"What did you two decide when you talked about it?"

"We didn't," Morgan confessed in a sighed. Linda dropped her arms and her beautifully lined eyelids patted together in a flabbergasted expression.

"You haven't _talked _about it?!" Linda's voice went up an octave with her declaration of her shock.

"We're scared to."

"Communication is essential in any relationship!" Linda said. "You need to be honest about everything."

"I know, Linda, please don't give me this talk..." Morgan moaned. Linda passed over the candy bar, but Morgan set it down. "I'm going to miss him so much."

"It's only til your birthday right?" Linda said. "That's not that long, considering. And long distance relationships are more and more common these days."

"But last summer... Pitch invaded my life. And nearly ruined what I had with Jack. I think that's what he's most terrified of."

"Hey now," Linda said. "Last summer, you did not have me. And Jack approves of me. You're smart, Morgan, and even if something does happen like that again, I'll put up my dukes."

"Dukes? That's something Peter says!" she cackled wildly.

"Morgan, you need to get out your feelings about the situation with Jack before he leaves. When he comes over on Monday, don't just hug and say goodbye. Get out your feelings."

"But it's... so hard," she moaned. "He'll be worrying about me the whole time when he's down there, and I would worry about him worrying about me, and then it would become a vicious cycle..."

"He'll worry more if you never say anything." Morgan flung herself onto Linda's, being consoled by the pillows.

"Just so you know... the thing about you being a dumb Asian isn't true at all..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This was to be the last night together until the fall. Morgan had spent hours going through her closet, deciding to throw on something that Linda had called "really hot" on her. Then, she figured that would make Jack way too passionate and long to stay, so she changed into the frumpiest outfit. Not wanting for that to be the last thing he saw Morgan in, she changed back into the clothes she originally had been in – a grey striped shirt with half sleeves, a dark brown snug fitting vest, and skinny Capri jeans. Nothing to impress Jack, or revolt him, but maybe it wouldn't be too much of an emotional goodbye.

The possibility of that outcome had gone out the window the moment Jack had come in. he barely stepped inside and she was hanging on his neck, his staff nicking her clothes and send an icy wave of frost on its collar to tickle the nap of her neck. Her lips aimed for his face so poorly in her fit of grieving passion, she kissed every part of his face but his lips. Jack stepped back and gripped her face so she would remain still. When he was able to finally look into her face, he spied tears beginning to pool along the curve of her lashes. Black was smeared around her eyes, where the mascara ran. He sighed with reluctance, and then wiped away the black moisture. She followed him to her bed and he took her waist, pulled her towards him.

"You know I am going to come back for you, right?" Jack said. She nodded as obedient as a child. His hands glided between her folded ones. "I now it's going to hurt, being so far apart... but I am coming back. I promise."

"I know, Jack," she sniffled. "You never break your promises, I've learned that. I'm afraid of what's going to happen in the meantime. Last year, Pitch-"

"Was there because you were lonely and terrified," Jack completely. He brushed his knuckles against her face. "Summer means no school. It means time with friends, time outside, time at the pool. Do that. Enjoy your time with Linda. All the times you spent with me, you can now make it up to her. You're girls, go shopping."

"Linda will enjoy that more than I will," Morgan groaned.

"Okay, then window shop at museums where period clothing is on display," Jack teased. "Go see movies."

"It would be okay with Joseph Fiennes was in it," Morgan giggled. He smirked with amusement.

"Okay, in my absence, I guess if he turned up on your doorstep, you can make out with him, but that's all!"

"Yes! I knew I loved you for a reason!"

"Spend your time having fun, doing things you can't do with me. Be out in public." He emphasized the last part. "You can enjoy being with Linda or your family in public without the fear that someone will think you're talking to someone else."

"And... what if I..." she heavily gasped breaths as she searched for the words she had forbidden herself to say. "What if I stop believing in you?" Jack looked at the carpet, reflecting on what she was saying. There was that thought again, of her growing up and losing the childishness that kept her faith in him. He pushed himself up, still clutching her hands, and inserted his lips into the perfect notch of hers, the kiss forming perfectly under his pressure. She completed the perfection by turning her head so their hunger for each other was quickly being fed, but would never completely be filled. When Jack had pulled away from her after several minutes of fiery need, she stumbled backward, dizzy from her neglect of breathing. He steadied her, but laughed at her clumsiness.

"You should remember to breathe."

"It's hard to when your mouth is crushing into mine violently," she told him.

"Do you think you could stop believing in that?" he asked. "Could you stop believing the way your face burns against my cool touch?" He examined his hand, remembering how he had felt her temperature rise in the middle of their kiss. "Could you stop believing in the way you felt lightheaded from taking your fill of me?"

"No," Morgan responded quickly. "But that's not... what's really going to keep me believing." She grabbed his hand and placed it below her collarbone. She snorted at the feel of his tendons tighten from awkward embarrassment as she pressed his hand into her chest. "I'm not asking you to grope me." Jack relaxed under the tapping beneath her bones, growing more rapid so it felt like it was banging harder into his hand. "Just you touching me sends it into a frenzy. It's the feeling of the way an organ that you can't even see reacts to something no one else can see. This is the proof of your existence. But I'm still... worried." He pressed her body against him, his arms locking the two of them together.

"Morgan Kenter, I know fear has had its time with you," he whispered in her ears. "And it knows you intimately. But I have had time with you longer, and I have known you more intimately than it ever could. You do not give up. And you won't this time. I know this world is a cruel place, and … fear may return to you. But even in your heart I will defend you." He snatched the small book off the table he had given her for Valentine's Day. "History tells you that people will keep on having faith in each other, over so many years, despite the struggles they go through. These people, their love stories, made them strong and they believed in each other so strongly because they loved each other so strongly. Do you believe that I believe in you?"

"More than I believe in history." Jack laughed at her response.

"From a historian, that's probably the most romantic thing ever spoken." Morgan grinned before kissing him again. She rested her head against his chest while his fingers fondled the ends of her hair. "No matter what you say though, this still sucks."

"Oh, I never said it wasn't going to," he told her. "But I know I'll have someone who believes in me waiting for my return."

"Why are you so wonderful?" she whispered to him through sudden weeping.

"It's only because I've been shown what it is to be wonderful," he answered.

"Stop it!" she demanded, lightly pounding an enclosed hand against the icy wall that was his chest. "You're making this harder." She jumped up and pressed her face into his again, pinning him to her bed. She used her hands to steady herself so she was hovering over him, tilting her face so she could lose herself in their lips' embrace. Her mouth slipped down, past his chin and she pushed into his neck. Jack winced at the pressure, feeling her teeth scrape against his frosted skin. His fingernails were clawing into her back, still clutching her tightly. He fought against the growl of victorious desire that was rearing its way through him. He wanted this, he wanted her so badly – but this was not the time for it.

"Morgan, stop. Stop," he pleaded.

"Why?" she wept.

"Because this isn't you. This isn't right. This is too early. The reasoning isn't... stop." He shoved his hands into her shoulders and held her a good distance from him.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked.

"A little, but it was more of a good hurt..." he mumbled. "No, that's not why... I don't want the last time I make out with you to be because of tears and sadness. Please Morgan. If I kiss you like this now, I may never leave."

"Then don't."

"I have to. Would you be happy with a summer where it's always cold."

"Well, I wouldn't mind, but Linda might complain about not being able to see shirtless men."

"And so would you," he teased and pecked her lips. She moved away so he could stand, and he walked to the window. She joined up, staring up the thin slice of silver that illuminated the roads with blue. Jack placed a hand on the back of her neck, his thumb massaging her in a circular motion. "The Man in the Moon will listen you, if you need to talk. And you have Linda. When I come back, I intend to hear about all the fun you had." His smile was almost enough to mask the terrified longing. He pulled open the window and sat on the ledge, ready to jump into the heavy wind that was tearing through the city. He had previously asked the wind to move at faster speeds tonight, making it harder for him to go back to the house. "You're going to be okay. I know it. I believe in you. Have fun this summer."

"I promise, Jack!" she cried out. "I will keep believing in you! I will never stop believing in you!" His fingers were now slipping out of her hands.

"I know," he muttered. As the wind continued to pick up, an impatient cry from the force that it was time to go, he brushed his cheek to hers and so his cold lips touched her ear.

"I promise to forever believe in you, Morgan." His fingers slipped away from her hands, caught her in one last kiss, and then the wind carried him off. Through the throbbing of the splitting in her heart, Morgan managed a curve of a grin on her just kissed lips. Jack was mischievous. He destroyed and broke many things in his search for fun and excitement. He even broke Morgan's heart when things happened he could not help; such as now, when her heart shattered under his departure. But when Jack made a promise, it was forever protected from destruction by belief and love. That was was when Morgan knew the distance would not be so distant at all.

* * *

**I had a bad night, so I am sorry if this isn't... as great as I wanted it to be. I'm getting piles of homework as the semester draws to a close and I am stressed with this and this new job and I move next months and it's been forever since I've talked to my fiancee because of how stressed I am (he lives in England, so there's the time difference too and it's hard to talk to him and still be a dedicated student and work) My creativity was just... not working today. Anyway, do you want a couple fun chapters with Adventures of Morgan and Linda during the summer to help with some of the sadness I've been laying on you? Here's hoping I get to talk to you guys soon. Nightie night. Rosie out.  
**


	53. Lack of Cold

**I cannot convey how deeply sorry I am for not updating yesterday. The internet went out last night and I couldn't update! I am so sorry! :( But here you go, you get it early. Class was cancelled today ( I swear in college, the professors get lazy the last too weeks, and class is cancelled a lot.) so here you go! It's not a very emotional chapter, but fun all the same.**

* * *

Linda flew towards a rack displaying the newest shipment of twirl skirts and ruffled front jackets. Morgan was left meandering behind her, zipping on a strawberry slushy. She pressed pause on her mp3 playing, putting a halt to the narration of the Children's Crusade, realizing Linda was trying to speak to her.

"Look at how this spins!" Linda giggled as she swung the skirt around. She held it against Morgan's waist, moving the fabric against her friend's waist. "You should wear skirts."

"No point," Morgan mumbled. "You only see me in skirts around Jack."

"What if I found you a skirt with a bustle?" Linda patronized.

"I would love that," Morgan stated. "But it would be hot in this weather. So no." Linda rolled her eyes.

"You're not normal," she groaned, slipping the skirt back on the bar.

"Did you figure that out before or after the boyfriend no one else can see?"

"Morgan, please..." Linda whined with impatience. She dramatically stretched her lips wide so her whine would lengthen. "Jack wanted you to have fun while he was gone."

"It's hard to..." Morgan jerked the buds out of her ears. She coiled the wires around the small digital box, knowing how tightly tied they would be later when she pulled them out of her pocket. "I just keep wondering if he's thinking of me or what he's doing and it's so long before I see him again..."

"Of _course_ he's thinking of you," Linda stated with an exasperated sigh. "Jack is perfect, all right? He loves you very much, he's never not thinking of you, he's amazingly hot." Linda rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she swore, if Linda was not such a dedicated friend, she would be clawing away at Jack every time she saw him. Her friend pursed her lips into a sympathetic frown and squeezed Morgan tight. "Hey. I know it sucks. Okay, I don't. I've never had a boyfriend, despite my belief that Benedict Cumberbatch is mad for me." Morgan snorted under her joke. "But I am trying, okay? I know you don't like modern clothes, and if I could take you to a Victorian, Edwardian, or Medieval clothes outlet I would. The only thing nearby really is that fifties clothing shop, and the bus does not go that far." Morgan and Linda had bought day passes for the bus system so they could go wherever they pleased without their parents waiting around.

"We could go antiquing," Morgan suggested, leaning against her friends arms. "Or to a thrift shop."

"You never like anything new," Linda laughed and she lightly slapped her shoulder.

"Used things have a history."

"Yes, let's just buy that couch that someone might have made a child on," Linda mocked. Morgan pouted sadly at her response. "I am teasing! I'm sure everything's okay when you wash it. And you might be right. Maybe we'll find a candlestick that once belonged to president Roosevelt and we'll never know because it got lost. Or maybe it will belong to someone who will be the next world genius."

"Exactly," Morgan laughed, looping her arm through Linda's.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She hated these family trips. That morning, her mother had up and decided they would be headed to a family recreation center and lake some thirty minutes away from where they were. Morgan protested, but eventually gave in only on the promise that Linda could come with. Of course, as Morgan suspected she would, she jumped at the chance to go to a beach and she was waiting on the step, a white beach bag packed and a sheer red coverup.

"I am so excited!" Linda shouted, stepping into the family van that Peter was embarrassed about. "Hey Peter."

"Mmm," Peter responded, flipping through a magazine filled with motorcycles and half naked women.

"Are you looking at the motorcycles or the women?"

"Motorcycles!" he scoffed, but the pink to his face told her he was lying. She snickered and then rolled around to the back, where Morgan was sitting was sitting beside Todd.

"Hi Linda!" Aubrey said enthusiastically, from where she was sitting by Brad and Peter.

"Hey!" Linda buckled her seat belt and squeezed her best friend around the shoulders. "Hi!"

"Hey," Morgan mumbled.

"I've never been to Mt. Gretna before," Linda said.

"It's so cool!" Bradley yelled as the van moved away from the Tan house. "There's a beach and a diving board and a swing and a snack bard and a big chair and water tubes and volleyball!"

"And lots of people," Morgan moaned and then pulled her jacket tighter around her exposed swimsuit.

"That means lots of guys," Linda giggled.

"That's what I'm afraid of..." Morgan sighed, and slumped down in her seat. Linda talked mostly, enthusing over getting to attend the family summer center for the first time in her life. Morgan offered up brief responses. The whole way there, Brad's handheld game beeped, Peter would bark at his little brother to shut it off because he couldn't concentrate on "reading the articles about the bikes." Aubrey talked with her other over wedding details, which was to occur December of next year. Bradley whined when Peter took his game from him, and Linda would talk over Morgan to Todd, whom she had always said was attractive (then again, so did every other woman who encountered him, and Linda was attracted to every other guy she saw.) Morgan leaned her head back, overjoyed when they finally pulled into the overcrowded family recreational center. She was the first one to jump out of the car, but Linda dragged her towards the beach after the Kenters paid the large sum for their whole family plus Linda.

"Look at him... look at that guy! Oh my God, there's so many hotties here!" Linda squealed. Morgan rolled her eyes ad then spread out her towel on the sand. Linda frowned at Morgan's actions, and then spread out hers beside her. Morgan popped one ear bud of her mp3 player into her head and pressed play. "So which one is it this time?"

"It's actually music this time," Morgan responded.

"Oh?" Linda responded in surprise. "Which composer?"

"It's not orchestral."

"I wasn't aware you listened to anything else."

"I've discovered some new bands that play music that sounds like traditional folk music, with of course a few things thrown it. It's like... modernized traditional music."

"Oh yeah, my mom loves that kind of music," Linda said, popping a pair of brown sunglasses over her make-up contoured eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting next to you."

"But there's so many boys."

"Oh come on, Morgan," she scoffed. "You're my best friend, you know me better than that. I love looking at guys. With Jack, he's a good friend and knows me well enough, so I like to flirt with him. But do you really think I could sum up the courage to walk up to them? I can't even get the courage to take off my coverup outside of the water. I may be wearing a bikini, but that doesn't mean I'm that comfortable about my body. I'm slender, but that doesn't mean I'm that attractive. I have a flat butt and flat breast. The bikini is to give the illusion that I have curves, but it does nothing. I'm not like you, where I would look hot in a one-piece."

"I'm not... hot," Morgan said. "And you shouldn't say that about yourself. I think you're very pretty."

"Do you know how many times I've heard at school that being Asian makes me ugly?" Linda said, leaning back against the towel.

"And you believe them, why?" Morgan sighed. "They don't know you. They are judging by prejudice and stereotypes. I know you. And you know what else? Jack doesn't think you're ugly either. Maybe my opinion doesn't mean anything, but I hope Jack's, who is a male that you think is sexy, I hope his matters."

"I've never heard him say anything."

"Of course he wouldn't," Morgan sighed. "For some reason, he loves me, and he's a little concerned about saying stuff about other girls, especially my best friend, because he's concerned about making me jealous. Even though I wouldn't care. But I will say something. I think you are gorgeous, no matter how your body is, and you have no reason to be ashamed of the way you look." Morgan tapped against the black strands on her friend's head, succeeding in annoying her. She smiled. "I think you're unique and that makes you gorgeous."

"It's funny," Linda said. "You say all that and yet you yourself are self conscious, no matter what what Jack or I say."

"It's not something you can get rid of overnight," Morgan shrugged.

"Exactly, and that's why I am still wearing my cover-up," Linda laughed. "But I don't want you to forget that I think you're a sexy historian and I will yell at anyone who says otherwise. And Jack _definitely_ thinks you're a hottie." Morgan cast her a disturbed look but then burst out laughing. Linda swung her arm over her friend's neck. "I knew you were special the moment you were willing to have conversation while I was in _a public bathroom stall_." Morgan chortled at her sweet, but hilarious comment. She looked out and saw Aubrey flawlessly spinning through the water, splashing at her brothers. "We should attack them."

"We should." Morgan stepped off her towel and dropped her jack and her shorts that hid her suit. Linda threw off her cover-up and took her friends hand. They yelled vicious war cries while they charged in, together barreling into the Kenter siblings.

* * *

**My assignment for my creative writing class is Worst Story Ever Written. My task is to ignore everything I have learned about writing, everything about plot and structure, all the rules and just write. No plot. No correct punctuation. Just completely eff it up. This is going to painful for me. I don't know how I will live. **


	54. Going On Forever

**So. I am annoyed that Fanfiction was down for a bit. While I was getting ready to update. Wow. That was annoying. Anyway, next part! Can I promo myself again on Tumblr? I would love to see what my followers are up to and I want to get to know you, so please find me. My username is RoseOfPhantom, as it is like, everywhere. Do professors just give up at the end of the school year, because so many are canceling classes for... no reason whatsoever.**

**Also I was a little sad today. It has been a year today since I left England and it doesn't feel that long at all.. but it is. And I had particularly frustrating day, and I felt a little sad. But I promise this isn't sad! It's emotional, but not like... sad. Enjoy :)**

* * *

_~Jack~_

Forty-nine days until Morgan would be fourteen years old. Forty-seven days until he would allow himself to leave Antarctica. Time was passing by so slowly. Jack had absolutely no idea how he was able to amuse himself while time sluggishly moved on. A penguin would waddled towards him and look at him expectantly. This summer, there had been no ice slides, no games with any of the penguins, and the ones that had remembered him were following him around, as if they were waiting for something. Penguins were fun – they enjoyed sliding along the ice once they got used to it, and watching them glide on their bellies was comical. His favorite thing was watching eggs hatch and greeting a new life. He kept his distance of course, but when he developed the trust of a penguin after a period of time, he would creep in and allow the penguin to get familiar with him. The great thing about animals was that they always saw him – it was that sixth sense humans didn't have. He never had to win them over.

But watching the grey furred chicks waddle around, following their parents, only reminded him of the future that could be a problem for him and Morgan, should they last that long. He hoped they would, but given how often first relationships (if he could really count this as his first relationship.) lasted, and the fact that Morgan was thirteen and it was incredibly rare a relationship lasted forever that started when a person was in middle school, he was terrified of it ending at some point. And that was without all the other problems, with her being mortal, him being immortal, her being very real, and he was invisible. It just reminded him of the family they could never have, and then he thought how funny it was that he was thinking of this, when he could never have a family. If he were human, he would think it insane to think of such things this early. Their whole relationship was built on what ifs, and if Morgan decided she just didn't want to be with him, he of course would let her have her wish. He could never force her into something. She was with him because she wanted him to be, and he was very glad of that decision. Even if they did stay together, she would eventually die. Somehow, he would wind up alone. Now that he was aware of Morgan's existence in the world, life without his snow angel just seemed impossible. He could not imagine how his life would go without her. Everything he had planned to do for the future involved her, and to remove her from the picture gave him nothing but blackness. He could not imagine himself existing. Jack kicked at a chunk of ice, and winced at a penguin scrambling to get away from, what to him was boulder.

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly. If Morgan and him were to last for many more years, he was going to have to figure out what to do during the summer months. Maybe one day, he could just make the summer really cold. Sixty degrees. It would not be so bad, and maybe some of them would like an escape from the unbearable heat. If he stayed between Burgess and Harrisburg, it would only affect Pennsylvania, and he wouldn't do anything. He wouldn't make it snow or icy, provided he never let his emotions get the best of him. Being around the area would make it cold, but not too cold. He couldn't do that every summer, though. People would get annoyed, and he certainly could not bring Morgan to Antarctica, He occasionally came across researchers, but they never stayed long. He would have his fun with them, but they were usually gone after a bit. Morgan, as a girl who was still growing, and was young, could not handle the temperatures. She would freeze to death if he ever brought her down there. He was going to have to invest in reading or doing crossword puzzles or something.

Another day brought him to forty eight. He told Morgan he would be back for her birthday, but he decided to arrive a little early. Forty-five. Forty-days til he would go back. He would surprise her and arrive earlier than expected. But even that was too long. He hated the silence, as cute as the noises of the penguins were. He missed a barrage of historical facts, missed that annoyed feeling he got when she would not stop talking, realizing how much worse it was to not hear her speak. He longed for the way she touched his shoulders and her fingers seared into him with their body heat. He missed that spell of mango and vanilla that wafted into his nose when she marched out of her room to give her brothers a usually unnecessary yelling. He wanted to feel of her skin against her. He could only dream of the rose tones that filled the apples of her smile when she spotted him analyzing her ever graceful movement. He wanted to be there again when she chucked her backpack on the ground after an awful day at school. Jack missed the strange expression her face held when she concentrated hard on her homework, and the comical way she shoved it away from her when she couldn't figure out what she was supposed to do, which was usually math. He needed her more than ice needed the cold to survive. Jack gazed out at the water, looking in the direction that led to Pennsylvania, wishing and hoping she still believed him and still needed him more than she did with history.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

Her head tilted up again, looking at the empty space where Jack sometimes would sit with them. Morgan kneaded at the questionable lump of potatoes and sighed, counting through the days until she could see him again. Summer had its moments, but when Linda had not been there to distract her with some film or her incredibly amount of energy, or some game she devised, it just sucked. She spent her days watching _Jeopardy_, getting violently upset when she got a question about history wrong or didn't know it all together, and took notes to look things up, and then she spent the rest of her time researching. School came and she had hoped it would be a good distraction her, except it did nothing. She did not care enough about Pre-Algebra to have any desire to work on it, and Chemistry was the most useless of all sciences. She refused to read _The Giver_, claiming she did understand the point of reading something that was not realistically possible, and then got in trouble with the principal for making a scene in class. She no longer voiced against it in class, but refused to read it. Now the test for the book would be coming up soon and she knew how well she would do on it and how her parents, notably her mother, would react to an F.

"I think the school's mission is to disgust us so we never want to have sex," Linda shuddered as she took her seat beside her friend. The zipper on her lunch bag trilled as she began to unpack her food. "Having health before lunch was the worst idea ever. I would like to talk to whoever scheduled me."

"You already did," Morgan reminded her with confused recollection. "Remember? So you could have lunch with me."

"Well, you could have switched instead of me," Linda said, unveiling her salad. Morgan ripped a couple of bills from her back pocket and held them out for her. Morgan rubbed her forehead. "I know, I know... Advanced World History only has one section. Ooh, is this for the Hole?' The Hole was the school snack shop.

"They just pulled out a fresh batch of snickerdoodles and there's fresh fruit today and you can get some cheesy curls."

"I love you!" Linda laughed, taking the money from her. She had grown accustomed to Morgan giving her a little extra money for food. "Hey, are you still feeling anxious?"

"He said he'd be back in time for my birthday," Morgan expressed with shakiness to her voice. "That's in thirteen days."

"You should be excited then. That's not long," Linda attempted considerately.

"Exactly the opposite. He does a lot of thinking down there. What if he decided I am not what he wants? What if he no longer loves me... I don't know what I would do without him. I never loved anyone this much before..."

"Of course he does!" Linda exclaimed defensively. "I have never seen a boy that mad about anyone."

"Okay, but what if, Linda? Help me here. Humor me." Linda gave her a dramatic eye roll and leaned towards her friend.

"If, and that's a big if... _If_ he no longer wants to be with you for one reason or another, you will be upset. You will cry. You will be heartbroken. And I will be here through everything. And then things will get better and slowly you'll get better, and then you'll be attracted to someone else. And things may happen all over again, but you will heal and be fine. One day you will marry a wonderful guy and be with him forever. Can I go get my cookies now?"

"One more thing," Morgan said to Linda. "I was just told that freshman year of high school, you can't take a history class, you have to take Geography."

"But you're good with Geography. You've said that locations are important in history and if you're going to learn history you should also learn where things took place."

"But I'm not allowed to take Geography _and_ History! I have to just take Geography! I can't take any history until tenth grade! Do you have any idea how much that is going to suck? I'm not going to have anything to help balance them out! I need... where are you going?" Linda began to step away from the table. Her black hung flung as she spun around to face Morgan.

"I'm your best friend. I'm hear to help you with boy problems and give you advice and be there for you when you're down. I will not listen to you upset that you can't tale _more_ classes. I mean, what teenager complains about the _lack_ of homework they'll be getting?!" Linda positioned herself so she was once again walking towards the Hole, a window in the wall that opened to shelving of snacks, homemade food, and desserts. At first Morgan just watched her friend in aghast shock. She could not believe she had just walked out on her problems, then laughed loudly to herself, realized how ridiculous she probably did sound.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Jack~_

With only a couple of days before Morgan's birthday, Jack caught the branch of a tree in the middle of Harrisburg, reflecting on the familiar presence of the city, with modernized buildings nestling among the older, more historic ones – Morgan's favorites of course. He took a moment to remember how he and Morgan chased the Dreamsand in the atmosphere above the buildings and then took off again, making for his destination. He turned onto the street he knew well and then landed on the ledge of the house he had been away from for so long, feeling the weight of a cloth bag hanging on his back. Peeking in through the window, he found the girl was resting under her covers, in a peaceful slumber. He rolled in his fingers a small pebble of ice and chucked it towards the pane, hard enough that it made a cracking noise, but not enough force to break it. The covers shifted over her body and she jolted away, rubbing her eyes. She looked straight at the window, and Jack leaned over, glancing into her room.

"Jack!" squealed Linda, before she clasped her hands over her mouth, terrified her parents would hear her.

"Linda?" asked her father from the other room, and then responded in Chinese. Linda yelled at her dad in a panic, also in Chinese. Jack gestured to the window and Morgan scrambled to the window, pushing it open so he would come in.

"What are you _doing_?!" she hissed, as she strutted inside, a smug grin on his face for giving her a fright. "Normally I would be okay with a sexy guy creeping at my window and sneaking in at night, but not when you're Morgan's boyfriend... which I really hope you consider yourself to be."

"Oh I do, as long as she still considers me," Jack responded smugly, and then added the last part hastily with worry.

"Oh, she does," Linda said. "You're all she can think about, and talk about, and worry about, and it's making lunch with her incredibly difficult. She has fears that you will have forgotten about her or no longer love her, and then she becomes afraid of fear, thinking Pitch will sense it and come back, which by the way is he really that charming, because if that's the case I will gladly give into my fear, and does he really have an English accent, because I would _love_ to hear that -"

"Linda," he interrupted.

"What?"

"Stop."

"Sorry." Then Jack glanced down and the veins in his neck tightened while his eyes expanded so they were incredibly round.

"You're not wearing pants," he observed with terror. Linda gasped at looked down at her naked legs, running to the set of drawers and pulling out some blue sweatpants.

"Well I am _sorry_ it's not like I dress with the expectation of having a boy in my room in the middle of the _night_!" she hissed angrily at him, stepping into the pants.

"Of course not," Jack laughed. "If you did, I would expect you to be wearing nothing."

"That is an idea," Linda played along. "I'll keep that in mind. Why are you here? And all alone..."

"I take it you're doing something for Morgan for her birthday?"

"Yeah... Morgan doesn't know it yet, but I've babysat a few times in order to get money to take her to a film at the movie theater. She's always giving me money for things that I can't afford, and I want to take her to something she really wants to see. This movie has been out for about three weeks and I told her mother about it so she purposely would tell her no and refuse to give her money for it. I guess Morgan's been throwing a fit."

"Is it a history film?" Jack guessed. Linda nodded. "Huh, I mean she likes history films, but she usually is all right in waiting to see it. She's always concerned about them getting history wrong. She prefers the History channel, and other documentaries. What's so special about this? Is it about Elizabeth the first?"

"No, it's called _Breach of Tenochtitlan_," Linda said. "Although everyone is just calling it 'That Aztec movie' because no one can pronounce Tenochtitlan."

"Well, obviously you can," Jack commented.

"I'm always around Morgan."

"That's really weird that she would get so enthusiastic. Elizabeth is her favorite person in history. She loves all history, but the Aztecs isn't on her top ten, or even top twenty."

"Well, it has a love story on the side, and the attractive male lead is Joseph Fiennes."

"Oooohhh that makes so much sense," Jack laughed. "I haven't visited her yet. She actually doesn't know I'm here."

"Really? So I'm the first? Ooh, I feel so flattered."

"I was hoping to surprise her. She's probably expecting me on her _real_ birthday."

"Well, I'm taking her tomorrow since her birthday is on Monday, and then she's sleeping over here. You can come, if you like... I think Morgan would like going to a film with her boyfriend. Just don't be making out next to me. I mean, after the movie, if you want to come by, I'll leave for like... ten minutes and you guys can grope each other or whatever you want to do." Jack winced at the harsh word. "You know I'm joking."

"I'm sorry it's embarrassing."

"So is standing in front of my best friend's sexy boyfriend in my underwear, when you probably haven't even seen that much of Morgan. Unless..."

"No, no I have not," Jack told her quickly. "I would have been here yesterday but I needed to stop by India."

"Why did you need to stop by India?" Linda asked. Jack removed the small bag that was hanging on his back and pulled at the strings. He removed a cardboard box, his fingers creating ice ferns to cut across the sides and the top. He held it out to her and she looked at the pictures on the box, displaying its contents.

"I was hoping you could wrap this for me so I don't freeze the wrapping paper, and then it melts, and makes it wet."

"Jack."

"Yes."

"This is a model of the Taj Mahal."

"Yes."

"This is made of marble."

"And heavy, so please take it."

"Hang on a second." Jack inhaled deeply from the strain of its weight. "First of all, it looks incredibly expensive, probably about as much as that bracelet you have her which she never takes off."

"Little less than that, but yeah. Take."

"One minute!" she said and he groaned with impatience. "The Taj Mahal... bear with me, because I'm not into history, but given what Morgan has told me, it's a tomb, isn't it? For the guy's wife? That's a little creepy."

"I can't believe I'm the one giving the history lesson." Jack took place on her bed, setting the heavy box on the table. "Okay, yes. But it's more than that. This Shah whom I cannot remember the name of, Morgan forgive me, he had multiple wives. Before, you say anything about that... it was tradition. That's how things were. It was just expected. He was just following society. However, there was one wife, his third one named... Mumtaz...? He loved her more than anything else in the whole wide world and when he died, he built this, putting in all this magnificent detail because she deserved something as wonderful and beautiful as her that would last for as long as the world did because his love for her was everlasting." Linda stared at him, her lips screwed up as she took in this new info.

"So... it's a symbol of everlasting love."

"Yes."

"Oh. My. God," she squealed, jumping up and down in her excitement. "ThatisthemostadorablethingIhaveeverheard! Well, not really I think its creepy, but for a history buff, it's _adorable_! You are a true romantic, Jack. Hey, maybe you should take Cupid's job..."

"No, no, I do _not_ want his job," Jack chuckled. "It would be exhausting."

"Yes, of course I'll wrap it Jack. Uh, are you coming to the movie?"

"Yeah when is it?"

"Tomorrow, 2:35. Which means we'll be there about 2:15 to get snacks and drinks and good seats."

"All right, see you then," he laughed and turned towards the window. "Hey, Linda, it's good to see you again."

"You too, Jack."

"I just want you to know... I know my gift cost more money, but I think yours is worth more."

"What do you mean?" Linda asked.

"Well, what did I have to do? Give my money to a bored kid and take it with me? You have little money, and yet you spent what I assume to be, many stressful hours watching crying children to earn money, and take Morgan to something that would bore you, something that you like. You worked for that money just so you could make her happy. That says more than my gift does." Linda's eyes welled as she watched him creep up onto the sill again.

"Jack... that is so sweet of you to say..." Her voice cracked through her words.

"See you tomorrow... and uh, you may want to start wearing pants again... it's going to get cold..."

"Oh shut up, Loverboy..."

* * *

**The Taj Mahal truly is one of the greatest historical testaments to everlasting love, and I do think it is a beautiful symbol of love. Personally? I think if I ever received a statuette of the Taj Mahal from my fiancee I would be like "That's really cool" and tuck it away. Despite what it stands for and the fact that it impressive it doesn't really get to me. Now if I was presented with... jewelry made from... a page from a book that had... a line from Pride and Prejudice about love or something... that would totally make me swoon. With that I am off to bed! Class in the morning! Rosie out.**


	55. Better Than Cable

**I love love love getting new people at work because the new people are usually the most timid and most friendly and then I have to train them and it's so nice to pass my abilities to them and they look up to me like I'm their sensei and it makes me feel awesome but I hate hate hate teaching them how to close the registers because it takes FOREVER and I was supposed to leave at 9:15 but I didn't get done til 9:30 so my roomie did not have time to watch Psych with me before bed (she works EARLY) and I'm not supposed to watch it without her (We have a roommate agreement, like Sheldon :) ) and so now I have no idea what is happening with Shawn and Juliet and I'm all a panic and my feels need to know, and I'm panicking even more because tomorrow is a day of anxiety for me. I have to give a presentation on Lolita at school, and I'm OFFICIALLY meeting my new roommate that I will have next month when I move out, AND I start orientation and my new job and I just asdghjklkjuhytrewsdxcfvgbhj.  
**

**Good news though. Because I studied abroad in England, AND I am among the first crop of students to declare a British Studies minor (it was offered just last year for the first time, so I declared it for myself) I get to wear special sashes at graduation next year to declare my achievement. **

**I'm still panicking.**

* * *

"Mrs. Tan, where are you going?" Morgan asked, leaning over in her seat to speak with Linda's mother. She was an incredibly dainty, and slim, like Linda was. She had Linda's cheekbones and her narrow nose, but that was where the similarities had ended. Linda looked more like the Tan side of her family rather than the Yeung side. She was a very glamorous woman, although age had won out and left behind its marks.

"We are not going to the house," she argued, her English perfect despite the moderately thick accent that remained.

"But... why?"

"Linda has a big surprise for you!" Morgan shifted her eyes so she was no looking over at her friend from the corner of her eye, catching the flint of a proud grin forming.

"What did you do?" Morgan quickly accused, and her quick assumption that Linda had done something terrible caused Mrs. Tan to snort with laughter, her passionate humor banging her hand against the wheel.

"What is it whenever I have a secret, I've done something wrong?" Linda cried desperately, gesticulating animatedly as she spoke.

"There's really no other reason you keep secrets, Linda," agreed Mrs. Tan, her accent more apparent when she said her daughter's name. The old, rusty vehicle turned into the parking vast parking lot in the front of an expansive blue building. Several cars zoomed in and out of the lot, and people were running out to the cars, and quickly passing the crossing zone to reach the doors of the building. A sign sat at the top of the building, indicating the chain of theaters it belonged to, and it black lettering against theatrical white lights listed the names of films that were to be playing. Posters for each film were plastered in the windows, enticement to the patrons for future visits. Morgan looked wide-eyed over at Linda, who's lips bubbled with the pressure of holding back a laugh. When the car pulled up to the doors, Linda was the first to push against her door, looking down at her friend while she waited.

"What are we doing here?" Morgan squeaked, slowly emerging from the car. Linda reached in and grabbed a large blue gift bag.

"What else do you do at a movie theater?" Linda scoffed, slamming the door.

"Bye bye!" announced Mrs. Tan. Linda lazily waved to her mother before she sped off, and then clasped her hand firmly around Morgan's wrist, tugging her along. Morgan glanced at the glass doors, and made to head in that direction. However, Linda steered her away firmly, heading around the corner of the building and pulling her friend around the back, where there were no doors except emergency exits, no cars, no parking lot, and no people. Just a bit of leftover sidewalk and tar to extend around the building, and then the beginnings of trees that blocked the theater from the view of the neighborhood that was nearby.

"Linda, I would just like to tell you right now, that I love you and respect you, but if you're planning on taking advantage of me... this is not-"

"Shhh!" Linda hushed violently, particles of saliva flying from her mouth. Morgan wiped the droplets off her face. "What would be the perfect birthday present for you?"

"To see _Breach of Tenochtitlan_, with you, with Jack on one arm, and Joseph Fiennes on the other..." Morgan looked up at the back of the cinema, and there was a flicker of light as she made the connection. "Wait is _that_ what we're here to see?! Oh my God, Linda, you are so amazing, you have no idea-"

"Well," Linda interrupted, trying to divert from the film and to the more important part. "I hope you'll forgive me that you'll only get three out of four."

"Three out of four...?" Morgan questioned, and then before her brain could process what she meant, she spotted a blue streak, accented with white, drop down from somewhere among the trees. The frosty-haired boy plunged one hand in his front pocket, and used his other hand to rest his crook against his shoulder. He sauntered slowly towards the girl, whose mocha eyes were quickly dominated by dilated pupils.

"Jack-!" she gasped, the last letter getting caught in her throat by emotion.

"Long time, no see, love," he chuckled, and then caught her by the waist, his long awaited desperation flaring up his passion and he plunged his lips against her. She surrendered to him, being pushed so her back curved into a dip. Linda stepped away from them, Jack and Morgan nearly knocking over her when their bodies curved with their desire. She giggled enthusiastically and turned her back, feeling it impolite to watch.

"I thought you were weren't coming back for a few more days, on my birthday!" Morgan gasped when she had finally resurfaced.

"Did you really think I would be able to control myself?" he chuckled. "Plus, seeing that shade of red on you was worth it."

"I asked Jack to join us for the film," Linda said, allowing herself to turn. The couple was no longer locked together by their lips and they were both now standing upright, but she was still pressed up against his body, Jack's hand nestling in the curve of her spine. "It's only two hours, it shouldn't get too cold."

"And I don't need a ticket. Nobody can see me," he winked. Morgan's face flushed under his charismatic smile.

"Oh right..." Morgan scrambled to reach for the wallet that hung on a thing chain around her shoulder.

"No no no no!" Linda quickly forbade. "I'm taking care of everything."

"But... movies are so expensive...!"

"I've had this planned since this summer, Morgan," Linda told her. "You just... keep talking to Jack. Catch up. You haven't seen each other in a while." Linda produced a twenty dollar bill from her paisley cloth handbag. "Just... promise me you're not going to be making out heavily."

"I don't even know if I can," Jack groaned. "Someone is going to be looking at Joseph Fiennes the whole time."

"Hey, it's not like he's going to be offering up any kisses any time I want them between the months of October and April," Morgan answered him with taunting airs. "Of course I'm going to be staring at that wonderful mischievous raise of the brow, the allure of his soulful brown eyes, that knowing smirk as if he's going to do something you will never regret..."

"Are you aware you just described me?" Jack teased.

"Your eyes are blue!" Morgan accused, slapping him on the shoulder. He pretended to dodge her shot.

"They were brown when I was human," Jack said. "I had brown hair too. Who knows, maybe I could have looked like Joseph Fiennes, if I Had cut my hair differently and grew facial hair." Morgan's eyes watched the dance of the glimmer in his striking blue topaz eyes. She carefully examined them, a warmth filling her chest while the familiarity and comfort associated with those eyes sank bank into her soul. He smiled, watching her face change as she stared at him. His thumb grazed her jaw, and she knocked his hand away from her face.

"No, you wouldn't," she stated casually, and she skipped around the building.

"Oh what a tease!" Linda guffawed. "My friend, I have taught you well!"

"Oh come on! I'm twice the looker he is!"

"Nuh uh!" Morgan giggled, enjoying how Jack was getting all ruffled under her comments. He followed her to the front of the building, stepping inside with them. "For starters, do you have any idea how many times Joe has appeared shirtless, or nearly naked in his films? I have seen more of his flesh than I have of you," Morgan muttered softly, so the people surrounding them would not catch the conversation she was having with the air around her.

"Oh is that what that is?" he taunted. "Well then... your wish is granted. I wish strip right here, right now. Down to nothing if you wish."

"Yesplease," Linda agreed suddenly.

"No you most certainly will not!" Morgan begged catching his hands that began to raise the hem of his soft blue hooded sweatshirt.

"It's not like anyone can see him!" Linda scoffed.

"First; YOU would. You're best friend, but I refuse to allow you to see him naked while I am dating him. And there's no telling what kind of riot you would start when you you see every single aspect of a body you deem is attractive."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure I'm ready for that," Jack agreed, eyes traumatized with the idea of such a thing.

"And I am not ready to see any man naked," Morgan continued. "Maybe give it a couple of years. Or five. Or ten. Or marriage."

"Boring!" Linda moaned, shuffling towards the counter. "Two for _Breach to Tenochtitlan_ please."

"Wow," said the pimply-faced young man operating the register. He was old enough to have the job, obviously, but not much older than the girls. There was too much gel in his spiked blonde hair, and he was in that awkward time when every pimple that disappeared, three more appeared. His eyes were small and beady, but the impressed smile he was giving them had the effect of diminishing all the blemishes on his face, and canceled out the bad hair. "Most people say the Aztec film."

"Nobody has regard for history these days!" Morgan groaned.

"Hey," he remarked his eyes passing over Linda and landing on the young historian behind her. "I've seen you in here. Every historical film that's been released since last January, you have been here in the first week of its opening. Sometimes with an older man."

"Actually I've been doing it since I was seven," Morgan scoffed. "And I had to come in with my dad a lot, because before last year, I couldn't see anything under PG 13 without a parent."

"Now she drags me along," Linda responded, passing over the twenty dollar bill and getting one dollar back. The boy handed over two white tickets to them.

"Unless it's rated R."

"Then she drags me along _with_ her father, and that's weird," Linda added.

"Would you stop it?" Morgan groaned.

"No."

"You must be into history," the boy laughed.

"She could name all the presidents when she was five, what do you think?" Linda answered dully.

"Washington, Adams, Jefferson-"

"That's okay, Morgan."

"My uncle is an archaeologist," smiled the boy as they shoved along. He continued to take money and hand out tickets to the stream of patrons coming in. Morgan's mouth fell at his words and the brown in her eyes lightened with interest. Linda pursed her lips nervously and tried to tug on her her sleeve, knowing what dangers could occur now.

"Did he discovery anything interesting?!"

"Well, he wasn't one of the ones who found Cleopatra's tomb or Richard the third's resting place, but he found some pretty neat things. He found a book from the 16th century that is assumed to be Elizabeth the first's book-"

"Oh crap," Linda hissed. Jack now began to tug on Morgan's shirt aggressively.

"-but the evidence is too inconclusive."

"I _would love_ to hear all about that!" Morgan enthused, the boy delighted at her response.

"Great, I think we should talk about it over dinner sometime."

"...oh." Jack released his hold on Morgan, zipping over to the desk and crouching on the boy's desk. Linda and Morgan watched curiously as the boy and the patrons of the cinema, reached their arms right through Jack, passing through his body as if he were transparent matter. It did not look comfortable, but at present, Jack hadn't seemed to notice. He glared at the boy in dull annoyance, and tapped his hands with the end of his staff. Frost glazed over his fingertips and the boy's teeth started to tap against each other uncontrollably.

"Uh, uh... I'm... so so-sorry," he stammered, and shoved his hands under his arms. "I j-just got r-rre-really cold I n-need some-someone to... Van-nes-nessa!" The boy slipped out from his stool and the desk and ran towards a woman in a black vest and an ID tag. Jack leapt off the desk and smirked proudly to himself.

"That wasn't very nice, Jack," chastised Morgan. His victorious expression did not fade under her tone.

"It was necessary."

"No it wasn't. He wasn't being rude."

"Uh, have you forgotten you're with someone?"

"Uh, have you forgotten nobody can see you? How was he to know I had a boyfriend if he can't see you?"

"You could have said something."

"I'm sorry you were too quick to _freeze his hands_!"

"They'll thaw."

"He was just discussing history."

"No, he was using history to _seduce_ you."

"He wasn't seducing me!"

"Please, Mummy and Daddy, stop having a row," Linda interjected, producing her best stereotypical English accent (and failing). "This day is about fun. And you too just got back together. Let's all have a jolly good old time."

"Jack, I don't want you to be possessive," Morgan stated plainly as they approached the theater for their film. Linda passed the tickets to the black vested man at the door. Jack sighed and slipped his hand into Morgan's nuzzling her cheek.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be I just... this not being seen thing is going to be incredibly annoying, especially when it comes to other guys."

"Morgan's got a sexy brain with a sexy bod," Linda stated softly, as they walked into the dimly lit auditorium. Morgan blushed, but the lighting hid it. They tossed their coats into three seats at the very top of the incline. "It's not the first time she's been hit on. I mean other than you and Tricky Tristan."

"Yes it has," Morgan mumbled, fumbling with a snap button on her coat.

"No it hasn't," Linda disagreed. "The problem is you always assume they're just being nice. You never think about the possibility that they find you appealing. It's okay, I do the same thing. Except men legitimately find me disgusting."

"That's not true," Jack and Morgan said in unison.

"That's scary," Linda said. "I'm going to get snacks. Usual, Morgan?"

"Yep!" she giggled.

"Jack, you want anything...?"

"Uh... I've never been to a movie theater before... I hear popcorn and soda is good during a movie though."

"We get a large popcorn to share."

"Get him an ice cream. It won't freeze under his tongue," Morgan responded.

"Okay, an ice cream. I'll get you a slushie too since they're full of ice." Linda bounced down the steps alongside the incline. Morgan leaned against Jack's shoulder, snuggling against the strangely warm comfort of his icy presence.

"What's your usual?"

"Sno-Caps and a blue raspberry slushie," she answered. "It's funny, I'm not sure I've felt like a real couple until now. We've never gone to a film before."

"I've never been to one. Too busy creating blizzards."

"I'm happy to be your first," she smiled. Jack turned to face her, wearing a playful smile.

"Was that supposed to be suggestive?"

"Maaayyybeeee!" she laughed. She moved her head downwards, her ear settling against the fabric that covered his abdomen. "Now that you said that, before... it's got me wondering... what _do_ you look like shirtless? Are you an icicle?"

"Someday," he sighed, kissing her hair. "You may find out."

"I can't believe Linda is wasting her money on this. She doesn't even get allowance, you know? Her parents can't afford it. I could afford it."

"Sweetie..." he sighed, the cool touch of his hand stroking her hair conjuring calm bliss in her veins. "Don't let Linda know this... but this was more her gift than her actual one. Since the summer, remember when she said she was busy helping her mom, or she had a lot of homework and that was why she never had the time to talk?"

"Yeah."

"She wasn't telling the truth."

"She _lied_ to me?!" Morgan gasped loudly, causing a few heads to turn in her direction.

"No. Well... yes... but not to be deceptive. She was baby-sitting. For the purpose of earning enough money to take you to this film. You have been freaking out about it a while, according to her. Anyway, she told your parents so they wouldn't take you." A drop of moisture escaped from Morgan's right eye. A pleased smile broke through her shock and she used Jack's sweater to muffle her ecstatic squeal. A few moments, Linda arrived, balancing three drinks, a large tub of popcorn, two boxes of candy, and a dribbling cone. Jack pushed Morgan out of his way while he scrambled to take a few items from Linda. He used his tongue to prevent the ice cream from dripping onto the carpet, and placed the drinks and the candy in the pockets in the arms of the chairs. He sat down again with the popcorn in his lap and the ice cream in his hand. Morgan shot up and flung her arms around her best friend's shoulders.

"Ummm... did we decide on a threesome?" Linda said with worry.

"No... I just love you very much."

"Okay, but you haven't seen Jack in months... shouldn't you be like, half naked by now? Or something...?" Morgan laughed through her embarrassment, and purposely positioned herself between the two most important people in her life, thinking how convenient it was she had enough hands for them to hold.

* * *

**_Breach of __T__enochtitlan _is not a real film. I made it up. In case you haven't noticed, there is some idea of time in here, obviously it's modern day, but I assume ROTG took place in 2012/2013 because that is when it was released, so by that logic this should be in the future. Except I have no idea what stuff is going to happen in the future. So the time period is ambiguous. Everything is going to be written as if it were in 2013. Because of that, I didn't want to write about a film that hasn't happened yet. So I made one up. It doesn't exist. I'm sorry if I got you excited. Joseph Fiennes has no plans (that I know of) to star in a film about the fall of the Aztec civilization with a subplot of a love story. Nor are there any plans to make one. if there is one, I am seeing it, because I predicted it and I should get a free ticket. Especially if it ends up staring Joseph Fiennes because then I will be convinced I am psychic. I actually have very little attraction to Joe, but I think he is a brilliant actor (although, as Will Shakespeare he's pretty good looking. Although I swear everytime they make a film about Shakespeare, he ends up being hot. Which makes me think there's some truth to it. And considering he was like, well versed in love, well versed in knowledge, and was like the greatest writer ever, he may be the most attractive man in the entire world to me. But we'll never know. Because we are alive and he is dead. *hangs head sadly*). If I haven't already said, I think Joseph Fiennes would be the perfect choice for Morgan's celebrity crush because one, he has that face that a lot of women, and some men, love and it's not uncommon to find people drooling over him. But his looks plus the fact that he seems to always be in films that have some... sort of historical attachment to them... Morgan would DEFINITELY notice him.**

**Elizabeth I's book the boy-whom-I-have-not -named is talking about? Doesn't exist. Also made it up. Sorry. But Elizabeth is Morgan's like favorite person in history EVER (and if you don't at least love her you OBVIOUSLY haven't researched her enough.) so it was just something to peak her interest. And yes Jack and Linda could see that the boy was hitting on her. Especially Linda. Which is why they were trying to get her away.**

**Also I got all these awesome ideas at work for my story for later, but I a trying to figure out how to make them plausible. If I can't, I may have to scrap it, which is too bad because I'm excited for this idea, but I refuse to write a story that cannot have something explained. I would like help, and I know I have people to bounce ideas off of, but it's HUGE and I don't want to spoil anything for you and I just blurgh. Anyway, I would appreciate any words of encouragement for tomorrow. Or words at all. I just love my readers. Please speak to me. I'm lonely. And never leave. I love you. Mwah. Good night! *twirls* Rosie out.**


	56. Real Gifts

**YOUGUYSYOUGUYSYOUGUYS. I started Orientation at my new job today (and I get to wear a hat because I am going to be working in the Garden center and that's so cool, only we get to wear hats :) ) And one of the guys who was at orientation, he's going to be pushing and collecting carts for the store. And the first thing I noticed was that he was a VERY GOOD looking person. But there was also something about the way he looked that was driving me nuts, like he looked really familiar, but I couldn't place it. And then we got to know each other. And we talked, and the more we talked, the more familiar he seemed (like, facially and physically) and we went around the room and talked about ourselves and he said he wanted to be a stage actor and he was a musician and had a band (SOME GUYS MAKE IT TO EASY TO FORGET I AM ENGAGED, I SWEAR) and then at some point we were talking about how the parking lot needs to be clear of carts and someone said "Yeah (insert name here. I am not putting in his name because I JUST met him and I think it would be creepy) you're responsible for that!" and he just went "Ah, yeah, don't worry about a thing, I'll make sure it's all clear." And then I said "Yep, if I end up walking into a cart, it's your fault." AND THEN HE - I KID YOU NOT - SAID "Don't worry, I'll protect you. I'll be your Guardian." THAT WAS THE MOMENT I KNEW WHAT HAD BE BUGGING ME. HE. LOOKED. LIKE. HUMAN. JACK. SAME EYES, SAME HAIR (COLOR AND STYLE) and he had that little smirk Jack has... and he was like even the same proportions and everything. IT WAS SO WEIRD. WHAT'S EVEN WEIRDER WAS HE WAS WEARING A BLUE HOODIE. I mean, we have to wear blue for work, but A HOODIE? I almost died when he said that. No, before you ask, his name wasn't Jack. And then he's going to be in orientation tomorrow night, and now we're going to be working together AND THIS IS GOING TO BE WEIRD GUYS. (And yes he was a super nice and really funny and he kept stealing my hat) **

**Anyway... I had to share my fangirl moment. Maybe if I get to know him well enough I'll tell him he looks like Jack. MAYBE.  
**

* * *

"Okay, Jack," Linda started, throwing away their garbage in the bins. "This is the point where Morgan gives her thoughts on the film. It happens every time."

"I thought they should have portrayed the Aztecs in a better light," Morgan declared with annoyed airs to her voice. Jack had his hand tightly wound around hers and and pulled her along so she would get moving instead of staring at cardboard set up to promote a film that would be in the cinema in a month. "I mean, they weren't terrible. The writers and producers definitely wrote the film to get some sympathy from the audience, but they made Cortes look far too kind, and like the Aztecs were just acting because they were 'uncivilized', which isn't true. But I have seen worse."

"Would you own it?"

"Hmm... I suppose I would."

"You suppose?" Jack laughed, running his thumb over the skin on her knuckles. "You _squirmed _when Joe threw off his shirt!"

"It bothered me," Morgan snapped quickly, pink shadowing the lines below her eyes. "There was no plausible reason for that. It was fan service."

"Oh, I don't care!" Linda said. "It was like opening a book and there's a glow and the Hallelujah chorus plays."

"You squirmed because you liked it," Jack taunted, pecking her on the cheek. His kiss fed her mood and she smiled at her feet.

"Maybe a little..." Morgan giggled.

"You're going to be a virgin forever..." Linda sighed. The boy from the desk caught sight of them heading out and followed the two girls through the double doors.

"Wait!" he shouted. Jack snarled at the boy, his fingers curling over his staff threateningly He looked to the boy with full phased eyes and stood on guard for any action he would pull. "Did you enjoy the film?"

"I did," Morgan said with very little enthusiasm.

"So, maybe this weekend, we could-"

"I appreciate the thought, um... 'Owen,'" She recited, taking his name from the tag he wore. "And you seem decent. However, I actually have a boyfriend."

"Oh... I never you see you with him."

"It's kind of a long distance relationship," Morgan stated quickly.

"Oh. Well those never last."

"I'm pretty sure we'll last a while," she retorted in defense. Morgan gestured to Linda, who was waiting some distance away. She was pacing up and down, completely out of an ear shot of their conversation. "But Linda's free. I mean, if you like me, you should like her..."

"Her...? She's..."

"Yes?"

"Asian."

"Why is that a problem?"

"Well... I mean she's not..."

"Not what?" Morgan demanded, her teeth holding back every dirty word she was preparing for her response.

"I don't want to have a girlfriend who's smarter than me. Or one who's not American."

"Okay, Owen. I'm going to tell you right now," Morgan spat as she brought her face towards his spotted face. "If Jack and I ever break up in the very distant future, you just lost any chances of being with me by saying that about my best friend. Because guess what? She's not the smartest person in the whole world. Yes, believe it or not, _not all Asians are geniuses_. Academically anyway. I think she's a genius, but in her own way, not because of something 'in her blood.' And that's all false anyway. You know what else? She was born in America. Her parents are citizens. She is an America who just happens to know another language and know more about another culture than you ever could. That makes her more worldly. She's American and then some. And you know what? She is a freaking amazing singer, has the biggest heart in the entire world, is gorgeous, is the best friend anyone could ever have, and would be the best girlfriend anyone has ever seen, if you just gave her a chance."

"Uh, well, I guess I could give her a chance..." Owen stammered out, guilt suffocating him. He kept touching his hair anxiously.

"No. I don't think so," Morgan hissed. "Don't even try. You are not going to ask her out out of people. She won't just be the rebound. It's not my fault you're poor. How about next time you check your prejudice at the door?" Morgan twirled confidently, rejoining Linda by linking arms with her. Jack leaned in between the two of them and proudly brushed his lips across her temple.

"I love you," he said to her while the crystals on his face glowed from the pride he was harboring.

"Oh my God, I get it!" Linda screamed, unaware of the situation that had just happened. "Would you two stop your undying love for two minutes so I can think?! Everything you do is amazing. Your love for each other is great. I would really like to not puke before we have cake."

"I'll meet you at the house, love," Jack chuckled while Mrs. Tan's van pulled to the curb. Morgan and Linda watched with awestruck wonder as Jack shot into the sky, spiraling joyously through the overcast sky fog.

"'Love,'" Linda mulled, a glimpse of a smirk on her face before they climbed into the vehicle. They exchanged greetings, but Linda had suddenly become very silent. Morgan pulled on her friend's jacket sleeve, urging her to say something. "Oh, I'm just... very glad for you, that's all. Jack's a wonderful boyfriend. So sweet. And you two deserve each other. You're so pretty."

"You're pretty too, Linda," Morgan responded shyly. The girl looked touched for a just a minute, but the compliment seemed to fly past her. She sensed her friend was trying to wear a smile to appear polite, and be kind to Morgan. The thing with her relationship with Linda, no matter how gullible Morgan was, it was easy for her to see the truth in Linda no one else could see, having been around her so long. Linda would not want this talk, not now. So Morgan simply patted her friend's hand, trying to tell her she valued her. She hoped the message would get through.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Why did we sneak away, hide in Linda's bathroom, before they cut the cake? Because if it's not something involving the two of us being at least partially naked, I am going to be so angry," Jack told her after she had snagged him from the kitchen.

"I'm worried about Linda," Morgan started. Jack huffed out a long breath of icy air and then positioned himself so he was sitting atop the closed toilet lid.

"How was she this summer?" he asked, suddenly throwing himself in the midst of the situation.

"Eh, normal. I mean, she always says comments about her appearance and how she thinks it's gross, she comments on her intelligence a lot, and I always try to say something about how it's not true. She hates how thin she is. You always heat about girls complaining about their weight because they think they're overweight, and not under. I'm the one who always say something about being fat."

"You're not..." Jack groaned, as if he had already heard this from her a dozen times or so.

"Jack, I'm not saying anything about me here. This is about Linda."

"I don't understand girl problems..."

"But we're the only friends she has! And honestly, I think you may be part of it."

"Wait a minute, how am I a part of what's bothering her?"

"Just, hear me out, okay? Linda hides a lot. I think she's sick of being invisible. Nobody bothers her if I'm around, but she's told me in her other classes, how people look on her grades and ask why she's not doing better. They always mock her accent, and accent she doesn't even have, are telling jokes... and as obnoxious as she is, she;s only that way around us and her family. At school, and around people she doesn't know, she;s incredibly quiet. She's not like me where she will fight. She'll just take it. And then she cries about it later. I am convinced she only tells me a small portion of what happens. Linda is a hopeless romantic too, and as much as she pretends to be promiscuous, I think she just wants a boyfriend to be dedicated too, who will cherish her. And she sees me with you... and you're kind to her... and she has admitted her attraction for you... and I think she wants what I have. And then she feels unattractive because I'll admit... I do get attention. From boys at school. I never notice it until Linda comments on it. Linda gets... well, the nice guys say hi to her... but it's never like me. And she's sick of being poor and wearing clothes from thrift stores... and I'm sure her physical appearance has something to do with it too. I get called fat at school... but I also have curves." Jack's eyes went down, and then quickly up again with embarrassment, as if he realized this was not the time for this. "I don't know if you noticed, but Linda is slender... everywhere. I think she hates that. She feels she has no appeal... especially to men, and then she compares herself to me..."

"I don't understand," Jack said. "I mean... it makes sense, but I don't understand how you figured all that out?" Morgan shrugged.

"I just... know Linda."

"So what are we going to do? Set her up on a blind date?"

"I don't know... she would hate that. Unless it was Tom Hiddleston or something."

"Who...?"

"Some actor, you know how Morgan is always going on about the British actors. I just want... I think we should keep an eye on her. That's all... and I guess... Look, I know how you feel about me already, okay? So you don't have to worry about me getting jealous or anything if you want to show Linda some affection, to show her you care..."

"Morgan! This cake is going to be devoured soon if you don't get down here now!" Linda's voice stretched up the steps to the bathroom. Morgan leaned forward to receive an understanding kiss before the two of them fled from the bathroom. Morgan smiled at Linda, who was eying the two of them fearfully. "I expect full details later on about what went on in there..."

"The rubber duck is scarred for life," Jack winked, brushing past her. Morgan, Jack, and the three Tans sat around the table, a homemade devil's food cake sitting brilliantly on display at the forefront of the table. On top of the dark chocolate frosting, was a shaky pattern of lines to form what Morgan had become familiar with as her name in Mandarin Chinese.

"I'm sorry it looks so funny," Linda told her. "Frosting is hard to deal with."

"It actually looks Chinese. You know what it would look like if I did? Scribbles."

"Linda, you sing in English," said Mr. Tan, who had the thickest accent of them all. "Mama and I will sing in Chinese."

"No, no, Mama, you sing in French!" Linda said her with a sudden spark of elation. "You remember that from school right?"

"Yes, I know that much," Mrs. Tan laughed. Jack smirked at the family, their voices suddenly overlapping in different languages. French, English, and Chinese all looped over and under each other so the unevenness of the way they flowed together shook Morgan with laughter. Jack, was amused by the weavings of the song and Morgan's near collapse with laughter. He added to Morgan's combustion of laughter evening more by singing in a language of Scandinavian origin. She gripped the rod on the end of her chair to prevent herself from falling to the floor. The collision of the languages at the end sounded so ridiculous, that Morgan was at the stage where someone loses their voice while laughing. When finally it came back and her belly ached from laughter, she filled her lungs and huffed to blow out all fourteen candles at the same time. Jack obediently sat at the table, ready for a slice of cake even though he would not receive it til Mr. and Mrs. Tan had gone. They had gotten her a simple card and a small key chain that Mrs Tan had made, and her name had been painted in traditional calligraphy, in Chinese.

Linda's gift was a hand mirror, oval in the glass and framed by an elaborate embellished frame. It was mostly gold, but had several tarnishes around the side. Morgan 's lips curled with fascination, the tips of her fingers running against the grooves of the dips and raises in the patterning along the back.

"It's supposed to look Victorian," Linda told her. "I don't think it's that old, but it is at least a few decades old. I think it's sterling silver, gold plated... as you can see right there. And I got it at a pawn shop. Who knows how long it's been there? Since you prefer things that are used and old I thought you may-"

"It's one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen!" Morgan squealed, slamming an embrace against her friend in thanks. " And it's glass! Real glass! And metal! Thank you Linda, this is wonderful!" Linda's unsure expression filled with pride, growing brighter with the unexpected response. "And this is in addition to what you did for me to see the film?! You're amazing, Linda, You really are."

"I am so glad- hang on, how do you know what I did?" Linda's face contorted into one of displeasure. Jack rolled his eyes and slumped sheepishly. "Jack!"

"Who's Jack?" asked Mr. Tan, who was cleaning up the dishes.

"My boyfriend no one ever sees," Morgan responded quickly. "And yes, but you know what? I'm glad he did. It shows me how much you really care about me and I was really touched. I can't believe you would do that for me, Linda." While the Tans cleaned up the dining room, the girls, and Jack, made their way up to Linda's subtle orange toned room, Jack plunging into a bag on the ground and producing a blue wrapped box.

"It's my turn," he said, apprehensively placing it in front of Morgan. "Open it." Linda leaned over, waiting to catch a sight of Morgan's face. She clawed away at the paper and then marveled at the picture of the marble model of a small replica of the Taj Mahal. She flipped the box and scanned the curves of the font with her eyes.

"Jack, did you go to India?" she asked.

"I did."

"But hold on... do you know what this means?" Her eyes bugged when Jack grinned with a knowing mischievousness.

"Of course I do, Morgan. That's exactly why I bought it."

"This is like... enduring love, never failing..."

"Yes, Morgan. I am aware, You've told me the story hundreds of times. It was no accident that I bought this."

"Jack, I need to get this straight..." Morgan placed the box beside Linda, sitting on the bed. She turned her body and held Jack's face straight, looking right into her eyes. From behind them, Linda's eyes were filling up with tears, the line of her lips altering into a bittersweet smile. The topaz of Jack's blue eyes shone with affectionately as Morgan held his face in its position, facing her. "The Taj Mahal is the greatest monument to the most passionate, never failing, everlasting love."

"Um, you're the history expert, but yes."

"And you went to India to get this for me."

"With the help of a young boy, yes."

"And you're giving it to me."

"Yes."

"Is this something you want to do? Because it's like when a guy buys his girlfriend yellow roses, because yellow is her favorite color, not realizing that the color of roses actually mean something, and yellow is the color of friendship, instead of buying her pink or red, and the girl could be thinking that she's actually-"

"Morgan!" Linda growled, and then snickered at the startled expression of her friends. "Jack came to see me the other night. I talked to him. Stop talking. This is intentional." The perplexed girl turned back around, drifting away in the sparkling oceans overtaking his irises.

"Jack, are you trying to tell me you're going to love me forever? Truly forever? Going on and on... past death?"

"That is exactly what I am telling you, Snow Angel." Forgetting for a moment that Linda was in the room, Jack was pulled into an entanglement that caught him off guard, and he fell on top of Morgan, her lips greedily craving his. Linda edged away, a little disturbed by the ferocity Morgan was displaying.

"I take that back, you may not be a virgin forever..." Linda observed, attempting to joke and make her presence known. Morgan turned her face, a small giggle escaping through her sheepishness, Jack was still gently pressing his lips to her neck.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"I know," Linda laughed. "It's okay... it really is."

"No," Jack said, sitting up. Linda raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was on about. Morgan pushed Jack off her chest and slid a few inches to make room for their friend. The skeptical girl slowly took a position between the two of them... and then was attacked by the two of them, pinning her to the bed with sudden affection.

"Awk!" she cried. "What are you doing?"

"Linda, Jack and I aren't the only people in the room who are going to love each other forever," Morgan laughed.

"What are you talking about?!"

"No matter what happens, Linda, you will always be my best friend. And I love you very much, and I'm always going to think you're amazing, and wonderful, and talented," Morgan told her, tightening her arms around her.

"She's not alone, Linda," Jack smirked. "You are a fantastic person, and you are fun, despite how much I pretend I'm annoyed by you. You are crazy and obnoxious and beautiful and we both love you more than you can even understand."

"Forever," Morgan finalized. The two of them together slathered Linda's face with a barrage of quick kisses and her mouth unleashed a whine.

"You guys!" she blurted and used her hands to push the both of them away from her face. Then the look of disgust fell away from her face, and left a smile that was formed by her glad emotions. "I'm going to love you forever too. Helps that you're both so gorgeous."

"Well, we're President and Vice President of the Gorgeous Club. You should join! We only invite the people who are the most beautiful – inside and out."

"Is there going to be a hazing?" Linda asked. "If there is, it better involve getting to know this one intimately." She ran her fingers down Jack's sweatshirt in a sensual way. He rolled his eyes and jerked the pillow out from underneath Linda, holding it high above his head. From underneath the attack of pillows brought on by Jack and then soon, Morgan, Linda laughed harder than she could ever remember.

* * *

**The birthday singing thing actually happened to me. For my seventeenth birthday, I had a few friends over and they all spoke different languages. One friend sang in Spanish, One in Chinese, One did American Sign Language, My then boyfriend but now ex (and asshole) sang in French, My mother sang in English, and I sang to myself in German. (I am conversationally fluent) and it was really hilarious but really awesome at the same time. I didn't actually expect Linda to become such a huge character but I'm glad she did. Because so many of you seem to like her and because I've already broken so many hearts with the emotions in this story, I'm going to ease your minds a bit - Things may happen with Linda. Things may happen with Morgan. But nothing is going to happen with Morgan and Linda. I haven't decided yet, because I'm still brainstorming. Things may happen as far as drama with them, because all friends have drama, but Morgan and Linda are going to be best friends forever. I promise. That is all I am giving you know. Gute Nacht! Rosie out.**


	57. Expressions

**Call me mean, but I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to get into stuff that's going to pull at your heartstrings... and my mind is just too impatient for things to happen.  
Human!JackIRL asked me if I needed a ride home today from work... I have never had someone ask me that who barely knew me, but it was super nice. (No, I didn't take a ride from him. I needed to get groceries and I needed to wait for my roomie) but he is super nice. I have gotten... questions about him. So I'm going to answer them now. I am bringing him up because his resemblence to Jack is just uncanny and I thought you would be interested. Is he good looking? Very much so. Am I going to ask for his number? Uh, maybe a long long time down the line when we really get to know each other if we become friends, but only for that reason. I hope it's made very clear to people that I enjoy looking at attractive people, but I am becoming friends with him because he is really nice and at a place where I don't know anyone, I would really like to have at least one friend. I have no interest in dating him, you guys. I am happily engaged, and going to marry the most wonderful man ever. And besides, Human!JackIRL is four years younger than me. Why would that be problem? Because that makes him 17, and I'm 21. That's illegal here guys. There's short of an age difference grace, but he's outside it til he's 18. So no.  
**

**Speaking of work, I am required to wear the most wicked looking box cutter on my belt. I am scared. I do no good with the pointy things. Human!JackIRL had to teach me how to use it so I couldn't cut myself. **

* * *

Three days Morgan had spent building up the courage to ask her parents for permission, but she didn't understand why she shouldn't be allowed to go. Todd was going to his girlfriend's place for Thanksgiving, Aubrey was at her boyfriend's place, and Morgan would just be ignored the whole holiday, the way it was every year. Her uncles would gather together, with her father her aunts would gather together with her mother, her cousins would put together some sort of game, while the newborn (her cousin's kid) and the three year old (her aunt's child) laughed and were passed around, adored by everyone. These two children, Morgan, Peter, and Bradley were the only kids in the family, and Morgan was the only girl that was still considered a child. She was stuck in between the ages and though it would be fun during the dinner, once everyone went off, things would get boring again. Despite Linda being an only child, the rest of her family had many children, boys and girls equally balanced out and all close in age. Linda had yet to ask, but that was only because she was waiting for Morgan to. Linda did not want to go unless Morgan could go.

It was her father that Morgan approached about the issue, too fearful of her mother's reaction to even attempt in asking her.

"Dad?" she quietly said, walking in the living room where her father was using a small screwdriver to try and place a wheel back on Bradley's drag racing car model. "Um..."

"What is it sweetheart?" he asked, but kept his eyes on the miniscule object.

"Uh... I don't want to go to Thanksgiving this year...?" Morgan slowly told him, phrasing it so it sounded more like a question. His eyes did flip up to her, his finger still settling on the wheel.

"Are you unsure...?" he asked, mimicking her tone.

"No, no, I mean. I'm sure. I don't want to go because Ja- the Bennetts invited me to their Thanksgiving." He tightened his lips, something he normally did when he knew something was not going to be an easy argument.

"You've only been over there a few times..."

"I know, but it's just them, and especially since Mr. and Ms. Bennett split up... they really don't have anyone else and I've become fond of them and I think they like me and..."

"That Jamie Bennett... he's about your age."

"Well, he's twelve, Dad."

"Even so... he'll be a teenager soon." He tightened the wheel on the car. He raised his eyebrows at Morgan in suspicion. "I'm just wondering if this desire to go over there has anything to do with him."

"Are you asking me if I like him?" Morgan choked, the idea of the two of them being together suffocating her. "NO, Dad. No no no no. That would be _really _weird."

"Because he's twelve?" Mr. Kenter chuckled. "When your mother was twelve, I was sixteen."

"But you weren't dating then, you didn't even meet until college," Morgan said. "Age gaps when you're young are different when you're older. Besides, that's... not even the reason. I'm.. fixated on Jack." There was a long draw of breath when he heard that old name again.

"Morgan, you know your mother doesn't like hearing about Jack."

"Well, what does she want? To hide who I am? To lie? To pretend? That's not me. I hate lying, I hate deception, I have no capacity for pretending or imagination. Most parents fight to get their children to tell the truth!" Mr. Kenter passed by his daughter and headed into the kitchen. Morgan followed him. "But she wants me to lie? I mean that's so weird!"

"Your mother just wants to have a simple family," he answered slowly, retrieving an old fashioned bottle of cream soda. He sank down into the chair at the table. "She's always been the type to just have everything look perfect, and have everything perfect. She's concerned about people talking if there's one thing out of place. You know how she is: everything has it's place, and she has everything planned. If it's not something she planned for, she flies off the handle."

"She can't do that with life, though!"

"Believe me, Morgan. I've tried to tell her so many times." He took a sip and then pulled out a chair for his daughter, who proceeded to sit down. "Your mother's family... growing up everything was planned and perfect for them, and very strict Catholic."

"And look at them now," Morgan mumbled. "Grandma refuses to talk to Aunt Tracy because she had a child out of wedlock twenty years ago, even though she married him."

"I'm not condoning what your mother does," he quickly responded with a smile that was reserved only for Morgan. "I just think you should be careful about what you say around her. This Jack character... I'll admit it's a little... strange. But the thing about your mother was she grew up believing things in life were concrete. If you see something that isn't an Angel or God, it's got to be something demonic, in which case you should go see the priest. If it's neither one of those she believes there's something medically wrong. I tend to be more open minded."

"You believe there could be other things out there?" Morgan asked. "Like ghosts or spirits...?"

"Or whatever. Things we maybe haven't even heard of," Mr. Kenter told her coolly, sipping on his soda. "I don't real out the possibility that this Jack character exists... your belief in the holiday figures though... that's one I haven't heard of. However, that being said, with you knowing history and information about the season of Easter, and the origins of the Tooth Fairy, and the history of St. Nick, maybe they're ghosts..."

"Well, they're not _really_ ghosts, Dad..." Morgan chuckled.

"Whatever," he said. "I don't believe they're there, I'll tell you that Morgan. But my truth is mine and not yours. Your truth is different. Maybe you even have some special six sense or somethin. As far as the medication goes... I didn't think you needed it. You're a functioning member of society. You're growing the way you should. You're compassionate. You're not disrupting the peace. You don't seem to be upset or lonely anymore than the average teenager. Your art is probably a bit blunt, and your fascination with history extends beyond the typical student, but that's just because you're unique. I think your mother is just trying to normalize you. But I don't want you to think for a minute that means she doesn't love you. She doesn't understand and that is why she is panicking so much, She is scared for you."

"I know..." Morgan sighed, her legs banging against the leg of the chair. "I just hate that she can't see what I see... and she thinks I'm mad because of it. If she wanted a normal child, she should have put me up for adoption the day I discovered fairy tales weren't true."

"Eh, normal is overrated," he winked. "Walking with your hands in your pockets gets you ignored. It's being the weird one flailing your arms in the middle of the street that gets you noticed." Morgan guffawed at his little comparison, picturing her father in that situation. "I'll talk to your mother. I know Thanksgiving is tough for you, considering how strict your mother's family is, and I know every year you get bored really fast. I'll let you go to the Bennetts."

"Thank you Daddy!" she laughed, clutching her father tightly. "Love you."

"Love you too, Sweetheart."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Linda had discovered how easy it was for her parents to let her go to Thanksgiving when she said Morgan would be there. The Tans adored Morgan, especially since Linda had seemed to be so much more cheerful since they had first become friends. Early in the morning that Thursday at the end of November, the entire Bennett family had piled into a car and drove to Harrisburg to pick up the girls. Heading back to Burgess, they were delighted to see a fresh sheet of snow sprinkling down, in clumps large enough they looked like down feathers falling on the wind. Morgan eyed the snow with wonder, opening the window to catch one on her fingertips. She rolled the clump of flakes until it was moisture, reminding her how amazing it was that this was the work of Jack, out having fun again... and he loved her.

They pulled into the drive at the red, barn shaped house, and Sophie flailed towards the steps, jumping up to the door. Linda, who had grown very close to the small girl in the car, chased her up the steps as she laughed wildly.

"What's middle school like?" Jamie asked Morgan as they entered the house.

"It's harder," Morgan told him. "And teachers aren't that strict on some things."

"Really? That's cool."

"Yeah, but sometimes they also talk about things a little more mature, and some of the kids you go to school with will say some things you've never heard of before and do things and life is more emotional. More stress, basically."

"That doesn't sound fun."

"It isn't, but you're going to start with many friends, right? They'll help you."

"Morgan..."

"Yeah?"

"How did you know when you liked Jack?" The suddenness of Jamie's question blocked Morgan from moving forward through the entryway. She looked over at them, eyes bugged from the meaning of his question.

"Uh..." she started. "Well... I don't know... it just... one day I was looking at him and I realized I saw him differently and I wanted him to be more than a friend. I liked the idea of dating him... is there... someone you like?"

Jamie nodded. "I think I like... Pippa... but I'm just her bud. I mean, she's one of the guys. She probably doesn't think of me that way..."

"You'll never know until you let her know!" Morgan laughed. She threw her coat on the rack when Jamie directed her too and Abby carefully padded over to those entering the house. Her tail moved a little slower and her stride was not as enthusiastic as it had been in the past. Abby nuzzled Jamie's hand happily.

"I'm afraid of telling her..." Jamie said. Morgan sighed and blew away a strand of hair from her face. Outside the window, the snow slowed and there was a gentle thud as something landed on the roof. Ms. Bennett smiled and cheerfully made towards the door, pulling it open so Jack walked in. Morgan's skin emit a warm glow when he took to the room.

"Hey, was the weather all right?" he asked casually, looking over to Ms. Bennett. "I didn't make it too difficult to drive in?"

"No, Jack, it was fine," she laughed. "Very peaceful."

"Jack I'm so happy we're going to have Thanksgiving with your girlfriend!" Sophie said, scrambling over to her favorite guy in the world. "I like her. I think she's cool. And smart. And pretty."

"I think so too," Jack chuckled, throwing his arm around Morgan's shoulders.

"Linda is so funny!" Sophie laughed, still talking to Jack. "Morgan, you have the best friends ever. She knows so much Chinese and she is really good at singing and it's so cool that she's from New Jersey." From the other room, Morgan saw Linda smiling. Ms. Bennett reached inside the fridge and produced a bowl filled with peeled potatoes and threw them in a pot of boiling water.

"There was something you wanted to talk to me about, Jamie?" Jack asked, positioning himself against his crook.

"Well, you and Morgan..." he said softly. Morgan looked over at Linda, who was currently pulling Sophie onto her back and proceeded to make horse galloping noises. Jamie led the both of them up into his room, shyly sitting on his bed and staring at nothing but his hands for a good few moments. "I said something to Morgan but... Jack, I like Pippa. And I don't know what to do." Jack's lips contoured into his special grin, delighting on the news.

"That's great, Jamie!"

"But.. what do I do about it?" he asked. "I mean, how did you know Morgan liked you? I can't tell with Pippa. I mean, she acts as she always does so I think she only likes me as a friend."

"You can't tell," Jack sighed. "I couldn't tell with Morgan. You can only go by your feelings, and it wasn't right away. Like you and Pippa, we were friends. The one day I just saw her differently. I noticed she was pretty, for the first time, and slowly she just got prettier with each day. I could trust her more than anyone else and I couldn't wait til I saw her again. It was almost painful to be away from her and I couldn't stop thinking about her. I thought about us kissing or going out on dates and I really liked that. Except, it happened gradually. I might have liked her before I knew I liked her. I still feel all of that for her." Jack felt a creep up his neck and then turned to catch Morgan staring fondly at him. She grinned brightly, her eyes twinkling, almost literally.

"Yeah... I feel that..." Jamie responded. "Sometimes it's like I'm being punched."

"That's exactly how it feels," Morgan nodded. "But you can't just know how she feels. If she feels the same thing as you, she may be conflicted as well, and not wanting to say anything. I know you probably don't want to say anything. You're scared she won't feel the same way, you don't want to be embarrassed... if she likes you, she'll feel the same way. And then neither one of you will say anything and it will just drive you nuts, not knowing."

"But what if she doesn't like me... I'll feel stupid."

"If you don't say anything, you'll just suffer anyway," Morgan said. "So I'm telling you this, so you make the first move. If she makes the first move before you, that's fine. Then she summoned up the courage to say something. But someone has to say something, or you'll drive yourself mad."

"I was the one that made the first move," Jack said, clutching Morgan's hand. "And that was because everything that happened with Morgan and Pitch scared me. I could not imagine that ever happening to her again and I didn't want to. I decided it wasn't worth waiting around and I decided to let her know how I was feeling, no matter what happened. Thankfully, for me, she felt the same way. You really don't want to let it grow and wait til it's too late."

"It just seems so scary." Jamie muttered. Morgan abandoned her seat beside Jack and leaned forwards towards Jamie. She put her arms around him tightly and whispered pleasantly to him.

"Hey, I know it is," she told him. "But I also know you have Overland blood in you. And I personally know the Overlands are some of the most courageous and strongest people ever. I'm not going to tell you that Pippa would foolish not to like, or that of course she would like, because you can't control or predict a person's heart. Everyone loves and likes different. What I can tell you is you will find the courage to say something, and even if she doesn't like you, that courage will bring you back and you'll be fine." Jamie returned her hug, beaming brightly.

"I see why you like her," Jamie laughed.

"Meh, she's okay," Jack teased. Morgan tore away from the young boy and flared her nostrils at the frost spirit.

"Okay?" she repeated. "I am more than a little okay! I am fabulous and wonderful and awesome and elegant and beautiful!"

"Not so sure about the elegant part," Jack teased, his finger touching her nose so a small trace of ice was left on the tip.

"You need to stop with this thing about nipping noses," Morgan groaned. Jamie cackled at their hysterics. From the kitchen, they could hear Ms. Bennett calling for help. Jamie slid away from his bed, preparing to go help his mother.

"Hey," Jack said, prodding the boy with his staff. "Morgan's right, though. You'll be fine. Remember when you helped defeat Pitch? Just remember how you stood up to him. If you can stand up to Pitch, you can do anything." Jamie's smile widened and he nodded, stumbling down the steps to help his mother. Morgan turned and pecked Jack on his cheek.

"I'm 'Okay'?" Morgan giggled, nuzzling her nose across his cold skin. He turned towards her lip, catching them off guard.

"Well, I would prefer not to share you with Joseph Fiennes," he smirked. Morgan rolled her eyes.

"If that's the way you want it, fine..." she sighed. "I'll break up with you and dedicate myself wholly to Joe." Morgan ripped away from his arms and galloped downstairs . Jack laughed and chased after her, catching her around the waist when she reached the bottom.

"No you don't," he said, lifting her up so she was cradled in his arms. She beat against his chest lightly, laughing through her protests, but eventually to surrender to the passionate kiss he had been trying to get from. Jack looked over to see Jamie beating a kitchen utensil against the potatoes, mashing them into a bowl. Linda was lining a casserole dish with green beans and Sophie was pouring the contents of soup cans into the casserole according to Linda's instruction. Jack looked down at the beauty in his arms, the smile on his face falling and his eyes losing their playful light. Discomforted, Morgan frowned and searched with her eyes for some reason for his instant solemn expression.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing big..." he mumbled, setting her down once again. "I just realized how you would be such a great mother..."

* * *

**This wasn't the greatest chapter, but when you're moving at a steady pace, some things are going to have to be slow...**


	58. Falling Into Place

**SPRING IS FINALLY HERE. IT'S BEEN 68 and 69 Fahrenheit the PAST TWO DAYS AND THE SNOW IS GONE AND IT'S BRIGHT AND SUNNY! I AM SO EXCITED I AM SICK OF THE COLD. Yay!**

* * *

Things actually felt normal. Around the table there was laughter. Sophie and Jamie shared the wishbone of the turkey, Sophie declaring excitedly when she got the bigger half for once in her life. Linda said something that made the rest of them nearly spit out their food. Jamie teased Morgan and Jack for the small kiss they shared at the table. Sophie and Jack battled it out with their dueling swords. Linda ate til she was so full, her gut nearly burst, declaring she had never had a thanksgiving with so much food before. The attitudes and behaviors of the night reflected how Todd and Aubrey reacted and felt during Morgan's family holidays, when they had brought their significant others. Things just felt so much more like a family. There was laughter and talking. No yelling or comparing. And they could see her boyfriend. Morgan hadn't needed to be cautious about what she said or be in constant fear of being thought as crazy. She was sitting around a table with people who treated her like family. She had her best friend. She had her boyfriend. Morgan could not remember when a moment had been more perfect. Every face in the room seemed to be lacking sadness, and that only made her even happier. In the back of her mind, she had wished this would never end.

The bliss continued through a long game of charades, watching old sitcoms on the television with bowls of pie and ice cream, and the tryptophan from the turkey was beginning to drug the lot of them. Ms. Bennett sent her children off to bed, while Jack, Morgan, and Linda headed off to Jack's room of their own free will. The room was a little crowded, but with Morgan sleeping beside Jack and a skinny air mattress placed on the floor for Linda, they were able to fit them snugly in the small room.

"Morgan, you're incredibly rude sometimes..." Linda sighed when her friend walked in the room wearing her loose hanging polka dot green pants and a long sleeved of grey with the words "Valley Forge National Historic Park" painted across the front. Morgan stopped moving her violet brush across her teeth and glanced over to her friend, who was spreading out blankets across the airbed.

"Wha?" she mumbled through a mouth full of toothpaste.

"If you're going to sleep with your boyfriend, you could at least have the decency to put something skimpy on," she teased, raising an eyebrow. Morgan coughed on the bit of toothpaste she had accidentally swallowed.

"Erm...Yer terg swerping wiz ay 'oy oo eez aid ohww athe," Morgan responded sharply as she furiously brushed her teeth.

"Was that supposed to be some secret historic language that holds the answers to the universe?" Linda laughed, plopping a pillow onto the surface of her bed.

"She said 'You try sleeping with a boy who is made of ice,'" Jack translated, never once lifting his eyes from a book titled _The Mystery of Atlantis_. "Morgan has to be wrapped up in a couple of blankets as it is to sleep with me, Linda. If she wore something that was lingerie, she would probably freeze to death."

"For five minutes, surely..."

"I can tell you right now if she wore something like that I would want her in it more than five minutes." Morgan halted her brush a second time and then quickly turned out of the room again. Linda cackled at Morgan's embarrassment. Jack smirked with satisfaction. "She gets embarrassed so easily."

"Morgan's not really so... bold about certain things, Linda. I'm not so sure I am either."

"Well, you come from a different time, and Morgan _want_ to be from a different time," Linda said, and then gasped with exuberance. "Maybe that's why she's so attracted to you. You're ancient!"

"Oh thanks so much, Linda. I love being called old."

"No, I mean you have all this history and mystery. Heh. History and mystery. I mean it. I am convinced Morgan's perfect man is one who is knowledgeable and acts himself as if he is a visitor from a time a couple hundred years ago."

"Linda, you are away that all those ideas about chivalry very rarely happened, right?" Jack said, closing the book slowly. "Duty was often given to religion and to country, very rarely to their significant other. Besides that, society was very patriarchal. It still is, but much more back then. Women had very little power and were expected to be ruled and governed and do whatever men, especially their husband, told them. For a long time, there weren't any rules protecting women against domestic abuse. They were to be submissive. I guarantee you that Morgan does not want a man who just stepped out of the 18th century." Linda frowned and looked over at the desk, searching for something to distract her.

"I do horrible in history, okay?" she admitted. Jack chuckled.

"With that said," he continued. "I have lived all these years and have not just stepped out of the 18th century. I have lived and learned and do carry history with me, but I have been able to learn how things work and why. So maybe you're partially right." Linda smiled a little, knowing he was trying to make her feel better. The door flung open again and Morgan appeared once again, with no toothbrush this time, and took a blanket from the end of Jack's sofa bed. She wound it tightly around her and then inched towards Jack in the space beside him while he threw another blanket over the both of them. Linda rolled her eyes.

"If you two starting grabbing at each other in the middle of the night I will throw things."

"One minute you're demanding that she wear very little clothing so she arouses me, the next minute you don't want me to act on those feelings. That's a double standard."

"No no, it's because I know Morgan refuses to reveal anything to do. She's so old-fashioned. I know it's not just because I'm here, it's all the time. However, I don't want you doing anything while I'm here," Linda said, sliding under her own covers. "Why is it that the girl who actually has something to show off is the one that hides it?"

"Linda, I actually happen to appreciate that part of Morgan, despite me being forever a hormonal teenage boy. Her mysteriousness is another part of the appeal." Morgan's smile stretched into her blush. Jack grazed his lips against the skin on her fingers in with a sultry flutter to his eyelids. Her fingers curled in anticipation.

"... I do too, actually," Linda said. "I'm very glad that Morgan doesn't jump into things, and has such good control over her hormones."

"It's not control," Morgan whispered softly into the darkness, and then she yawned, pushing her face against Jack's ice crusted chest. "It's fear."

Jack stopped kissing her fingers to look at her seemingly peaceful face.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgan discovered another blanket had been thrown on her when she woke up the next morning, rolling her eyes to find Jack was gone again. Since he didn't need to sleep, when he did, he slept very lightly and was often awake before anyone else. Linda had also gone, which was typical, she was an early riser. She needed to make sure her hair, her make-up, and clothes were perfect in the morning. It was insane how it took her two hours to get ready in the morning, when Morgan could do everything, including make-up, in forty-five minutes. The three blankets were thrown back with her launching out of bed and she groaned in annoyance finding one of her socks slipped into the oblivion between the blankets once again. A nickel for every sock lost to the black hole of blankets would have made her rich enough to end world hunger. There were sounds of laughter outside, and she looked outside to see everyone else engaged in violent snowball fight. She knew Jack probably didn't want to wake her but she hated missing all the fun everyone else was having.

Skipping over breakfast, and it was nearly lunchtime anyway, Morgan very quickly brushed through her hair before dressing warmly and heading outside. She trudged through the snow, making her away around the house to where everyone was. She balled up a clump of snow, preparing to lunch it first towards Jack. Except she couldn't find him, despite him just having been there. A gasp of breath caught in the back of her throat when she gulped at the touch of hands jerking her away from her stance. Arms tightened around her middle and Morgan dropped the snowball.

"The Snow Queen has been captured and I, the Snow King, have promised to keep her safe from the likes of you, Evil Lord Inferno!" Jack declared brightly. Morgan glanced up at him with confusion.

"I will melt your Snow Queen, King Jack!" Jamie dramatically said, scooping up more snow. "But you seem to forget that Duchess Sunflower still has your precious Snow Princess captivate and is currently performing unthinkable torturous methods!" Ms. Bennett had Sophie pinned while she rubbed her belly, her arms, and her feet with spastic fingers, restraining the little blonde girl under an attack of tickling.

"He-ah-eel-Mom-elp!" she laughed, struggling to get the words out.

"You will never get out of here alive, mwahahaha!" Ms. Bennett smiled.

"We will defeat you and Duchess Sunflower, and get our precious Princess back!" Jack voiced boldly.

"Maybe you would, but you need to get past the Fire-Witch first!"

"Ehehehehe," cackled Linda, in an impressive imitation of the Wicked Witch of the West. "I know all sorts of tricks to melt your Princess... but before I do, I will use my magic to get to your dearest love as well." Morgan cocked her head at the scene before her, confused by what had gotten into them.

"What in the world...?" she whispered.

"Um... Helen, Jamie, and Linda are the evil forces. You and I are King and Queen of the Snow Kingdom, and Sophie is our daughter and she's been kidnapped and we have to get her back. I had you under a sleeping potion to protect you, but you seem to have broken it and now together, we must get our child back."

"Sophie's not our child..." Morgan stated.

"Obviously, but it's pretend. We're making up a story."

"Why?"

"Because it's fun."

"Wouldn't it be more fun to reenact a historical battle or something?"

"With pretending, there are no rules. We can do whatever we want..." Jack explained, a smile on his lips.

"But without rules, isn't it just a little crazy? And chaotic?"

"Isn't that the fun of it?"

"I don't like chaos."

"Morgan, dear, there's a whole new world with an undiscovered truth in the realm of pretend. You just need to allow yourself to let go, and... do whatever." Morgan pursed her lips, thinking this over. She remembered to duck out of the way of snowballs as she thought.

"Um... you will not touch... our dear, uh.. Princess," she said hesitantly. Linda broke character and collapsed under her own hilarity. Morgan looked over at Jack hopefully. "How was that?"

"It's... a start," he attempted to say lightly. "If Queen Elizabeth the First were in a situation where she was in charge of retrieving a Snow Princess from the Kingdom of Burning Heat, how would she do it?"

"But she never did, there is no snow princess, and there is no... Kingdom of Burning Heat."

"Don't think of it that way, think of it... Queen Elizabeth is in charge of stopping a kingdom from bring harm to an innocent young girl, who is being held hostage." Morgan grinned, finding that scenario more believable.

"I have the heart of a man, not a woman, and I am not afraid of anything!" Morgan screamed triumphantly. She broke away from Jack's hold round her waist and collected snow into a large ball, flinging it towards Ms. Bennett. She gasped and rolled away from the laughing Sophie. She covered her eyes to avoid getting snow in them, but the snowball landed right before it hit her. She laughed and staggered away from her placement on the snow. Linda ran in and caught the young girl, holding her hand as if she were using strong powers against her.

"Sweet young Snow Princess, you shall not get away!"

"No! Jack, Morgan!"

"There is nothing I am more anxious about than my... child," Morgan recited, changing the words of Elizabeth the first to fit the situation, "and for... her... sake I am willing to die ten deaths if that be possible!" Morgan gathered up more snowballs and flung them in Linda's direction. Jack scurried around and began to collect particles of snow, forming mounds with the power between his fingers. He used his crook to launch the snowballs, retaliating at the barrage of snow ammo that Ms. Bennett, Linda, and Jamie were chucking at them. Jack focused on Linda, blinding her with an array of snowballs. Morgan swiped in and stole Sophie away from her grasp. Ms. Bennett was then attacked by Jack's onslaught. Jamie tried to retrieve Sophie from Morgan, but Morgan plunged a half formed ball of snow into his face and the two girls rounded the corner of the house. Sophie giggled and clutched onto Morgan, screaming excitedly.

"Yeah!" Jack shouted, positioning himself on the roof of the house. "Let that be a message to you, Burning Heat. You may kidnap as many people as you like, but nothing can stop the power of the love of a family!"

"That is both the sweetest and the dorkiest thing I have ever heard!" Linda yelled through her snickering. Morgan laughed and lifted Sophie to her hip, stumbling when she discovered the girl weighed more than she looked. Sophie guffawed at Morgan's struggle.

"Curse you, King Jack of the Land of Snow!" Jamie yelled dramatically and then collapsed to his knees with much faked solemness. Abby carefully jumped through the snow off the step to lick Jamie's face so he laughed out of character. The large dog rolled against the cold blanket of the world and let her tongue loll out of her mouth. Everyone started laughing at the ridiculousness of the animal.

"I say we all go in and get some hot chocolate," announced Ms. Bennett, brushing snow off her outerwear. "And Morgan, you should get something to eat. I'll make lunch soon and we can all eat. We have lots of leftovers, so we should use that." Sophie slipped out of Morgan's arms and followed her mother into the house. Jack joined Morgan's side and she let him slide his arm around her. The cool touch against her forehead told Morgan he was kissing her, and she warmed under it.

"My beautiful Snow Angel was really brave today," he teased.

"Oh, was I?" she laughed. "Well, you were bold and courageous on your... steed?" He laughed harder.

"A for effort," he said. "Come on, I'm sure you're hungry. You should eat." Morgan blew hot air against his crystal-coated ear.

"Promise me dessert later," she whispered with a lowered tone. Jack's eyes popped and he looked over to her with startled surprise, wondering if he had heard her say what he thought she said. She snorted and quickly stole a kiss from the tip of his nose and ran inside before he could nip her back.

* * *

**Tomorrow I MUST MUST MUST make a dent in my homework. I really must. This is the last week of classes and because 4/5 of my finals are essays, I would like to get them done this week and turned in so I don't need to worry about going into class next week and can use Finals week as free time to do what I want and work. The fact that I can count my classes ON ONE HAND makes me ecstatic guys. Oh I AM SO CLOSE. Anyway, nighttime for me! Only a four hour shift tomorrow! Gute Nacht! Rosie Out.**

**The lines that Morgan says are lines says by Elizabeth the First**


	59. Love's Disease

**One more week of classes. One more week. Five more papers. One more test. Two more journal entries. That is all I have left to do. for this semester. I am so close to being done I am in tears. If I could just find time to write my FIVE PAPERS... everything would be bliss.**

* * *

"Just leave it alone, Morgan," Linda begged, grabbing at the three heart shaped lollipops in her friend's hand. Morgan held them away from her and continued to squint at the lettering, examining the vile notes attached to the sticks. "Look on the bright side, at least people think I'm loved and I got free candy, right?"

"Would you stop doing that?" Morgan asked. "You have to pay a dollar to send these things out. Why in the world would you waste a perfectly good dollar to send hateful Valentine's to someone rather than spend on something in the vending machine?"

"People just hate me that much, okay?" Linda scoffed, and reached for the candy again. Morgan held it out to Jack, who was sitting across the table. He took them and hid them behind her back, a smug look filling his face. "I want to eat them."

"I will buy you candy," Morgan said. "I refuse to let you eat candy filled with hate."

"It's just the notes, it's fine." For Valentine's Day, their school, like many public schools across the US, held a small fundraiser for events. For a dollar, a heart shaped lollipop would be delivered to a person that someone wanted to receive it, and they were also allowed to attach a secret note to the lollipop. Because of privacy reasons, these were sealed and never looked at. Which is why it was so easy to receive hateful candy grams, even though Morgan had never heard of anyone getting them. People didn't like to spend money on mean pranks, normally. Morgan received two; one from Linda, and one that just had a smiling face which she suspected was from her history teacher that she refused to tell anyone about because that was weird, even if Morgan knew she did that every year for her best students. Linda had received four – one was from Morgan. The other three had nasty messages attached to them. They all had different handwriting and all contained something regarding her ethnicity. As usual, Linda asked Morgan to ignore it, but she couldn't.

"If we take this to the police, maybe we can get the handwriting analyzed-"

"Morgan, seriously, the police don't care about a school joke," Linda said, slamming down her juice pack.

"I just can't believe you're going to sit here and take this," Morgan scoffed.

"That is so easy for you to say," Linda groaned. "You're considered to be this all-American girl!"

"I already told you I am Ger-"

"Don't you dare give me the speech on your background, Morgan Paige." Morgan slammed her mouth shut, exchanging a petrified expression with Jack. Linda had never spoken so sharply or used her middle name that way before. "You do not know what it's like. People don't look at you and think you're any of those European countries. They just see a girl, okay? They see someone who belongs here. They take a look at me and they know instantly I am Asian. They think I don't belong. They think I should just... just..." Linda tossed over the note, the one that creatively told her to "go back home." She smirked in a sort of maniacal way. "At least that person knew I was Chinese." Morgan glanced at the scrawl of the nasty derogation on the slip of paper.

"I don't understand," Jack said, picking up a piece of paper which thought Linda was Japanese and made a remark about Pearl Harbor. "There are other Asian-Americans here. And they don't get any of this?"

"They do..." Linda sighed. "But I get more of it than anyone else."

"Why?"

"Because I'm silent. It's not in my personality to act on it. I just take it. It's always been that way."

"That's why you have to do something-" Morgan said, rising up from the table.

"I did do something. In elementary school! In Jersey!" Linda shrieked, a few heads turning in the lunchroom. She lowered her face when pink flushed over her cheekbones. "Trust me, the treatment I am getting here is a lot better than it was at that place." She picked at he fruit in the small container, twirled her fork around in the blueberries. "It sounds strange, usually the smart kid gets picked on for doing better than everyone else, but because I didn't live up to the stereotype and was stupid, _that_ is the reason I was picked on. I was teased for being stupid. I tried so hard. I stayed up late trying to remember everything – and in second grade! But I got tired and I just couldn't do it, and it just made it worse. I stayed late one day to ask for extra help from the teacher and I... some kids were waiting for me."

"Linda, what happened?" Morgan prompted, already traumatized with the idea of what she may hear from Linda's mouth.

"It's the reason we moved, Morgan..."

"What. Happened."

"Three girls and two boys attacked me outside of the playground. Haven't you ever wondered why my nose is slightly tilted? They broke it. They punched me until they broke the skin. They threw me against the wall and I thankfully, only go a concussion, but I also broke my arm. I was in the hospital for a week."

"Oh my God, Linda!" Morgan squealed, taking a hold of her hand in her horror. "Why are you only telling me this now?!"

"I don't want to burden you with my problems," she muttered. "I know how protective you are of me, and how you like to come to my aid. And I love that about you, but I also was afraid if you knew that you would get more protective, no longer listen to me when I tell you to stop and get beat up for protecting the 'Asian lady'."

"I don't care if I get beat up!"

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you," Linda sighed. "However, that school was bad. Really bad. I mean I got sent to it because my parents couldn't afford anything else, but lots of problems happened there, and the staff didn't care." A dot of moisture gathered in Linda's eye. Jack slid away from his spot at the table and sat on the other side of Linda, pulling her into his shoulder for a half hug. Morgan smiled at him gratefully. "These, by themselves aren't really that bad. This one just makes me laugh because I'm not Japanese."

"You shouldn't be laughing, you should be pissed."

"Well, I'm more hurt than pissed. On Valentine's Day of all days. It's just a reminder that I'll never be truly loved. I'm going to be lonely forever."

"Okay, my turn to say something!" Jack said. "Linda, I know that's not true. It just hasn't happened for you yet. Some people find love at thirteen, some at twenty-five. Everyone's heart is different. There may even be someone who likes you right now, it's just that they're too afraid to approach you."

"I doubt it. I'm disgusting and talentless. That's another reason I'm so loathed. All the other Asians that go to this school have something to give. You have the few that actually do live up to the stereotype, you have the one who's the best hitter on the baseball team, you have the leader of the Speech team, you have the one who is the class clown and everyone thinks he's funny. You have the girl who always makes a grand entrance. You have the guy who is dead sexy, and then there's the guy who makes the announcements in the morning. They aren't afraid to speak, aren't afraid to be around people, have talent, or are just attractive. I am none of those."

"There is nothing wrong with being a little shy, Linda," he assured, running his hand down her back to comfort her. "You have a singing voice that would make Cupid weep."

"And he says I sound like a cat being run over," Morgan interrupted. "And I'm his girlfriend, so you know he's telling the truth about you."

"You have a unique sense of humor that no one else can mimic, and you are strong."

"How am I strong...?" Linda said with confusion written on her face.

"You've put up with all of this and never let it show. You've been able to smile through pain."

"Can I remind you that you _are_ smart?" Morgan said. "There isn't a soul I know that can rattle off that many BBC shows and tell about them in detail, and know the biographies of every famous British or Irish actor. Also you seem to know every song to every musical ever written and you know the plot synopsises to every single one. You can recite half the lines from nearly every play ever written."

"Those are just hobbies, I'm just a regular fangirl."

"But it's an intelligence I have never seen in anyone else," Morgan commented, licking the pudding off her spoon. "I have never seen anyone be able to memorize something so fast. If something interests you, it sticks with you forever. Those shows and books of yours, you can read into them and find alternate interpretations I never would have thought of. Being a fangirl requires intelligence and talent, I think."

"It's not something anyone cares about!" Linda mocked. "I'm never going to get graded on my knowledge of BBC shows or theatre."

"You don't know that," Jack said. "And the other thing – you know how you wear all that make-up around your eyes?"

"Yes... I know it's too much but it keeps the comments about my eyes down."

"I think it's clouding your vision."

"Huh? I can see just fine..."

"Then explain to me why you see an ugly disaster and I see a woman that would blind the entire room with how beautiful she is." Linda's jaw fell open as Jack proudly lifted his chin in response to her agape mouth. The dark haired girl leaned towards Morgan and blinked expectantly over at her, as if she were wondering if he was allowed to say that. Her friend just smiled so widely, her lips split to show the ivory of her teeth.

"I, you... stop," she said to Jack, forcing a smile away from her lips.

"Would I have given you a rose in your favorite color if I didn't value you?" he reminded. Linda looked back at the baby blue half open rose that rested in the middle of the table. When Jack had entered the cafeteria, he passed a red rose to Morgan and a blue one to Linda.

"No matter what anyone says," Morgan continued. "We think you're perfect. Or at least you would be if you weren't so obsessed with me and Jack getting it on." Linda giggled. "Your eyes are perfect, your voice is perfect, your skin is perfect, your hair is perfect. You look different from most of the people in this school. So what? Your heart is the same as an All-American white girl."

"You're still going to bite the head off the people who wrote those notes if you ever find out who, aren't you?" Linda guessed, letting her eyelids fall so she narrowed her gaze with exasperation to her friend.

"Of course I am."

"Morgan, your boyfriend still has his arm around me."

"So?"

"If he doesn't remove it soon, I may remove it for him. Along with his clothes." Jack's arm quickly shot down to his side again. He positioned himself so he wasn't touching Linda at all. She picked up the trio of contaminated candies and chucked them into the refuse near the wall.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Jack~_

"Why didn't you shoot at Linda?"

Cupid let his head roll on his neck so he was casting Jack an order with his eyes to never ask that question. He turned his eyes upwards, and Jack got the impression that question reached his ears a little too often.

"Jackie, why must you ask such questions?" he cooed. Jack paid a special visit to the Romanesque palace of the spirit of love in order to try and figure out what the deal with Linda was. Even though every word he told her was true, he did not like that Morgan's best friend was so miserable and thought he may be able to help. "I am busying celebrating how the love I have showered on people has affected them. There were more babies conceived today than there have been for the past ten years. This is very good news."

"Oh, I am always excited to hear about how you have coaxed people into removing each other's clothes," Jack sputtered with sarcasm. He pressed his cheek against his crook, indicating how bored he was. "The only thing I love better is hearing how two people who love each other will be having children, especially since _I can't_."

"Oh, Jackie why you let that eat you up so much?" Cupid slowly chuckled so his velvety voice could actually be felt as it wafted through the air. Jack stirred, trying to shake the comforting feeling that was gnawing at his shoulders away from him. "Children are delightful, but imagine what a life without the responsibilities of changing diapers and feeding and having to keep a constant eye on them is."

"I think it would be worth it to have all kinds of fun with my own children," Jack defended with a snarl on his lips. "And to have someone look up to me."

"Committing yourself to that girl is not a wise idea anyway. Hey, you know with that Linda girl-"

"Forget it, Cupid," he interjected, the edges of his lips curling. "You know Linda is not where my heart lies. I want to know where her heart lies."

"Ugh..." he groaned. "I cannot shoot Linda, I have nothing to work with."

"What do you mean nothing to work with."

"Other than those male actors she watches on those British television shows, she doesn't seem to have much interest in any men. I can feel that she has passing fantasies when a good looking boy passes, but she doesn't dwell on any of them. Which is strange, considering her age. She seems very withdrawn and her heart doesn't extend that far."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, it's a disease that blocks me from entering. She's given up. At fourteen she's already given up on love."

"Don't people do that all the time? Cut themselves off from dating or become convinced they will never meet anyone."

"But hardly anyone _truly_ gives up to the point where feelings can't even form. Linda has become so sick with loneliness she won't even allow feelings to develop because she doesn't believe it will develop. That's some strong determination."

"Can you open her up again?"

"Well, I can... but it will take someone special to open her up again."

"Then shoot someone!" Jack demanded.

"Jackie, you don't seem to understand how delicate my work is. It has to be someone who has the mannerism and the approach and truly only holds Linda above himself. I can't just choose anyone, and it seems there is no boy who knows her well enough that could develop such behavior and get her reciprocate those feelings. She's too shy and withdrawn." Jack frowned and pleaded to Cupid with his eyes. He held out his arms in apology to Jack. "I don't start the fire, I just fan the flames. If there's no fire, I can't fan." This was not going how Jack wanted it to go. "If you can get her to get to know someone and befriend, then I'll see what I can do. Until then, nothing. Sorry, Jack." The winter spirit's shoulder fell back with lost hope. Then his attention was distracted by the amused grin Cupid was flashing him, seduction weaved into his face.

"What is it?" Jack groaned, afraid to know the answer.

"It's just interesting to know for someone who hates Valentine's Day, you relished in its opportunities. The evidence is on your neck." His white fingers slapped against the ice encrusted blue mark he discovered on his neck that morning. "That would explain the turtleneck and the bright lipstick Morgan was wearing when she went to school today."

"Oh, you watched us, that's disgusting."

"I watch everyone. I should get to enjoy the fruits of my labor," he smirked. "Don't worry, I quickly moved on when I realized you two weren't going any farther than gnawing on each other's necks. I do wonder though, would she get frostbite if you ever did get-"

"Cupid, Shut. Up." Jack warned.

"I'm just wondering because her lips looked a little chapped and if aggressively sucking on your skin could do that what would-"

"Cupid, you're not allowed to know what goes on between us, okay?" he snapped. He pointed the end of his staff at the love spirit, posing a dangerous threat to him. Cupid growled lowly and hung his head.

"For the Guardian of Fun, you sure like to deny me it a lot." Jack displayed a puckish sneer, whistling softly to himself on his way to exiting the Love Palace.

* * *

**The Valentine's Candygram thing is pretty commonplace in America, but I don't know about the rest of the world. So for those who don't know, yes this does happen. It happened 7th-12th grade. My friend used to send me one every year, but besides that, I did get three not from her throughout the course of school. I got one from my ex when we were dating in 10th grade, and in 8th grade I actually got two. One was from a guy who had been rumored to have liked me (And I know it was actually him because he had one of those fancy celebrity signatures no one could mimic), and no I never dated him, because he was popular and I was not and I couldn't fathom that ever happening. (And when I say popular I mean he was like... THE guy everyone was chasing after) and the other I never ever ever did figure it. It just said "Secret Admirer" on the "From" part. It could have been for real or it could have been someone messing with me. I'll never know.**


	60. Out of Control

**I HAVE A SHORT STORY TO READ AND THEN TWO ESSAYS TO DO AND I TURN EVERYTHING IN AND THEN NO MORE HOMEWORK FOR THE SUMMER. DO YOU KNOW WHAT INTENSE ANXIETY I AM FEELING RIGHT NOW?**

**Also I can't promise a chapter tomorrow night/morning. Depending what part of the world you're in. I work til 11 at night. The late night plus work means I could just go to home and sleep right away. I do apologize if I don't but I just wanted you to know so you know I haven't forgotten about you!**

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April had crept in long ago. Several times the snow had been trying to melt, but Jack's hesitance in injuring his heart by heading off to leave behind his home, his love, an his friends, kept the mounds of the white sky crystals high on the ground. People were really beginning to complain, passionately about how cold it was and how they should have gotten rid of their boots and jackets long ago. Awaking to the bite of freezing temperatures was really putting people into a bad mood. Morgan knew Jack was staying for her, but she felt guilty about all the hate winter was getting this year. It was a beautiful season, and she was always nervous when they brought it up. Sometimes, the cold could be hard to handle, but the glittering jewels that covered the ground after being dropped from the heavens was worth every drop in temperature. The lining of sparkling snow added a trim of beauty to the nakedness of nature and the white lightened the deadened mood brought in by fall. The world was most silent the days when the flakes wafted towards the ground, a backdrop of gentle grey against the sky. It wasn't a empty quietness, though. It was a peaceful quiet, as if the world had stopped to meditate. How could no one see the beauty that was in winter? Jack had let the temperatures rise a little bit this year. Why couldn't they just brave the gentle chill and enjoy winter as it was, happy that it was hanging around?

"I think you're a little biased," Linda laughed when her best friend had finished explaining her frustrations. "When you're dating someone as beautiful as Jack Frost, you tend to overlook the negatives that comes with him."

"I admit, that may be true..." Morgan sighed, dropping her pencil onto the sheet of paper before her. Linda also had a paper that was the same as hers, except the black boxes on hers were filled with different graphite scrawlings. Both of them each had thick, green booklets opened to somewhere in the beginning. The two of them worked on the floor of Linda's bedroom. Jack was leaning against Morgan's arm, bouncing a tennis ball off the surface of a wall in Linda's room, perfectly angled so it always came back to him. He was trying his hardest to wait patiently while they worked, but it was clear to Morgan he was beginning to get bored. "Do you want me to put a movie in?"

"No..." he said dully, still batting at the yellow ball. "Watching films is nowhere near as fun if I can't listen to you two discuss it."

"You mean argue," Linda corrected with a smirk curving her lips.

"I am not going to discuss _Anonymous _again," Morgan stated plainly. There had been incident just the past week regarding the film that explored creatively the idea that Shakespeare had not written anything he claimed to. "I already told you it was fictionalized."

"It brought up some interesting points to consider though," Linda debated. Jack stopped the motion of the ball's movement to look over his girlfriend's shoulder and examine her paper.

"There's not much more there than there was when I looked fifteen minutes ago," he said quickly, attempting to avoid the spectacle that happened last time in regards to the film.

"It's just so hard," Morgan groaned. She tapped the tip of her pencil against the sheet and flipped the page. "High school is so weird. I am not used to having to set up my own schedule."

"But as freshman, we have very few classes we can actually choose to take," Linda added in agreement. "There are so many we are required to take. It doesn't leave much room for electives."

"Why is Latin never a language that's offered?" Morgan sighed.

"Because no one uses it," Linda scoffed.

"Not true. It's used in history and art and science and religion. It's the language of the past. All of the most important things that are attached to history have been documented in Latin. There are roots and similarities of Latin in every language in the world. If you know Latin, you can learn every language in the world."

"But you can't converse in Latin. It's dead."

"Sure you can – but somewhere down the line it got conquered and now no one knows it so no one can speak it. Which is why no one knows it. And it's never offered as a class. Because no one speaks it. It's a vicious circle."

"Okay, but why did it die out?" Morgan let her mouth fall open, ready to deliver a fact from her repertoire of history.

"I... don't know..." Morgan responded, sounding a little surprised at her own voice. Linda screwed up her brow to indicate her amused horror. Jack showed his sparkling teeth through a stretched smile.

"And now ambitious Morgan is going to research everything involving Latin," he remarked. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yep."

"Okay, hang on, let's see what you got here..." he commented, looking over her schedule. "Algebra... Advanced World History... Literary Analysis and Composition One... Earth Science... what's this mean? The class is split?" Jack left flecks of ice where he pointed on the page, a box with "Basic Phy Ed/" printed, and awaiting Morgan to write something beside it.

"Phy Ed is alternated with a class in the Arts," Morgan explained. "And there's nothing I can take."

"You can't put in art?"

"No," Morgan groaned. "It has to be a class that doesn't meet every day. By Arts they mean Band, Orchestra, or Chorus. Musical stuff."

"And you're not putting anything in?"

"Nope. I am not musical. You've heard me sing. I don't know what you're supposed to do with any instrument to make it work. If we leave it blank, it just becomes a study period. Which is okay, I guess. I can do math or work on my drawings."

"What about these blank spots?" He gestured to the blank boxes right next to each other.

"Oh, well, those are for electives. See, how this box is split into two? All of these required classes happen year round, but electives go by semester unless it says specially. So we can choose two electives for the course of the year."

"You think they'll let me take Chinese? I wouldn't fail," Linda interrupted. Jack and Morgan looked up from her paper to stare judgment at her.

"No," they both said in unison.

"Aw, crap." Linda flipped over her pencil and rubbed the pink end of it against the paper. She was still a little bitter about failing Pre-Algebra the year before, so she was having to retake it in high school. "Back to the drawing board."

"So why aren't you taking Art for an... elective?" Jack asked slowly, waiting for a response from Morgan that he said the right word. She gave it with the nod of her head.

"Because school art classes are ridiculous. I am never allowed to just do what I want. I have to mimic Picasso. I have to demonstrate mixing of colors. I have to paint a tree. I have to paint what I see in this photo. None of it is original. None of it is just me. The later classes, like when you get to Intermediate Art, they let you start doing your own thing a little bit, but only a little and in order to get to that point, you need to take all these stupid art classes first. It's ridiculous." Morgan huffed and began to create squiggles with her pencil on the edge of the paper. "And we have to turn this in tomorrow because Linda and I got lazy."

"_You_ got lazy, and wouldn't let me fill it out until you did," Linda reminded, pointing a pencil in her direction.

"I just don't want to do this right now..." Morgan sighed. "I have to write an essay on Edgar Allan Poe, I need to study for my Geography test..."

"For the last time, you're going to pass. You don't need to study."

"But I need to make _sure_," Morgan emphasized with desperate hope thickening her voice. "Geography is important to historic locations and I have to pass. I still have that report to write up for Chemistry. And don't even get me started on the stack of math equations waiting for me. This is like the worst time to do this. School is ending soon, so the homework is piling up, but they make us think about high school and force us to plan our classes according to what we'll do in college. That's four years away, what if I just want to learn stuff? I have all this emotional stress, and Jack's going to be leaving soon and I have to suffer without him for several months and argh!" Morgan flipped over the booklet and slammed her head against Linda's floor. She muttered something into the carpet, but nobody could hear her. Jack rested his hand on top of her hazelnut tresses, tousling her hair in a way that soothed her.

"If it helps, I finished mine..." Linda carefully told her. Morgan raised her head and looked at her friend's schedule: Pre-Algebra, World History, Literary Analysis and Composition One, Earth Science, Basic Phy Ed/SATB Chorus, and electives Drama and Driver's Education per semester."

"Why don't you take that?" Jack asked, pointed to the class Linda listed for her second semester. "It's a skill you might want to know."

"I don't think so," Morgan sighed. "That class requires the strictest attention. If it's not history, I get distracted very easily. That is one class I will not allow myself to take. If I do badly in it, I would not trust myself behind the wheel. I refuse to be a murderer, thank you very much."

"That's... very kind of you?" Jack responded with caution.

"Well, I'm not crazy about it either," Linda snapped. "It's not like my parents can just take me to the local driving school and fork over 300 dollars whenever I feel like it. I have to take it when it's offered, and when it's free."

"Linda I didn't..."

"I know," she groaned. "You just keep finding reasons to complain, that's all. Ooh, they won't let me take classes because I'm too talented for them. Ooh, I'm so stressed over assignments I'll do better than Linda on. Ooh, my boyfriend is leaving for several months and I don't know what I'll do. Ooh, I'm not going to learn to drive because my parents have money and I don't need to worry about getting a car.." Linda rose her voice so she could mimic her friend in nasty accuracy.

"Linda, I didn't mean it like that."

"You know what, some people aren't talented. Some people aren't smart. Some people don't have a boyfriend to miss. Some people need to learn to drive as fast as possible so they can drive an get a job and help with their family's misfortune. You have no idea how lucky you are, and complain about having all of these. You have this uncanny intelligence that allows you to see things other people don't see, and you get into trouble because of that and that's the reason people don't like you. That, can be changed however. My face can't. You can shut your trap for once and just listen to the teacher for God's sake. You may not be the best student all across the board but at least you don't bring Cs and Ds home and kids wonder if there's a mutation in your blood. Jack's going to be gone, and that sucks, I am sorry about that, but you know what? You know he's going to come back, you know he's going to love you forever, you know he'll be there for you. What about me? Okay, I have no one to love like that. And it is never going to happen. In China, maybe. But not here, not while I live in America. Because people hate me here. People may tease you and taunt you, but they will never hurt you the way they hurt me. Your family can afford stuff. Your family doesn't have to go to the food shelf just to eat.

"And it doesn't end there. Last week, we went to the mall and you needed a dress for our Junior High Commencement. You complained about being a size 12. You eat healthy. Your family can afford to give you the proper nutrition. Look at me! Girls think being this skinny is something to be sought after, but you know what. It's not. It looks ugly. I can't gain weight. I look like I'm starving, and there's nothing to me. No curves. I am flat all over. Or how about your complaining about your siblings? At least you have siblings, be grateful for that. My mother had to have surgery in order to get rid of cancer and she couldn't have anymore children. I hate being an only child. Not like we could afford it anyway..." Linda sank into a rampage about every little thing that Morgan had ever said or done that offended her in some way. Jack bit his lip, occasionally extending a hand to stop Linda from speaking, but she kept slapping away Jack's hand. Morgan sat very still, patiently waiting for her to stop. The browns of her eyes were fixated on her friend, taking in this new information. A final comment about Morgan being selfish and ungrateful completed her tirade and Linda's chest heaved with great effort while she tried to regain her breath.

"I had no idea you felt that way about me..." Morgan said quietly. "I didn't know... I sounded that way... I've only ever tried to help you and... listen to your problems..."

"I know..." Linda's voice cracked, keeping her tears at bay. "I know Morgan it's just... sometimes it's too much. I know you have every right to complain about things that are too much... but sometimes it seems like you don't understand what it's like. You don't get things could be worse. From the outside looking in, you look like you have a perfect life..."

"It's not."

"I know but... I just think you could do anything you want and get anything you want. I don't live like that. I don't have the option of choosing many times." Morgan took the booklet and her schedule and passed it over to her friend.

"Then show me."

"Show you what?"

"You get the option to choose. I don't. Switch it up this time."

"What do you mean...?"

"I promise to take any electives you give me. Even if I despise them. I won't change them once you decide on them. _I promise._" She winked over to Jack who was glowing proudly at her.

"Morgan, what I give you you will have all year! I can't do that to you!"

"And this messed up system of America has made you suffer longer than that," she said. "Go on."

"Are you sure?"

"Do it before I change my mind." Linda used two fingers to take the pencil from her, and gave Morgan one more look of worry. Her expression didn't change. She just smiled happily at her while she waited for her fate to be written. Linda gnawed on the inside of her lip.

"But I-"

"Linda Tan." Jack peeked over Linda's shoulder, waiting to see what would be chosen for Morgan. She turned, paging through the Electives section. Finally coming to a decision, she scribbled in the two boxes and then whipped the paper over to Morgan. Morgan took the sheet and faked a pleased smile at the choices she had just been given. Neither one of them demonstrated any of her abilities, but there were definitely classes worse than Cooking One and Forensic Science.

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**Writing this made me realize I have no idea what classes I took in high school. I had to look up typical high school classes. Also all of the electives I found online I am pretty sure my high school had A LOT more than that. Also my school didn't have Driver's Ed, although most do. I realize that these days, registration for high school classes probably occurs online, but when I was in high school and registering for classes (the first time would have been 7 years ago when I was in 8th grade. The last time would have been when I was a junior... four years ago now) we did it with pencil and paper. Myself, I'm not too fond of EVERYTHING online. Obviously I love mah computer and Tumblr and Facebook and Fanfiction and typing and it's made things so much easier, but in other ways I prefer pen and paper. Like when it comes to Math and Science. I am convinced the reason I did not do as well in my college Statistics and Chemistry classes (besides the fact that it's Statistics and Chemistry and I was dealing with the loss of my father then) was because THEY WERE ONLINE. And I needed to show my work! And I just sdfghjklkiuytredcfvbn. Some things are just better with pencil and paper. Plus I think this works better for the scene. Good night my little rosettes! I hope to see you tomorrow but I don't know if I will. Mwah!**


	61. Balances

**I HAVE ONE ASSIGNMENT LEFT. UNO. EINS. I DON'T KNOW ONE IN ANY OTHER LANGUAGES SO ONE. I AM DYING WITH THE FACT THAT I AM ALMOST DONE. **

**Also, I get a little philosophical in this chapter. This is a simple chapter, but I think it's probably my most powerful.**

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_~Jack~_

Jack's time had long been overdue. May had just rolled in. People in Pennsylvania were getting really restless. Creating icicles and sending drafts of chill were no longer fun. In that last week, Jack heard more swear words than he he suspected he had ever heard in his life. People were getting violently antsy and often went into a tirade when he had just tried to be the smallest mischievous. So he touched nothing, and allowed the snow to melt. Leaving his family was always hard, and Sophie often cried when it was time for him to leave, but they understood. He made a playful remark to Ms. Bennett about how she needed to do something for herself that summer and have fun. He even joked in passing about getting back into the dating game. He told Sophie to chase all the butterflies she could find and to make sure she drew a picture of each one she saw. He reminded Jamie about Pippa and that he expected to hear good news when he got back. He even gave Abby a hug, and she seemed to sense his leaving. She whimpered when he spoke softly to her and licked his face, shuddering at the cold. Her eyes drooped with her approaching age. There was a tugging inside him that terrified him, the realization that dogs had such short lives and there was that possibility Abby would not be there when he got back. She was going on eleven now.

Out of the Bennetts, he was baffled to find that leaving Abby was the hardest because of that fact, and he knew how much the children loved her. Aside from the greyhound, he know was facing the hardest part of being in a relationship. Once again, he was going to face seclusion and force himself to stay away, in order to give them their summer. He could not bring himself to go to Harrisburg. Once he was there, leaving it would the last time he saw it for several months. It wasn't something he could keep prolonging. He needed to move on and allow some warmth in the world.

He found Morgan in her usual spot; She was sitting so her stomach was pressed against the top of her bed, and her legs were crooked so she held her feet in the air. A Scrabble tile hair clip pinned the sun kissed brown strands out of her chocolate eyes, which were focusing on the lines of the beginnings of a picture that involved gun fire and strewn bodies. At this point it was hard to tell what it was supposed to be; there were so many battles Morgan drew. Across from her, the slender girl with the ink toned hair was seated backwards on the chair in front of Morgan's desk. Her dark eyes watched Morgan's pencil with anxiety. Jack sat at the window a moment before lifting it open.

"I decided I don't want summer," Morgan told him calmly, her eyes never straying from her art. "Just make it cold."

"That's a little selfish," Jack said.

"Selfishness is more soul consuming than being without you," Morgan commented, still gazing on her picture.

"One day," he promised. "When I can blame it on having an incredibly dry summer previous, but I can't do that this time."

"Don't blame it on anything. Just let people come up with their theories," she said.

"I've been trying to talk to her about it," Linda said. "She refuses to budge."

"It isn't your decision to make," Jack told her.

"Are you telling me you don't want to be with me?" Her pencil stopped, a notion that Jack found to be foreboding. He did not like that her focus was broken, especially on her art and history depictions.

"Of course I do!" he defended, the bedspread dipping when he sat beside her. "But the world has an order I need to adhere to. One of these summers, when I can get away with it, I will join you."

"Then bring me with."

"Antarctica is too cold to bring you down there."

"I'm pretty accustomed to the cold."

"Not Antarctica, I assure you," he softly chuckled. Morgan took her pencil and laid it alongside her sketch. She folded her hands patiently and then looked over to Jack. The black lashes seemed to pull her lids down and her nose flared while she took in air.

"I don't want you to go," she finally said, a surprising lack of moisture in her eyes. Here ability in keeping back her sobs kept Jack calm, although he himself was fighting an onslaught of tears.

"But I can't stay."

"Why not? Just stay in my room."

"Morgan please..." he sighed. Jack looked over to Linda, who's mouth was curved with worry and concern lined her brow.

"I just don't know if I can't take it..." she whispered. He reached for her, but Morgan spun her face away to take a closer analysis of the décor on her wall.

"We do this every year," he said.

"And it will happen again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that and it's going to keep happening!" Morgan interrupted with passion raising her voice. Linda looked down, investigating the tips of her worn tennis shoes. Morgan whipped her hand across her bed, striking at her sketchbook with clattered and closed when it hit the ground. "It's going to keep happening! I can't deal with that! I can't deal with you being absent from me for so long! I don't get to enjoy summers with you. I don't have school in the summer, I just sit around here. Long days, days I could spend with you, stay up late and _I can't_. Do you know how aggravating that is? I can't. Do. It." During her panic, Jack reached out and caught his girl. This time she allowed him to touch her. He patted her hair and rested his chin on top of her head. His skin tingled where he felt the tips of her fingers through his sweatshirt. Whenever and wherever she touched him, there was always a spark of energy that invigorated him.

"Snowflake," he muttered. "Listen to me. I can't do it either... but I do it anyway."

"How?" Jack shrugged.

"Kids love winter."

"It's the most beautiful season," Morgan agreed. "Everything so pure and fresh. We see nature in its most naked form, the harsh reality of what it looks like. And it's gorgeous. Ice is composed of the smallest crystals, so sensitive to warmth and the world gets this natural glow when the sun reflects off the sparkles of snow. The world is brighter when it snows. The chill makes the world most itself."

"Winter makes the world most truthful," he chuckled, lips tracing a line along her jaw. "I should have known that is what you would focus on. Kids love winter. You love winter. But everything needs a balance. Pain needs comfort. Comfort needs pain. Happiness needs sadness. Sadness needs happiness." Linda's head fell forward as she released the most obnoxious groan of annoyance ever heard by any of them.

"You are _not _starting on that Zen stuff! It's so inspirational it makes me want to eeeggghhh."

"Hang on, let me finish," he laughed. "My point is in order to truly appreciate something you need a balance. You need an opposition, otherwise you grow too used to it and take it for granted."

"You make all of time and space your backyard and what do you have? A backyard!" Linda added, her teeth peeking through her widening lips. The cuddling couple looking over to her quizzically.

"You're quoting something again," Morgan guessed.

"Doctor Who is incredibly educational," Linda told her with a wild nod and an expansion of her eyes.

"But, she's right," Jack told her, gazing down at her eyes adoringly. He tossed strands out of her face while she rested her head on his chilled sweatshirt again. "If I stayed around and kept this area in cold, there may not necessarily be snow, but there would always be frost and ice and cold. That's why I need to leave in the summer. The world needs to be balanced. You need to be able to appreciate the cold, and you need to appreciate the warmth. The two work together to form something beautiful. Like us. I'm cold. You're hot." Morgan tilted her head to show him her look of disapproval at his cheekiness. The edge of his lip was turned towards his smugness.

"I could say the same thing," she said lowly. "You're both cold and hot. So you're something beautiful."

"And Morgan's hot and she can be pretty cold," Linda interjected, giggling through her comment.

"Hey!" she asked.

"It makes you beautiful?" she attempted to redeem.

"It better."

"I need to leave to keep everything in balance. Cold cannot survive without the warmth, and heat can't survive with the frost."

"I can't survive without Frost," Morgan told him genuinely. She nodded. "I get it now. Am I still allowed to feel selfish and want you to stay really badly?"

"Of course you're allowed to feel that way," he cooed, the crystals on his lips biting into Morgan's skin across her temple. He allowed his lips to apply pressure against her forehead, relishing in the mingling of her body heat with his cold touch. He truly needed a warm light in his life and he could not survive without it. "But you need to let me go despite those feelings. Do I need to make a promise that I'll come back?"

"No," Morgan whispered. "I've learned you always do."

"Well, I promise anyway," he chuckled while he buried his nose into her hair. He took a long whiff of that familiar whiff, trying to memorize the scent he already knew so well. The warm comforting smell of mangoes mixed with the chilly sweet of vanilla.

"I believe in your promises," she smiled. A subtle drop crept across her face, drifting away from its origin in her eye. "I'll forever believe."

"I know..."

"It's so much harder this time around to let you go..." Morgan's voice cracked as she confided in him, allowing her best friend to listen in. "Jack Frost, I think I'm more than just in love with you."

"Hmm?" he asked, looking to her for some type of explanation. She cleared her throat before she spoke again.

"Jack, we've been together over a year. For a relationship, especially at my age that's pretty phenomenal. I've seen couples make up and break up in the time it takes to watch a film. I don't know if I've even seen a relationship last longer than a month."

"Trey and Selena lasted six weeks," Linda corrected. "But yeah... any longer than that I don't think... You guys should receive some type of medal."

"I'm saying that I'm beyond just seeing you as a boyfriend and being madly in love with you. I need you to function."

"Morgan..." he slowly said. "I don't want you thinking you can't be independent..."

"No, that's not what I mean.." she sighed. "It's... so hard to explain. But it's like... your life is woven with mine. I'm not just dating you. I'm not just in love with you. I think my life is woven with yours. Our strands have merged and they're tied together. I think. I don't know if I am using symbolism and figuratively language correctly."

"Darling, you're doing _beautifully_..." Linda awed. Her hands had been folded while she watched her two friend exchange such pure words.

"What I mean is the idea of spending the rest of my life with you doesn't seem so far fetched anymore. I know sometimes this is hard to maintain. With my belief in you getting me into trouble and people thinking I'm crazy and this relationship doesn't feel... normal. I'm not sure I would want normalcy though. I'm told people want a fairy tale romance. I never took much stock into fairy tales. They're unrealistic and ridiculous and filled with love of the otherworldly kind with princes who cannot possibly exist. And I don't believe in them. You're unrealistic. You have this otherworldly love for me. You are... winter's prince and you cannot possibly exist. And yet I believe in you. Only a force that surpasses your teenage puppy love I think could get me to do that. I need you forever Jack, even it means I will grow older and you won't. Even if it means that I can never have children and I'm ostracized for being so different. What I feel for you... it's too fantastical to be real. And yet it is. It feels unreal. And real. I can't explain."

"You don't need to..." he whispered, catching her in his mouth and lightly applying pressure to her lips. The skin on Morgan's cheek jumped at the touch of gentle cold of his hand holding her face with passion. She shifted her body downwards, so he was holding her nearly vertically in his lap. Jack's arms laced around her back and kept her supported while he divulged his desire into her kiss. Crystals of ice fell from his eyes and were caught in her sliding tears. Everything between them was becoming perfectly balanced. Cold was clinging to the warmth. Their hearts were continuously being broken by departure and restored by the cure of love. Jack was the most impossible boy to ever exist. Morgan was the most realistic girl to ever exist. Tears of happiness, tears of sadness. Bitter grief, utmost joy.

"There is truth within the impossible," Morgan whispered. "That's what love is."

"What?" Jack wondered, confusion pulling his face away from her.

"I feel too much for you for it to be real, but it's too strong to not be real. Love is the greatest thing in the world because it is the most perfectly balanced thing in the world. All balances of the world revolve around the strongest balance. And the strongest balance helps balance the strongest balance."

"Um... what?" Morgan giggled.

"Love is the center of all things, Jack, and there are balances in the world, as you said. If love is the center, then everything needs to balance it, and it needs to balance everything, that's why it's so powerful. It doesn't make sense, but yet it does."

"Here we go with the Zen..." Linda commented in distress. "And everything was so beautiful before..."

"Everything is a contradiction, a paradox, and that's what balances it out. Love is the impossible and the reality. There is fact within the fantasy. There is sense in the imagination. There is truth in the make-believe." Jack furrowed his brow, wondering where this epiphany was coming from. "My heart knows what all of that is now, how truth can exist with the impossible scenarios, and it's because I know what the deepest love is."

"You were talking about balances and contradictions and you never thought to say 'paradoxes in the universe'? I am so ashamed of you. That was the one thing I was hoping to hear..." Linda commentated. Jack leaned in to kiss the girl in his arms once again before bounding off the bed and heading over to the dark hair girl, quickly pulling her up and spinning her around the room.

"Linda," he smirked. "Before I leave, I want to remind you that you're strong, and you're wonderful, and beautiful." She was first in initiating the hug, never looking for some sort of permission from Morgan. She didn't need to ask. She tightened her arm and squeezed her eyelid to prevent the spill of tears. "I know you don't think you're worthy of anything, but I think you're one of the most worthy people in the world, and you deserve every good fortune that comes your way and I promise they will."

"You're pretty highly regarded for your promises holding true," Linda laughed between her cries.

"I want you two to take care of each other, okay? And Morgan will serve as your personal bodyguard for all the guys who will be after you this summer." Linda laughed, flicking away the tears on the apexes of her eyes. She pulled away from Jack, who was grinning at her with admiration. "You're beautiful like a... 'paradox in the universe'...?" Jack looked over to her questioningly, wondering if he had said it correctly. Linda made a noise that sounded similar to an obnoxious bird tweet, thrilled she had been regarded as something from her world of fandoms. Jack slung his staff over his shoulder and jumped to the sill, the whistle of the wind calling to him to let him know it was ready to carry him off. Morgan rushed to window, her hands barely having time to extends towards the winter spirit before he pressed them against his face.

"I love you forever," he whispered in a tone a little more sensual than innocent.

"Forever is an awfully long time," she whispered to him.

"Not long enough for you," he smirked. He dropped one hand away from her. She clung tighter to him with her on hand. "You deserve a love that will last longer than forever. When I come back... maybe we can talk about that... balance and possibilities. Those possible dreams you have... and the ones we want."

"Could they come true, Jack?"

"Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it."

"It's going to be so long though..." she spoke quickly. "I still have school, and I'm still just a child and I can't just leave..."

"We have time. You have time. Remember... I love you forever, and forever is an awfully long time."

"But then I will grow up and-"

"Morgan," he hushed. "Someday... you and I will be together if you still wish it. Truly together."

"I do, I really do!"

"Then... we can do as I said. Once you feel you're ready, you and I... we'll build a house. In the North Pole. And we can be free and be together. I promise, Morgan. We'll live together." A smile stretched through the glow of the lovesick girl.

"To live will be an awfully big adventure." Morgan leaned forward, taking one quick kiss from him before he released his other hand. A whistled called as the breeze collided against Jack.

"Just always be waiting for me," he shouted to her while the force carried him off. Morgan closed her window quickly, not wanting to see the moment when he faded with the distance. She slammed it shut and pressed the tip of her forehead into the glass of the window. When Morgan spun around, Linda was there, waiting to offer hands to her heartbroken friend.

"It must be pretty powerful..." Linda said, pulling the weeping girl into her embrace. "If the most impossible boy to exist in the universe can get the most realistic girl in the universe to believe in him, win her heart, and make the biggest the promise of all." It was powerful. It contradicted and balanced. And the thing with Jack and promises was that he kept them.

* * *

**I just want you guys to know that high school for them... this is where things start to change...**

**Also dunno if I'll get a chapter up tomorrow either. I'm at school and then I work til late again. But maybe who knows? Good night! Also, keep them reviews coming :)**


	62. Colliding

**Okay before I go and deliver you goodness, I want to explain something. For starters THANK YOU for your guys being honest with me in your messages and reviews. I want you to know that I appreciate your honesty. I want constructive criticism, all I ask is that you are kind about it. And you have been. But I want to address something - I'm not yelling at ANYONE. I just feel I need some 'splaining to do.**

**A couple of people have commented on how Linda and Morgan act as far as their maturity level and the way they talk and allude to sexual ideas. Mainly it's been in regards to their ages (currently 14. Before they were in middle, this chapter starts out in high school because I had nothing to say about their summer), and some of you have recognized that it could be different cultures and what not. What I am doing is writing according to what people were like in my middle school. This is the way they acted, this is the way they talked. Or rather, somewhere between Linda and Morgan. Linda is supposed to be a little more sexually educated, at least act like she is. She is incredibly obnoxious about it because she is in fact really self conscious about it, maybe more than Morgan is. Morgan is actually a little uncomfortable, at least right now, about talking about things like that. She doesn't want to go farther with Jack than making out, even though the desire is there. She's really nervous about it, despite the desire being there. She really only brings it up to tease Jack, and on the rare occasion she DOES talk seriously about it, she blushes a lot. As far as the making out... I don't believe an author should ever apologize for what they write, but it did make me think about it a bit... and okay. I am going to divulge in info I would rather not think about, but I feel I owe you an explanation. I didn't kiss anyone til I was 16, not for lack of wanting, but I had never even been on a date til I was 16. No boyfriend, no romantic attachments or anything until then. And honestly, if I had dated anyone before then I probably would have kissed them. A lot. Even at 13, if I dated anyone then. But I didn't. And the very first kiss I had was actually a make out session. (I didn't intend for it to be. it was just supposed to be a kiss... but he... made it so... really that should have been an indicator that my ex was a control freak among other things... anyway) It was also in a church. I could go on for pages about why my first kiss was a BAD BAD BAD KISS. Point is I never went right from sweet gentle kisses, slowly escalating. I ended up getting thrown right into it. And I tried to have Morgan start out slowly, but I may have thrown her into it a little too quickly. Also she started dating a lot younger than I did, and that just might make things even more shocking. But yeah, people in my middle school were highly more sexualized than they probably should be.  
**

**As far as they things they talk about and say, intellectually wise... Morgan is highly intelligent. She's a thinker. Linda is too, she just doesn't think the things she's intelligent in really matter. She only focuses on the academics, which we wall know, the education system is crap anyone and they're to blame for that and only look at grades for intelligence, when intelligence stretches far beyond academics. They are both incredibly smart. Thing is, and maybe I didn't show it right, I wanted you guys to figure it out (there's a lot of stuff in here I am not saying because I want you guys to read between the lines) but because of what's been coming up I feel I should. They both have difficult intelligences and balance each other out. Morgan cares about people and wants to reach out, but she's also self-centered in some ways. She's a little egotistical about her historical knowledge. The way I felt about love between the ages of 14 and 16 (I was in a flirtationship when I was 14, and I was convinced I was madly in love with him) was not... smart, and I am putting that into Morgan. She truly does love Jack, but sometimes that is all she sees. She's obsessed with him, not giving time for herself and not paying much attention to her family. The only person is Jack. If Linda didn't get along with Jack, she wouldn't be around Linda so much either. Linda is smarter about this than Morgan is, and of course Morgan is the one with a boyfriend. Linda's too shy to say anything, and scared of losing her best friend. Plus she doesn't want to ruin Morgan's happiness. Jack is a little... he's smart, having been around for 300 years and such, learning from seeing and knowing a little more about the world than the two of them combined, but it's also the first time he's truly felt this way and he's also overcome with infatuation so he is a little more fueled by hormones than sense. This is the immaturity in them. Morgan is blinded by love and passion, Jack, being older but also deprived of such feelings for so long, sees what Morgan is doing but does not say anything, Linda is too afraid and timid to stand up to Morgan.**

**That is why I have written them the way I have. But I also do recognize that I am a 21 year old, trying to remember and write from a 15 year old. That could be an influence too.**

* * *

The summer seemed to move on faster for Morgan than it had in years past. It was difficult to explain what it was that progressed the season along. It just did not seem to drag on as it had in other years. She had days that were miserable that was certainly true, but it was so much easier to get distracted and enjoy her time than it had been before. She allowed Linda to introduce her to some of the things she had been longing to share, and found that some of them she really did enjoy. _Doctor Who_, for instance, was really difficult for her to get into. It was one of the craziest, most unrealistic things she had ever seen and the historical episodes were far beyond insane. No matter how often Linda told her to look at as if it was an alternate dimension, she couldn't. The idea of a different dimension was too far fetched for her mind to believe. What she did enjoy were Linda's reactions. Her tears, her convulsing with pain and joy, how she recited some of the most pivotal lines and how her emotions seemed to change so quickly. It was amusing to watch her. She loved seeing that side of Linda, lost in her own world and consumed by it. It was the world Morgan entered when she watched documentaries and filled her head with facts of times gone past. She could feel every bit as if it were a drama piece and was enraptured by it. This was the first time she had truly seen Linda so passionately driven by something, and it overjoyed her to see her friend completely invigorated by her passions. The show may not have done anything for, but it did for Linda and that was the rewarding part.

There were a couple of shows she introduced her to she enjoyed. Nearly everything Linda showed her was revolved around the BBC. From the way she talked, the BBC seemed to have certain shows that attracted certain kinds of people and they really seemed to bring much the same emotions out that Linda showed. Watching their version of _Sherlock_ did not get to Morgan much – although the last episode of the second season did strike something along the lines of shock. However, Morgan was not moved as Linda was. She found it disappointing none of it had happened. That was when Linda dedicated her time to some of the most heart wrenching historical films and historical fiction movies. Morgan had become more and more accustomed to historical fiction in later years – and it was all thanks to Joseph Fiennes being in so many of them. Morgan of course had some opinions about ones in particular, often going on a tirade about how certain things were not plausible or did make sense. She did, however, enjoy some of the theorizing and visions some people had about what went on between the events written in history books. This was how they spent their summer. Once they found a collision of film interests, Linda loving the drama, Morgan enjoying the historical and plausibly possibilities, they had spent much of their summer watching films and TV shows. Morgan often asked her parents to take her out to rent some films because many of them were rated R and Linda's parents were strict about certain things.

That was how Morgan discovered novels. Not textbooks or non fiction, but novels. Only certain ones of course, just historical fiction, but she discovered many of the films she was falling in love with had been based around books. Between the trips to the video stores and trips to the library, new loves consumed Morgan's attention so the passing of summer felt a little easier, and school was now on them before they even had a chance to finish all the films on their lists and Morgan could return all her books.

"How the hell do people find their way around this damn place?!" Linda growled, passing a familiar fire extinguisher for the third time. "Whatever happened to just having normal hallways? This is the most confusing place I have ever been in! And it's huge!"

"Uh, I need to find my history class..." Morgan muttered.

"Nononono you can't leave me til I find my classroom!" Linda pleaded, snatching her arm before she turned away from her. Morgan bit her lip, a movement that was recognizable to Linda as impatience, but being to polite to say anything about it. "You have a better sense of direction than I do and I'm lost so you can't just leave! You promised, the first day..."

"I know but... I don't want to be late for history..."

"Morgan, sweetie, it's the first day and we're freshman, they'll understand."

"Hey, are you girls lost?" A boy who looked a little older escaped through a door near the corner. He had russet colored hair that was jagged on top, a few pieces falling in front of his face. His eyes were turned in, a little two close together and his nose turned downwards sharply. His torso was incredibly thin, but his shoulder were wide and thick, so it was obvious he was involved in some type of athletics.

"Oh, uh, um..." Linda mumbled slowly. He grinned helpfully and reached out their papers, taking Linda's paper first.

"Oh, you're in Tyson's class! Just go around this corner and all the way to the end..." His grin lifted in an encouraging way and then he took Morgan's scanning it over.

"Wow, you're in Geiser's history class? Oh, and AP... I've never taken it myself, he's one of the toughest teacher's we have... and I've heard his history course is really challenging." Morgan's lids popped so her eyes stared at him.

"Don't tell her that, it's like crack to her. She loves being challenged on history!" Linda warned, but giggled all the same. It was more the presence of the boy than anything else, however.

"I hope you enjoy Geiser's class then! First floor, in the wing with the weird display of spears. I could never take it, I'm horrible with history. I mix dates up, names always seem to be repeated, I can't remember locations to say my life... honestly, I think it's a talent to remember facts."

"That's so true!" Linda laughed delightfully.

"Math is so much easier in my opinion..."

"Oh. Ew..." Linda gagged. The boy chuckled lightly and plowed his hand straight through the jagged strands of hair resting lazily against his scalp.

"It's not for everyone, but I can make sense. Oh, and drama. I think that's where I'm most talented. Drama and math. Weird combination, huh?"

"Oh my God, I love drama! I love plays and musicals and films!"

"Do you act?"

Morgan huffed. Being ignored was a little bit of an alien feeling and it was unpleasantly a nuisance, chomping away at her nerves.

"Uh, well, I uh... would like to act..." Linda sheepishly responded. Morgan tapped her foot expectantly. "I don't really audition..." Morgan snapped her heard towards Linda, reading past her lie. She auditioned, and actually got into three of the four plays their middle school did. She pulled out because of anxiety and the policy schools had about maintaining a C average in your classes to stay in extracurricular activities. Linda was a little below that.

"You should! In August, the high school already picks out the play we're doing and starts auditions the first week of school, so we can get going as soon as possible. Auditions are on Thursday at 3:30 if you want to come join us!"

"Well, I dunno, it's not exactly a good idea..." Linda stammered. Pink flourished in her cheeks while anxiety wrung her hands Linda was trying to disappear inside herself again.

"Of course it is!" Morgan interrupted.

"No it isn't, I got classes and..."

"I'm staying after with you, Lin," Morgan grinned, throwing an arm around her friend's shoulder.

"Do you act?" the boy wanted to know.

"God, no, are you kidding me? No... no no no..." The horror of his question almost conjured hysterics from Morgan. "But I know Linda. I know she wants to do it, and I want her to do. So, I am going to be with her and make sure she auditions. I'll even sit and watch you if you want."

"Oh, I don't know if I would like that... I don't even know what the play is..."

"Oh, it's _Peter Pan_." The looks the girls were giving each other locked together for a minute. Excitement was boiling and rising up to Morgan;s mouth. Linda was turning white with horror. The last week of the summer, Morgan had purchased a copy of the play as its novel, _Peter and Wendy_, and was currently the only book she owned that did not have historic origins. There was something about the story that seemed to be speaking truth to her.

"I know what you're thinking-" Linda began.

"You can't tell me that's not a sign! Linda, please do this!"

"What if I'm no good?"

"Then you try with the next play! Please, I would _love _to see you in this play! It's my new dream, and I know it's a dream of yours to be on the stage! Come on Linda...!" Morgan's voice raised and elongated so it had turned into a tone a child would use to throw a fit in the middle of the store. The boy had now joined in, and clasped his hands together in dramatic pleading. She looked over to him, his sudden drop into Morgan's childish behavior more appealing than her friend's. The pout on his face accentuated the parts of his face that were mildly adorable and now the ease he slipped into the situation, which his obnoxiousness and his lack of fear of being ridiculous created a handsome profile. The minute he lowered before her to his knees, her laughter surrendered herself to the pleas.

"Okay!" she agreed, embarrassment leaving as the two halted their begging.

"I'll be there for you, I promise," she said.

"So, you're Linda then?" he winked. Linda's genuine smiled unveiled a beauty only Morgan ever got to see.

"Yes."

"Evan," he told her with a quick wink of his brown eyes. "See you around then." A quick raise of his brows, a smirk, and a dramatic show of bowing lowly to her exited him down the steps to the floor below. Linda watched the friendly boy skip down the steps, his echo as he called after someone carrying up to their floor. She pressed her lips together, but her dark eyes were even darker from the dilation of overjoyed shock.

"That was the one the best thing I have ever seen," she said quickly to Morgan.

"You're trying out for _Peter Pan_," Morgan smirked.

"Oh my God, I'm auditioning for a play. What am I going to do about my grades, I can't maintain all of them above C level?"

"It's okay, we'll make it work. I'll help."

"That's assuming I'll even get in, which I won't. Well, I mean, actually, I might. But the would cast me as Tiger Lily, they would never cast me as Tinker Bell, or Wendy, or even Mrs. Darling! They would cast me as the girl who doesn't get a line and is a minor character and is of some ethnic origin..."

"Why wouldn't they cast you as Wendy?" Linda disgusted Morgan with using both of her hands to pull at her eyelids, putting emphasis on her eyes.

"ASIAN!" she bellowed. "I don't know if you noticed... BUT WENDY IS ENGLISH!"

"And we're Americans putting on an English play..."

"That's different."

"Do you know the history of the Peter Pan play?"

"No, but I know someone who is going to tell me." Morgan's eyes rolled around quickly.

"The role of Peter was originally played by a female. Her name was Mary Martin."

"... that's weird."

"If Peter can be played by a girl, a wonderfully, talented, Asian girl can play Wendy." Linda blew out a breathe, purposely right against Morgan's cheek so she flinched at the cold air.

"God, I hope I don't regret this..." the girls moved down the hall as the bell rang. They picked up their speed and began to jog through the straggling students, many of whom were holding crumpled papers to locate their classrooms. Morgan clutched her friend's shoulder just before she entered the classroom.

"Linda?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell you one thing..."

"What?"

"A boy noticed you before me. And directed most of his attention to you. And a very nice looking one too."

* * *

**I am so happy I was able to get a chapter up. I skipped summer and just gave a summery on it because well... I don't know if I could make an interesting chapter out of it. I might have been inspired because I tried out for Alice in Wonderland today. Probably not going to get in though because it was a WEIRD audition and I was caught offguard. We had to imagine an animal and read a poem while maintaining the spirit of that animal... and it was odd...**

**Good night guys! And I hope you guys are still enjoying this despite the potential problems I mentioned... :/ **


	63. Faith and Trust

**Yay new Chapter! For those who asked, I tried out as The Queen of Hearts (because being evil is fun) and I didn't get in, but that's okay! I just take that to mean something is going to happen this summer that would get in the way of acting :) **

**Also today was my first day on the floor running the register at my new job and it was stressful but actually fun? O.o That is until my professor came through the line and bought things for a good night out with his wife. That was strange. And mortifying.**

**Anyway, school's over! :)**

* * *

The shadow that consistently passed over Morgan's notebook was becoming a real irritant. She continued to press her teeth against her lip to prevent any unkind words from striking at Linda, who was the creator of the shadow. She had pacing for fifteen minutes now and Morgan's attention could not be glued to the homework before her.

"I can't believe you talked me into this," she fretted with her fast paced tone.

"You'll regret it if you..." Her shadow passed over her work again. Morgan gulped down a sharp remark. "Don't."

"I know, I know! But I won't get picked, I know I won't! The one thing I know about myself is that I can act, but I have my own vision of how a character acts, and if I don't match what the director wants, I won't get in. That's how these things work. Let's go home/ I don't want to do this."

"You made me miss my bus, we're not going back now." Morgan spat at her, lifting her eyes from her notebook.

"Um... distract me. Read your notes." A sliver of enthusiasm flashed in Morgan's eyes. Her hands were propping up the notebook before her friend had a chance to finish her sentence and she proudly complied.

"Mesopotamia. The region between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. Known today as Iraq. Considered by some to be the origin of the Garden of Eden. The Urbaid period, the beginning of soc-"

"No, being bored is just as bad as anxiety," Linda concluded. The notebook slammed against the ground with a little more force than Morgan intended it to fall, but her indecisiveness and her intense apprehension was becoming a bit of an annoyance. Linda slumped against the grey lockers and plucked Morgan's tattered copy of _Peter Pan_ from its position on the ground. She flipped to a marked portion and her eyes moved back and forth over the page. "This is ridiculous, why do I have to read lines for Wendy if I want to be Tinker Bell?"

"Why do you want to be Tinker Bell?"

"I thought about what you said and... I'm playing it safe. I don't want to be Tiger Lily, but I don't think I could be Wendy. Just because. I'm not the... traditional Wendy. No matter what you say, I'm just going to... be safe. Plus Tinker Bell doesn't talk, but she's very strong with her emotions. I would have no lines to memorize, it would make homework easier. And it's not like Tinker Bell is any specific origin. It's a little more appropriate for me anyway." Morgan responded to her friend by rolling her eyes, and then continued to scribble notes from her textbook. Geiser was a little bit tough, she found out very quickly. She swiped the audition sheet, which stated that Linda had no experience in acting, her age, gender, what role she would like to play and in the box where it said "Would you take any part offered?", the boxes had been left blank. Morgan quickly ticked "Yes" before the squeak alerted them the previous auditions had finished. The door to the auditorium had opened and a couple of shaking girls emerged from the room. One sounded a little more confidant than the other one.

"All right, Linda, you're next!" Evan announced with a whimsical smile. The dark haired girl had to force herself to stand up, fear trying to cripple her body. Morgan walked with her into the auditorium, taking a spot in the back. She forced herself to look away from history long enough and keep her eyes on the empty, charcoal stage. There were a few chairs and boxes in the back that had been thrown around, and there were some black burn marks on the maroon curtains. Morgan wondered what in the world could have been produced that would create burn marks. There were two heads in the second row up in front, one male and one female. They were older, faculty members of this school. Morgan did not recognize them. Linda handed the audition sheet to the man, her fingers rattling the page. They took it non nonchalantly and looked at it briefly.

"Linda, it says here you made a request to waive the activity fee if you get in?" The shuddering girl on the stage nodded, and the front of her neck could be seen rippling while she swallowed.

"Yes is that... going to be a problem?" She had that quiet high pitched voice she reserved for situations where she felt required to be shy.

"Oh, no, no of course not!" the man chuckled quietly, his gentle voice seeming to relax Linda a bit when her shoulders dropped. "I just want you to make sure you know what to do. If you see your name on the cast list, immediately go to the Extracurricular Office and fill out an application for it." Linda nodded and dropped her hands. "You're trying out for Tinker Bell?"

"Um, yes."

"Huh."

"What?"

"It's just interesting, a lot of girls don't want to try out for her because she had no lines."

"She's a very compelling character to me."

"Why...?"

"I guess... I have a friend I care very deeply about and is the dearest thing in the world, but puts all their focus on someone they have feelings for and I feel... left out and forgotten. Even though I know I am the most important thing in the world to them. I don't know what I would do without them. But I get very jealous sometimes." The man was quickly writing things down while speaking to the woman beside him. Morgan widened her eyes while she analyzed Linda, who was trying her best not to look at her. She had never known Linda felt such things before.

"Well, we're going to have you read for Wendy, to get some idea of your acting abilities anyway. And if we don't think you're best for Tinker Bell, we may consider putting you somewhere else."

"How would you feel if you did get Wendy?" asked the woman, her brown bob shifting as she spoke.

"Oh, excited... but I think I could do Tinker Bell better." The woman wrote on a sheet of paper. A simultaneous nod directed Linda to start with Evan. Linda picked up a sheet of paper from center stage and held it out so she could read from it. Evan was already holding his own crinkled copy. For a moment, Linda was very still. Her body just seemed to fall out of its normal position of tightness and her arms dropped to her sides, relaxing there. She raised her head and jutted her chin, a new character entering her body.

"Okay, now, I want you to refer to the piece where Tinker Bell has drunk Peter's medicine, and Linda try Tink." Evan was brilliant voicing as Peter. Linda embodied Tinkerbell just as well, telling a tale in a panic with immense gesticulation, to make up for her lack of voice. She let herself loose such motions, pretending to die from poison, while Evan's emotions just grew stronger, begging her to stay awake.

"Do you believe in fairies? Say quick that you believe. If you believe, clap your hands!" Morgan sprung out of her seat and rapidly clapped, surprising herself. Evan smiled and begged for more clapping, the teachers in the seats turning to look at her.

"I BELIEVE IN YOU!" Morgan shouted, emotion forcing her statement out. "I have always believed in you! I swear it! Just as much as I believe in Jack! Maybe even more! I PROMISE I WILL ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOU!" Linda stirred, looking up for a second. The teachers found Morgan's response a little touching, Linda's speech to then and Morgan's reactions working together in their brains. They nodded to Morgan to sit down and then asked Linda to sit up.

"Boy," she started her voice even changing a little. She sounded younger, a little more dreamy and curious, but with an air of properness to her. "Why are you crying?" Evan, jumping into the suit of a whimsical gentleman, lowered himself before her in a bow.

"What is your name?" he wondered.

"Wendy Moira Angela Darling. What's yours?" Evan puffed his chest and cleared his throat.

"Peter Pan." He put on a voice that was deep and bold, trying to back it sound superior to hers, despite it being brief.

"Is that all?"

"... Yes."

"I am so sorry."

"It doesn't matter."

"Where do you live?" Evan widened his stance and stabbed the air with a finger, pointing towards stage left.

"Second star to the right and straight on til morning!" he yelled with confidence, as if he has been waiting forever to tell her. Linda was good, but the more she slid into the character, the more it enveloped her. She was losing herself and slipping into the mind of Wendy. Her movements were loser and she was soon reacting according to the stage directions, her confidence growing and timidness shedding. Her face contorted to display Wendy's emotions, and the matched her movements. Linda had always been good at taking on a character, imitating, and great at accents, but Morgan had never seen her so different, and so unlike herself. It was amazing how she even looked different.

"One girl is worth twenty boys..." Evan whispered softly against Linda's hair. For a second, she looked towards him and seemed to forget what else was happening in the room, staring only at him.

"You really think so, Peter?" Linda whispered with hope creating her voice.

"Yes, I do," Evan answered, a charming laugh breaking through his line. Linda's cheeks reddened, despite them only acting.

"I think it's perfectly sweet of you, and I shall get up again. I shall give you a kiss, if you like." Linda stepped towards Evan, tilting her heads towards him, but not too much.

"Thank you!" he said, and extended his hand in front of her face. There was a flash of a little disappointment on her face, but it was too genuine to be simply for acting's sake.

"Don't you know what a kiss is?"

"I shall know when you give me one." Linda pretend to place something in his hand. "Now shall I give you a kiss?"

"If you please." Linda leaned forward again, while Evan plucked something from his chest and rested it in her palm. Her eyes bugged at the small of her palm and she pretended to hold it towards her heart with glee.

"I will wear this on a chain around my neck!"

"Thank you," the man said. "That was great work, it really was. Don't forget to check the cast list tomorrow." Linda popped up and shook Evan's hands in thanks. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and hurried over to her friend, who quickly cut her in a spinning hug.

"I feel like I actually did okay!" she told her happily.

"Of course you did okay, you were marvelous!" Morgan joyed.

"What was that about, huh?"

"Because I think you'll be the greatest actress the world has ever seen someday. If there's one thing I believe in, it's you." Linda gasped, and then squealed, choking Morgan in a burst of emotion.

"Morgan Kenter, did you just quote _Doctor Who?!"_

"I did not."

"YOU DID. IT WAS INTENTIONAL." Linda flipped her backpack over her shoulder and held the door out for her friend. The man in front could be heard pounding up the aisle and stopped Morgan from exiting the auditorium.

"Excuse me," he said. "Could I have a word with you for a second?" Linda glowered at Morgan and let the door slam shut while she ventured out into the hall. "You and Linda are good friends, aren't you?"

"Best friends," she corrected.

"It was you she was talking about."

"Yes."

"You're the Wendy of this story, to her?"

"I.. uh... I guess. I mean, I'm dating someone who's a lot like Peter. He always wants to have fun, a little full of himself sometimes, and seems... it's like he's from a different time and he's stuck in his own world." Morgan was very careful about picking her words carefully. "I think Linda finds him interesting, but only so much as his looks and the fact that he's kind to her and they are good friends. And of course, I have him and she doesn't have a boyfriend."

"What's your name?"

"Morgan."

"When you said that, there was... something about Linda. She changed so much. She displayed some of the best acting I have ever seen... and I'm sure most of it is Linda, but she seemed to let herself really go after you said that." Morgan shrugged, attempting to hide her proud beaming. "Do you act?"

"NOOOO." Morgan quickly said.

"You wouldn't be a child on the ship?"

"Nope."

"Can you sew?" Morgan laughed. "Are you artistic?"

"No I- wait. Yes, actually, I am incredibly artistic. But I only have experiencing in making scenes from history, as accurately as possible."

"Could you paint a skyline of London as it appeared in 1904? Really big so it could fit?" Morgan rubbed her lips together, finding the task challenging and pleasing. It wasn't really something she had done before and she would like to test it out and see how it appeared.

"I think I would love to do that."

"Would you join our crew then? Everyone wants to act, but no one wants to take part in behind the scenes and we really need people."

"I'm going to warn you, I am going to be very strict about making everything historically accurate." He chuckled.

"That's what I'm counting on."

"Wait, why do you want me?"

"I'm going to let you in on a secret; we really want Linda, but her acting really improved with your presence. If your being around and encouragement made that fantastic acting rise out of her, then we want you too, but we need to find something to have you come here for."

"I will be here every day you need Linda," she promised, the teacher's admittance to desiring Linda for the show pumping her veins with a hysterical enthusiasm. There was too much bubbling in her stomach from the news for her to contain herself. A smile was the only expression she found she could allow on her face and she thanked the man before running out. Linda mumbled to herself and rolled her eyes when Morgan zoomed out the door.

"Did they ask you to be in it?" she scoffed. Her nasty attitude plucked away the sudden excitement Morgan was feeling.

"No, they want me on the crew..." she responded in a fading whisper. "Linda, wait. I want to ease your mind."

"What?" she snapped.

"They wanted to talk to me because they want me to be around the production in _some_ way, because they said it brings out some of the greatest acting they have ever seen." Linda stopped walking down the hall so her face could jerk towards Morgan's knowing grin.

"Hang on... so they want you around because it helps me act better?"

"Yes."

"And they asked you because..."

"They want you Linda. You're wanted."

"And not like, the way a thief is wanted?"

"Stop it!" Morgan laughed. "They didn't tell me who, but they want you in the play."

"And you're going to be there, right?"

"Yeah, I'm working on the scenery. They want historically accurate skylines of 1904 London."

"Well, you're the best person for that," Linda giggled. "Good, because I don't know if I can do this without you."

* * *

**These lines may or not be 100 percent correct, I got it off a free version of the script and I don't know how accurate it is. Pretty accurate, as I have read the book (BTW Peter and Wendy is the BOOK Peter Pan is the PLAY). And yeah, you guys knew Linda was going to get in. And you probably know what she's going to get. Some things are just hard to be mysterious about in stories I guess. See you tomorrow! :)**


	64. New Territory

**Lately I have been feeling my writing has not been so... inspired and up to par, but I think my writing is actually pretty good in this chapter. Jack is back! I hope you like this chapter. I do :) **

**And guess what I found today? My roomie and I went to the video store and they had a bin of all their old posters they were trying to get rid of (the ones they used to advertise) and they were all three dollars and HUGE. I searched for an ROTG one, but didn't get one BUT I did get a Peter Pan one from when the Diamond Edition DVD came out! I was super duper excited :) **

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_~Jack~_

When September rolled into October, the first glimmer of sunrise peeping over the horizon was enough permission for Jack to set off, away from the icy Continent. At speeds fast enough to leave behind violent cold fronts, bubbling excitement fueled him as he cut through the air towards Harrisburg. He once again scanned over the familiar structures of the old and the new, recognizing the jagged of the skyline. Taking a glance at the sun to verify the time, he turned towards the high school Morgan and Linda had just started that year. It was so strange to think how long he had known her, how she was becoming a young woman and starting rigorous education. He was curious about high school. Middle school had certainly been strange. Over the years he had been accustomed to the weavings of the system of elementary school, and attending lunch with the girls helped to show him how middle school worked. The best way to explain it was awkward. The students still had the fire of childhood running their brains, a spirit of playfulness tickling their palms and a still innocent belief and hope that the world was mostly good. Of course Jack believed that, but many adults didn't. Something seemed to strip hope away from them after middle school, and he had enjoyed still seeing that in their eyes. There was still the teasing, but things had escalated. Kids were trying to pull out of their childhood with new discoveries of crushes and desire pumping through them. Many seemed to be confused about where they were in life, and moderate loads of homework stressed them a little. Most of the relationships in middle school were simple things, like hand holding and gentle kisses, shy confessions of love. From what he heard, there was very little childhood left in high school, and the idea of that made him really nervous. High school was very adult, teachers expecting their students to behave like adults, students expecting themselves to be like adults, wanting to explore things in the world of adulthood that they emotionally were not actually ready to deal with, and some things a little too dangerous for them to test out. He had heard emotions were high in high school and it just had this own world to it – on that was constantly on the edge of ending. Al of this information was confirmed the section he slipped through a door that a kid had propped open with a pencil, attempting to sneak back in.

Allowing himself to take his time to find one of the girls, or both, he ran through the halls, taking the atmosphere. The place was huge, and he very quickly found himself lost. But he kept ducking into the classroom, nobody ever seeing him, and was not finding either of the girls. He rolled his eyes when he stepped into a classroom discussing weather patterns and how snow formed. He hated that scientific theory about how ice and snow formed. It was all a lie. He found a classroom that was discussing _The Scarlet Letter_, and stayed for thirty seconds to hear the conversation. He left and gritted his teeth at the sound of metal scratching at high speeds, some welding class going on. He spotted strings of numbers and letters that pained his mind to think about their meaning and blushed when he stepped into the gymnasium. There was an all girls gym class going on, and forty girls between the ages of 14 and 18 were attempting to jog consistently in the middle. They all wore the same standard issue gym clothes, dark blue shorts that had to be shorter than dress code exposing their thighs and sleeveless orange shirts pulled tight against the rise of their chests. Jack scanned the girls to try and locate Morgan and swore at himself when he realized he had been staring at a pair of particularly good looking girls a little too long. He dashed out of the gym quick before he busied himself watching the chests of the girls move with their bodies. He made a mental note to never enter the gym again unless Morgan was there.

A boy startled Jack when he ran through his invisible body, hurrying a little fast from the bathroom. The bathroom door slowly shut itself, but not before some strange smell similar to burning leaves wafted up his nose. He coughed on the stench of it, wondering what could have created it. He headed up some steps and peeked in on more science, math, and English classes, now peeking into the classes that went over the three branches of government, a class on the civil issues that faced them today, and a class that was observing capitalism. He watched a red-eyed girl emerge from a door labeled "Health Services." There were a group of boys and two girls whispering about obtaining alcohol from someone's brother. Jack swung his staff so it smacked against the row of cream colored lockers and a trail of ice coasted towards one of the boys, running into his hand so it stuck against the locker. He smirked to himself delightfully when their conversation turned to panic and confusion about what had just happened. Jack took a good look in the lunch room, finding nobody he knew, except maybe a few faces he recognized from Morgan's old school, and continued on his search. The bulletin board told him quickly of the hundreds of clubs the school seemed to have, and some old reminders about things such as picture day, which had been about three weeks ago, a fundraiser, and football games. Surveying the board, he discovered that high school students loved involving themselves in politics, cleaning up the earth, becoming involved in artistic practices, were well versed in languages, and shared in knowledge with certain clubs. None of these were necessarily bad things, but it was just a reminder to Jack of how high school students were more adult-like than they were children. He ignored the thought in his mind about what that meant for Morgan and Linda.

A girl who was crying over the phone about a recent break up pulled at him and he was half tempted to go to her and talk with her, but he remembered she wouldn't be able to hear anything he said. Frowning, he remembered the mischief he created downstairs and placed a finger tip on the locker next to her, the crackling turning the girls attention and gasping at the small heart of icy ferns that formed next to her ear. Jack smiled proudly while she dropped her phone to the ground and walked on, hoping it would help her to know things would be all right. A student was being scolded by a teacher. In another corner, a girl was sharing a secret with another girl about how she was terrified to tell her mother she was interested in women. Jack lightly squeezed the girl's hand as he passed and then hoped her mother would be understanding and the girl would find the most wonderful love in the most beautiful woman she would lay her eyes on. Another girl waddled up the steps, very round in the gut, but not in a way that was obese. It was an image he had seen many times before, but he could not remember such roundness in a girl so young. He collided with the door as he watched the young pregnant girl pass on by, the huge backpack probably terribly for her considering what her back probably already was like. Cheeks reddening despite there being no one to see him run into the door, he stepped on through to another classroom, an incredibly large one to make room for six fridges, six stoves, wall to wall cabinets above and below the counter, and tables stretched across the floor. The warm, sweet, and uplifting smells invited him in and his chest exploded in agonizing joy before he even saw his Morgan pounding on a flat of dough.

"No, you're beating it up, you're not kneading it," said the girl who was next to her. She held out a printed sheet of directions. "See? It says knead."

"Being a terrible cook does not mean I'm a terrible reader," Morgan snapped while Jack floated beside her. Her back was turned so she did not see him. He plastered a smug look on his face, waiting for the moment she would notice him. He couldn't want to terrify her so.

"I'm just trying to help," pouted the girl, a gentle looking redhead wearing nearly oval frames that accentuated her dark eyes. She was pretty decent looking, to Jack anyway, but nothing he would pant over, and her attitude didn't seem particularly snarky. "I just want to help you get a good grade."

"Ugh, I know and I'm being horrid, I'm just... so angry at..." her fists beat into it. Her teeth ground against each other while she fed her aggression into the dough. "I can't cook, I'm sorry."

"I know, I know," the girl sighed impatiently. "Not everyone gets it. Here let me knead it and you can grab the glaze." Morgan spun and moved her arm to touch the small bottle awaiting her, but she saw Jack and she shrieked with fright that was quickly followed by extreme mirth.

"Oh my God, Jack!" she yelled, a large spoon clattering against the floor. Her teacher looked at her suspiciously and Morgan dropped to pick up the spoon before she could be scolded.

"Hey, there Snow Angel," he greeted, his voice dropping lowly so it was coating with a heavy layer of sensuality. Morgan's fingers fumbled at the spoon, eventually tossing it on the counter. She swallowed her electric reaction to Jack's greeting.

"Um, hey..." Morgan whispered.

"Morgan?" asked the teacher politely, her dark hair wildly sticking out of its clip. She was old enough to have many lines, but young enough to be incredibly attractive when she smiled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Teve."

"Are you, uh... having an episode?" she quietly wondered. Morgan dropped her shoulders along with her sigh and shook her head. Mrs. Kenter often alerted all of Morgan's teachers about how she "saw things" and "talked to herself" considering how often it happened at her old school. Morgan rose up to the counter and passed over the glaze to her partner. When Mrs. Teve's back was turned she spoke out of the side of her mouth to Jack.

"Why didn't you wait til I got home?" Morgan whispered accusingly, passing over another container her partner wanted.

"I couldn't wait to see you. I can wait to be kissed until you're in a quiet area, I can wait to give you your gift when we're somewhere a little more private, but I couldn't wait to see you."

"Well, Jack... um... no offense but this a cooking class and we're using the stoves and..."

"Right!" Jack agreed, recognizing how they needed heat and his being there was not going to help them.

"Any other classes, yes, but not this one."

"Just as well. When do you have lunch?"

"When this period is over."

"Do you have it with Linda?" Morgan nodded. They always requested to eat together and so far, it had always been granted. "Okay, what class is she in now? Maybe I'll bug her while I wait and we'll come up and get you."

"World History, room 371." Jack nodded an took a kiss away from her cheek quickly before making off towards the room he had been directed towards. The door was half open and he slipped in, pushing it a little ways so the kids were distracted. Linda was sitting in the back, trying to properly balance a pencil on her nose. Jack tossed the utensil off her nose and smirked happily at her. At first, she wrinkled her brow at him, but then recognition took over her face.

"Jack!" she whispered while the teacher droned on about the Crusades. "You're here!"

"Yep, just got in! Morgan kicked me out of the foods class since I'm too cold and they need to use the stoves. I'm here to bug you til class is over, then I'll join you for lunch."

"We've got about 20 minutes yet. Oh my God, this is most mind numbing thing ever. I will never understand why Morgan finds history so fascinating." Jack snuck a look at the gawky looking professor, a very unimpressive dress with a very unimpressive face. His voice was also incredibly unimpressive.

"For starters, she can't get into history classes where the teacher isn't passionate about what they teach," he said. Linda sighed. A gnawing fuzzy feeling erupted inside Jack as he finger the small package in his front jacket pocket. He was thankful to have time with Linda before giving it to Morgan, in order to get her input on it, but he was concerned that this was a terrible idea. Before he left he had made a stop at the North Pole and asked the Yetis if they would be able to get the materials to create what he wanted to give Morgan for her birthday. They mumbled something about how they could, but Jack had needed to speak with North first. He was concerned about it, saying that he didn't think it was a good idea, considering who Morgan was and Jack was. He also said something about never believing the two of them would make it this long and he had been wrong before so he thought he could do what he thought was a appropriate. With a warning about what this could mean, the seriousness of it, and what a huge step this was that Jack was taking, he allowed the Yetis to create the small item and Jack retrieved it on his way back home. Now, he was desperate for Linda's opinion, who was incredibly wise about this things, despite always being goofy. Linda was serious when the time called for it, but she often preferred there to not be a time that called for it.

"I need you to look at something for me," he said. "I want to know if you think I should give it to Morgan. I... had it specially made and... Now I'm just... second guessing. I'm little nervous about how she's going to react, if she thinks it's stupid or anything but... I think this is going to mean more for us than anyone else and I just... but I'm nervous that-"

"Show me the thing," Linda groaned, ignoring the teacher's lecture on the tactics of the Crusades. Jack fumbled with the package inside his pocket and plopped the small paper bag on her desk, the surprise item rolling around inside it. Linda peeked over the edge of the bag and her hand slapped against her open mouth. Her teacher looked up and she made up an appeasing lie about being so shocked by statistics. Linda turned her expression to Jack and he couldn't tell if it was a look of offense or excitement.

"Jack, there is a really expensive looking ring in this bag."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was an elegant band that split and curled around its central grouping of stones, seven transparent precious gemstones forming something between a flower and a snowflake. The curling bands were lined with several small stones of the same kind, tracing the paths down to the bottom of the band. At the lunch table, Morgan eyed it silently for the past five minutes, her eyes not quite adjusting to it, for some reason or another. Her thorough inspection of the jewelry continued to grow his anxiety and he was waiting for some sort of response with her. He didn't know if she was looking it over to see if it was real, trying to figure out what to say, marveling its beauty, or just didn't want to hurt his feelings, and her silence was killing him. Linda pressed her hands together, grinning at the tension between the two of them. Jack placed a chilly hand on hers again, caressing the skin between her index finger and thumb. She didn't move away which he hoped was a good sign.

"I swear it's not an engagement ring," he told her, for what was the third time.

"You said that," Morgan laughed. "That's not why I'm looking at it."

"Well, say something!" he demanded. "You haven't given me an answer yet and I can't stand your lack of response! I am literally in pain, Morgan! Just say yes or no."

"Well my response is determined by what this is made of."

"Yes, it's real."

"Real _what_?"

"It's cubic zirconia, not diamonds," he told her, suddenly realizing why she was looking at it so fiercely. Morgan had a thing about diamonds, where were often extracted through third world countries and through means of bloodshed or other suffering, and it was always unclear whether or not the diamonds were achieved conflict-free. Conflict-Free diamonds were claimed to have existed, but even that there was no real tracking as to where they came from. Morgan did not want to be on the receiving end of a diamond that may have been obtained through dastardly means and so she always said she preferred cubic zirconia – plus, as she was always sure to say, they were cheaper and they shone brighter.

"Okay." She smiled and passed the ring back over to Jack. She kicked against the stool with a shot of energy coursing through her and blood was coloring her cheeks nicely from her happiness. "Ask me again then." He smirked and held the ring up.

"Morgan... would you accept this promise ring as a dedication to me and as a token that no only will I promise to be there for you and remain faithful, but you will as well?"

"Yes, Jack," she giggled. "I promise to love you forever."

* * *

**Okay, now from previous conversations I have had with people, I think the ring needs an explanation. For the most part it seems a promise ring is mainly an American thing. It also seems to be something that is dying out. Some people think a promise ring is stupid. because if you're going to give one, why not a wedding ring? You're promising to be together forever and to always be faithful, and that's basically a wedding ring, right? Well, I can understand that. But in certain situations I do think a Promise Ring is appropriate. It actually serves many purposes. I've seen it used here for homosexual couples because my state is stupid and doesn't allow same-sex marriages yet (BUT THEY ARE WORKING REALLY HARD ON IT). I've seen it used by people, mostly religious folk, who make a vow to stay pure before their wedding. I've heard of people doing it because they can't afford engagement rings. I've heard of people doing it because they want to progress in their relationship and do something that shows their dedication and trust to each other, but they are not quite ready for marriage. It is also going out of style, which means it is an old-fashioned thing. In fact, it's based on the trend of a someone, usually a guy, giving their class ring to someone they want to go steady with, or giving their pin.**

**This works for Morgan and Jack because one, they are definitely not ready to get married, but definitely want to sometime. However, they are not really sure if this is even plausible, considering what they are and who they are. Still, Jack wants to do something that shows how much he wants to be with her, how much he values her and cherishes her, and will always be by her side. It is also an old-fashioned trend, so it's something Morgan would love. And Promises are something that are very important to the two of them, so a Promise Ring just seemed right for them. My fiancee and I didn't get Promise Rings, and some people don't, in fact most people don't. But I think for them, it's adorable and just fits.**

**Btw, what I said about diamond rings is unfortunately true. That does not mean I think badly on people who have diamonds, of course not, I actually own some myself. And conflict-free diamonds are probably just that, but they don't track that and there's no way of knowing. For all those reasons said, I do prefer CZ jewelry. My engagement ring is actually CZ. (And nobody ever knows its CZ! :) ) Morgan, however, she gets very passionate about things, and she cares A LOT about people and the world and stopping human suffering, especially from social issues and fighting for civil rights because of all the stuff she reads in history. Therefore she has a lot more concern about it.**

**I like to allow my readers to use their own imagination and come up with their own images, but I actually do have a picture of this ring if you would like to see it. Just let me know :)**

**And tell me honestly (IN PMs PLEASE NOT REVIEWS. I don't want it spoiled for others) who was tricked into believing it was an engagement ring for a while there? ;)**


	65. Playing Around

**Finished my essay! Literally all I have left is to take a test on Friday and I am all done with school til August! I am so excited! I have a middle of the day shift tomorrow so that's not too bad, so I hope to get more than one chapter up tomorrow. **

**I am honestly surprised I did not write an emotional chapter because Once Upon A Time filled with so many feels that exploded all over the place. This chapter is just fun and a little funny.**

* * *

The spirit of winter was standing very still, a sheet of paper stiff in his hand from its coating of frost. He stood very still while he awaited Linda to approach him. With shaking hands, she stepped to, tilting her chin so her lips were inches from his mouth. She paused and hesitated, eyes darting back and forth while she waited. Jack breathed heavily, awkward tension falling between them. Two seconds passed before Linda jerked backwards and clutched her dark hair, rubbing at the top of her head, a sudden burst of pain released through her scream.

"That was terrible," Morgan scoffed.

"The scream was better," Jack praised.

"Linda has vocal chord and she's incredibly obnoxious, her screams are always loud and realistic."

"I'm sorry it's just... hard," Linda explained as she blushed profusely.

"It looks just awkward."

"I'm sorry, but Heather isn't here to tug on my hair."

"No, no that's not what I mean," Morgan told her quickly. She rolled off her bed where she had been judging Linda's practices, a little too rudely. Jack had been kinder about it, but Morgan was determined to make sure Linda's performances were as best as they could be so she had always been around to help her go over her lines and judge her acting skills in order to better her. She had called in Brad when it was necessary and she stood in for any other roles when she was needed. Mainly though, Wendy was most often around Peter so Morgan sweetly pleaded Jack to help out. "I mean, yes, you backing away is a little awkward but you look awkward when you're trying to kiss Jack."

"I am not trying to kiss Jack!" Linda boisterously defended.

"Ugh, well... Peter who Jack currently is," Morgan groaned. "In every performance of the show, Wendy watches Peter with a great fondness. He is the very first boy she's ever truly fallen for, and of course there is a bit of fantastical intrigue in him. Peter has all these abilities and he is brave, but he also treats Wendy in a way that is contradictory to his philosophy, also a way no boy has ever looked at her before. He is also a different world from her, a world from her stories, and she loves every bit of that. There is so much playing into her emotion that when she looks at him she just sees... pure magical wonder that she wants to be with." The corner of Jack's mouth extended to stare at Morgan with a light of devoted impression. She caught his stare and a flush of pink flickered beneath her eyes. She tried her best to hide her smile to keep from getting distracted. "You need to convey that."

"But I can't..." Linda groaned. "I've never been in love like that."

"Well, what goes through your head when you rehearse this with Evan?" Jack asked helpfully, leaning against the window.

"It's not even like that with Evan. I mean... it's good enough for Mr. Wilkes. I like Evan a lot and lately the way I feel about him definitely helps me get into Wendy's hate about how she must see Peter, but it's hard to truly get to where I need to be. With Evan I feel breathless and childish. I am too aware of what I am doing and I feel like pulling away and hiding. I stifle a giggle every time I get that close to his face because I am so shy and self conscious about it. Besides... all of that emotion, I've never felt that. I don't feel anything... otherworldly or some wonder with him. I mean, I do, but it's different. He's not fighting pirates and having grand adventures, he doesn't have this desire to constantly explore and put himself in imminent danger. He doesn't always want to sit and have fun. I can look at him the same way Wendy does. I admire Evan for his silliness, his humor, his geekery, his intelligence, his obnoxiousness, and his times to be serious, punctual, and efficient when the time is needed. Wendy is enchanted by Peter's daring adventures and his mystical abilities and his bravery of a prince. That's the difference. I admire and adore. Wendy is enchanted and wonderstruck." Morgan popped her lips so tightly held air escaped with a loud hiss. Her brown hair fluttered from her breath and she shoved the loose strands behind her ear. "Wendy looks at Peter the way I catch you looking at Jack, and I'm sorry, but doing this with Jack is a little strange."

"Strange how?"

"Well, in Acting class, if we're going to do something that is supposed to be interrupted, we're told to move on with it as if we weren't going to be. Not only is it more real that way, but if our interruption misses their cue, we keep on going and improvise, so we don't just suddenly stop and the audience is left their disillusioned, and they believe this is all a part of the play. Wilkes has me and Evan do the same. He sat down and talked to us to make sure there's no, um... comfort breach. Because he wants this to be as realistic as possible, we have to do the same. I have to really make like I am going to kiss Evan, and if Heather misses her cue, I have to make sure it's okay if I do end up kissing Evan. I haven't yet, thank God, I don't know how I would react, but you _know_ I am not going to do that now. I'm not going to attempt to actually try and kiss your boyfriend."

"Yes you are," Morgan finally said, flipping through her tattered novel of the story.

"No I'm not!"

"No she's not!" Jack belted at the same time as Linda. "I mean, no offense, Linda you're great, but I have no desire to kiss anyone but Morgan."

"I have no desire for you to be kissed by anyone but Morgan."

"Ugh, Linda, you're not actually going to kiss him," Morgan scoffed, slamming the book shut. She slid into the chair at her desk and professionally crossed her legs, her foot tapping as an impatient director. "I'm just going to be Tinker Bell for you. I am going to step up and pull you away, so I apologize in advance if I pull your hair. I will stop the kiss from happening."

"But what if your cue is late?"

"Trust me," Morgan chuckled. "I won't be late. I'm not fond of my boyfriend and best friend kissing each other. I _will_ keep it from happening."

"But what if-" Linda panicked.

"Then the blame is all on me because I was stupid and wasn't paying attention!" Morgan barked. "The only way I would get pissed at you two is if you didn't break away quickly like you would if you had to in the show and decided to full on make out right there! Linda, this is _acting_. It doesn't mean anything because you are _playing characters. Who are fictional_. But I guess that doesn't matter to you considering no matter how many times I tell you that your British shows are fictional, you cry and tell me that to you they exist and all their messages are real..." Linda placed her hand on her hip dramatically. She appeared to look offended.

"It just feels wrong," she said. "There's a very slim chance I could end up kissing my best friend's boyfriend."

"There's a very slim chance I could end up kissing someone who is not only not my girlfriend, but also my girlfriend's best friend," Jack mumbled, his limbs tightening from the situation he felt forced into.

"How many times have you flirted with Jack?" Morgan smiled. "How many times have you said you wanted to get with him? How many times have you said how hot he was?"

"I was teasing!" Linda said. "That was all in good fun... I mean, you are hot, Jack, that wasn't a lie..."

"Thank you?" he questioned.

"But that was just for fun! That's just me! Because I knew it would never happen! Now I'm actually-" Morgan shoved her friend towards Jack and hummed through her protests, skipping back over to her chair and waiting for her to finish chattering. When Linda finally realized she was being ignored, she slammed her foot against the surface below her and pivoted "You know what? Never mind. It's good revenge for your pushiness. Jack, be prepared to be ravished."

"I don't really want to ravished..." he muttered uncomfortably, but a smirk crept onto his face. Linda proudly held out her paper, barely looking at it while she recited her lines.

"Oh what fun it must be!" Linda exclaimed, her eyes widening at the promises of adventure and idyllic frolicking Neverland held.

"Yes, but we are rather lonely," Jack read from his sheet, his voice lacking in the same expression Linda had. Morgan rolled her eyes at Jack's unrealistic portrayal, but he wasn't the one who required directing. "You see, Wendy, we have no female companionship."

"Are none of the other children girls?" Linda leaned closer to hear his answer to her question. She messed up her face with perplexing shock, unsure as to how that was possible.

"Oh no; girls, you know are much too clever to fall out of their prams." Linda giggled delightfully at the sound of his words, becoming enthralled with the charm he spoke so well.

"Peter, it is perfectly lovely the way you talk about girls! John there..." And Linda gestured towards Morgan, who was appalled at the unplanned motion. "Just despises us!" Jack looked down at his paper again, and a pleased smile of wickedness took over his face. He sauntered towards Morgan, who was now no longer focused on the accuracy of the portrayal of Wendy, but was steadily growing with touches of terror when Jack reached her. She shook her head, rereading her content before Jack prodded her with his staff, She toppled over in her chair and she yelped. He laughed while Linda tried to maintain character by covering her mouth with horror (when she was really preventing a laugh). "You wicked! You are not captain here! After all, he hasn't awakened and you meant to be kind." Morgan rolled her eyes, knowing how much of a lie that was with Jack. Flawlessly, Linda rolled into the next part. "Peter, you may give me a kiss."

"I thought you would want it back." Jack fished a plastic thimble from his front pocket and held it out to Linda.

"Oh dear, I didn't mean a kiss, Peter. I meant a thimble."

"What is that?"

"It is like this." There was only a brief moment of hesitation, barely visible, before Linda strode towards Jack, who was now pressing his back against the wall. Morgan barreled through the two of them to prevent the meeting of their faces.

"Now shall I give you a thimble?"

"If you please." He was a little more than concerned about what was going to happen and discomfort was tensing his muscles. This was not a natural situation for anyone to be in and everything he felt was unnatural about it. He tried to remind himself that Linda was a pretty girl in the hopes that would relax him and excite him a little, but that only made it worse and instead he just decided to close his eyes. It was Linda who needed the practice anyway, not him. He walked towards her, leaning in. Morgan charged just as she was puckering her lips, the potential damage guiding her feet rather than the stage directions. Linda had her hand extended towards Jack's cheek and lips dangerously close to him before Morgan struck and jerked on her hair. She tugged just a little harder than she intended and so Linda's scream was very real. She stumbled backwards and blinked at the proud Morgan. Jack's shoulders dropped with the danger of the kiss no longer in sight.

"Much better!" Morgan breathed.

"Don't make me do that again..." Jack panted, as if he had just finished some strenuous activity. "If I could sweat..."

"You can't tell me the idea of kissing another girl was not appealing to you."

"It's Linda!" he argued. "It would be like kissing my own sister." Linda beamed at the comment.

"Oh Jack, it's perfectly lovely how you talk about girls!" she cooed, running towards him and lightly touching his shoulder.

"Uh, no," he quickly said, flinching at her touch. "You've had enough touching me today, thank you."

"And if you try to kiss him from this point on, I will get angry." For added pain, Linda raised herself to her toes, her nose brushing against Jack's cheek. He jumped back behind Morgan. Sympathetically, she sighed while her friend laughed. Morgan turned and hung her hands from around Jack's neck. He was very quick to welcome her touch, more than he had ever had been. To rub salt in the wound, he plunged Morgan over in a low dip and pressed his lips firmly into hers, balancing her expertly in his arms. Linda allowed her tongue to loll out of her mouth while she watched their mouths move in circular motions against each other.

"I just want you two to know that if Evan and I date we are going to do that in front of you all the time and see how sick you feel," she snarled. Jack lifted Morgan up again and broke their kiss, glorifying in their successful mission in disgusting Linda. "If you hadn't stopped us Morgan, I would have really latched onto Jack, like one of those sucker fish on sharks."

"That's exactly why I was one hundred percent positive I would not be too distracted to miss my cue," Morgan informed, squeezing Jack's arm. He looked over at the clock in Morgan's bedroom and swept a kiss away from her. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm sorry we have to be done for tonight!" he apologized, propping the window open again.

"What are you doing?

"I have to go home! Aren't you proud of me, I'm doing normal teenager things today!"

"And that is?" Linda asked.

"Babysitting. Jamie is now old enough to be home alone for a few hours with Sophie without people being suspicious, but Helen's a little anxious that he won't keep a good eye on Sophie. Plus, Abby's getting pretty old and she's on this medication now and Jamie isn't quite sure how to administer it." He winked the two girls and chuckled lowly.

"Why does she need you to babysit?" Morgan asked. The blue topaz glistened in his eyes.

"Helen, she's going out on a date tonight."

* * *

**Yes, Ms. Bennett is getting back in the game :) And yes, Abby is getting old... It's sad, but I hoped you guys saw it coming... dogs live an average of ten years and in the film Abby was an adult and six years have already gone by in this story... roughly. So I figured she would probably be getting old at this point. Also, I will write the chapter with Jack babysitting. It just seems like a really fun idea. Plus it's been a while since he's seen the Bennetts. I also am aware how long it's been since any of the other Guardians have been here and... well, I'm trying to work something in. Til then, good night my rosettes!**


	66. Breaking the Ice

**Enjoy a little fun with Jack babysitting :)**

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_~Jack~_

When Jack reached the Bennett house, Ms. Bennett was in a fit of worry and rush. She was trying to hurry up, concerned about the possibility of not being ready by the time her date arrived, but she was also concerned about everything looking perfect and everything being perfect. She kept running back and forth to talk to Jack about some rule about the children, having only reached one more step in her make-up process. She switched between informing Jack about Rick, her date, and then to worrying about what he would think if she wore something or other. Than she would worry about the children and run to tell Jack something. Then she would contemplate talking about certain topics. Then she would get doubtful. Then she would cry. Then she would need to do her make-up all over again. Then she felt guilty about overloading Jack.

"Helen, relax!" Jack finally shouted in between her fits of panicked monologues.

"It's been eighteen years since I've been on a date and had to worry about all of this!" she exclaimed from her position at the sink where she reapplied eyeliner for the third time. Ah, now they don't match! I have to fix this side. Is my hair crooked? I think it's crooked. I should remove this clip and redo it all over again."

"Your hair is fine, Helen," Jack moaned, starting to understand that teenager annoyance with parents.

"This top is not appropriate." She followed the line of the collar which fanned out into over the shoulder sleeves, an elegant blouse of silver with black lace covering it. It did sink a little lower into her chest than most of the stuff she wore, but it was still too high to show too much of herself. The subtle V in the neckline dipped into a knot where there was a small silver brooch that added a trace of formality to it.

"Its fine, Helen," Jack advised once again.

"I wish I had time to change."

"If he looks at you lustfully, that's on him, not you," he continued to say. "That is not something you do on a first date, especially if you do not want him to."

"You're right, I need to stop panicking... you know where Abby's medicine is, right?"

"Yes, Helen..." he mumbled.

"You know what to give the kids for a bedtime snack?"

"Yes Helen."

"You know what time the kids go to bed?"

"I do live here part-time, you know," he chuckled. "I am aware of a lot of things that go on here."

"You're over at Morgan's more than here."

"Yeah but I rarely leave her bedroom..." he teased. Helen's lips parted as an invasive question rested on them. The wrinkle above her eyes and the glaze of worry over her pupils already told Jack the content of her question. "That isn't what I meant!"

"But have you...?"

"No Helen, we have not."

"I have your word?"

"You have my word."

"Good, because I am not fond of kids your age doing that kind of stuff."

"My age... Helen, you remember I am older than you, right?"

"Oh, you know what I mean... as far as Morgan is concerned anyway." A smooth rumble sounded in the driveway as lights passed across the wall through the window. "Oh my God, he's here! Um, where is my purse...?" Jack walked into the kitchen and used the end of his staff to loop under the handle and pass it over. She ripped it away from his staff and barely kissed her children before flying out the door, with one last wish that they would be good. Jack watched her get into the blue vehicle, smiling fondly at the silhouette of a man in the front seat. He smirked as she waved to to them.

"Remember!" he shouted. "If you does anything I'll freeze his eyeballs!" She glared at him disapprovingly, but a smile fought its way through her look. She disappeared behind the closing of the door and the car slowly drifted out of the drive. Jack picked up Sophie, who was now becoming more awkward to carry since she was no longer so small. He used his foot to push the door shut and carried the blonde girl into the living room.

"I think Mom's going to kiss him," she guessed, pulling her lips apart to give Jack a toothy smile.

"Hey, that's right, you lost another tooth!" he chuckled. "Did you get to say hi to Toothiana yesterday?"

"Yep! She stayed for a little bit, but had to get going and she wanted me to sleep a while," she informed proudly. "She left me four quarters! And there was a feather she left for me, a feather from her!"

"You must be really special to get such a gift from her," he said.

"Jack, we get to stay up late right?" Jamie suggested while hope left a smile on his face. As he spoke, Jack noticed how his voice seemed to raise and drop, puberty on its way in. He sighed with a little sadness, realizing once again how everyone around him was growing up while he always stayed the same.

"No," he chuckled, rubbing the kid's brown tufts. His hair was not as long as it used to be. It was shorter now so it stood up a little more and showed his face clearer. "You are going to bed at the time mom wants you to go to bed. You still have a few hours yet, you may be tired by the time eleven rolls around."

"Doubt it..." Jamie said under his breath.

"Don't you have a girl you have to call?" he taunted and Jamie's eyes bugged wit memory.

"Ah, I was supposed to call Pippa back!" Jack raised in eyebrow as a way of getting to Jamie about what would happened if he forgot about a girl. He flew up the stairs and slammed his door shut, loud enough to make the walls shudder for a few seconds. Jamie and Pippa had this weird thing going on, similar to how Jack and Morgan initially were. He had asked her out one day and they had gone, but there was a strangeness about it. They had not gone out since then, but they were always talking with each other, always with each other, always flirting, but neither one of them seemed comfortable to declare themselves in a relationship. Whatever was happening, it seemed to make Jamie really happy even though he did not want to spend a lot of time with his family as of late. From Jack's hip, Sophie unleashed a lengthy winded sigh. This was a common occurrence that often left Sophie bored and lonely, especially when Jack wasn't around. Now that she was older, he had taken closer looks at her face. Sophie's voice was very similar to Emma's, and the outline of her chin was the same as hers. The depression right between her eyes and her cheek was formed the same way Emma's was, but that was where the features ended in their similarities. Sophie's hair was not longer as much of a tangled mess it had been when they first met and was cut out of her eyes. She was her own person and beauty was starting to grow on her. However, Jack was very glad to see at least some connection to Emma. For the most part, it was her voice he focused on. It was almost too much like hers.

"I think love is dumb," she said.

"Why do you say that, sweetie?" he asked, playfully throwing her into the couch and delighted in her giggle. He jumped onto the couch beside her.

"It's done a lot of stuff. Dad hurt mom and he hurt us. Now I'm afraid this guy will hurt mommy too. Now Jamie doesn't want to play with me anymore because he thinks Pippa is pretty so he is always around her. And you do the same thing with Morgan too. But I guess not because you actually play with me."

"Oh, Sophie, I know it seems that way, but it's not all bad. Did you know the best things in life also have the worst things connected to them?"

"How?" she asked, cocking her head in curiosity.

"What is the happiest thing you can think of?" Sophie pouted while she thought.

"Babies."

"It's great when they're born, right?"

"I love it. Mary Ann at school just got a baby sister. She's really cute."

"See and that's great! And babies come from love."

"How though? How do babies come from love?"

"Uh... how about you ask your mother that later?" he cautiously said. "She'll explain. How about this?" Jack pressed his hands together and flexed them. He unveiled a statuette of a unicorn and Sophie awed at the perfectness in its rearing form.

"It's so pretty!" she exclaimed.

"It is... but what would happen if I just let it drop?"

"It would break."

"Why?"

"Because ice is very fragile and if you want something beautiful to last that's fragile you have to be careful with it."

"Exactly!" he praised, touching her nose with an icicle fingertip. She smiled under his touch. "That is exactly how love is. It's very beautiful and precious and a wonderful thing. But it's fragile and you need to treat it carefully or it will break and be a mess. And there's all kinds of love."

"So Dad broke it," she guessed.

"Yes, he did, unfortunately. But you see him every summer right?"

"Yes, and I know he still loves us."

"Yes... see, sometimes ice doesn't break. Sometimes it just has cracks in it. It's not perfect, but it still holds together. If you pound on it too much and hurt it, it will eventually break, but if you see it has cracks in it, you should leave it alone so it doesn't get worse. Even try to fix it. Now, Jamie's love for you may have cracks in it because he's so focused on a different kind of ice, but that does not mean it's broken or that it's still not beautiful. Jamie will have to fix it and you need to help to make sure it doesn't break. I have my own cracks that I admit I need to fix. And your father has left cracks in his love for you, but it's still there."

"But this is small," Sophie observed, pointing at the tiny unicorn. "Big statues are harder to break."

"That's right, that's because the more you love someone, the harder it is to destroy. Do you get it now?"

"I think so. That's a cool way of explaining it. Ice is really powerful." Jack set the small unicorn on the ground and hugged the small girl, pulling her into his lap. "Do you think I will find a really big love someday?"

"Of course you will, Soph. You will find a wonderful prince someday who will take you on wonderful adventures, but you need to promise me you won't fall in love for a few years yet and stay little so you can play with me for a little longer. Also, when you do fall in love, you need to let me meet him so I can decide if he's good for you. I refuse to let anyone date my Sophie if they're going to hurt her!" Sophie giggled, proud of the affection he had for her. His lips touched the top of her head. The timer in the kitchen startled Jack with its ferocious beeping and he was aware of the need to give Abby her medicine. Sophie immediately desired to help and Jack allowed her to sit on his shoulders and reach for the small bottle of pills. She handed him the bottle and he loosened it, giving her a large yellow tablet. He instructed her on what to do, that he was going to hold Abby's mouth open and she had to just drop the pill down her throat. She walked slowly, a little nervous to have such a responsibility. She tried it three times with shaking hands, dropping it onto the floor each time, and Abby was getting more agitated about them disturbing her sleep. The fourth time, Sophie got it in and Jack's excited comments on her successful task caused her to glow with pride.

"Why is Abby in so much pain?" she asked.

"Because she's old, Sophie," he said. "When you get old, your bones and organs get old and don't want to work right anymore. Kind of like when your bike gets old, and then you try to get them to work right and it hurts." Abby whimpered as she flipped over in her sleep, tongue falling out of her mouth.

"She sleeps a lot."

"That's because the pain tires her out."

"What happens when you die?" Jack sucked in air tightly, uncomfortable with all the big questions suddenly rising from the little girl. First, where babies come from, now where you go when you die. If she asked what the point of life was, he was going to have to interrogate Ms. Bennett on what happened to Sophie's mind that she suddenly thinking so indepthly that day.

"It's hard to say, My death was different. I became a spirit. Not everyone does, in fact it's very rare you do. Most people... I don't know where they go. Some places have their stories, and some people have certain beliefs. Some people think you just stay asleep forever."

"That's really sad."

"But some people believe you go to the most wonderful beautiful place to ever exist where there is only happiness and you will live forever there. Some people believe everyone goes there. Some people believe that's only for good people and that really bad people go to a really bad place where there's lots of bad things and you're always sad and in pain."

"That's also really sad. I hope everyone goes to a really good place," she said calmly. "I know Abby is going to die. I don't know when. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in five years, but mom says she isn't going to live much longer and I've accepted that. It's okay, I'm fine. I mean, I will be sad and I will miss her... but I know it's what happens and I think she will go to that place that's happy and always have fun and live there forever, so it's okay if she'll be happy." Jack watched the small girl with a sense of shock and admiration for her mature outlook and her intelligence that stretched farther than children her age. "What do you believe, Jack?"

"I was raised to believe in both the good and bad places, and I think I may a little bit, but I am really unsure. Living for so long and having that time to think has really confused me and I don't know what happened, but I know that Abby will be okay and you guys will be okay. She's a very loving dog and she's a good friend. She will be in that happy place. But for now, let's enjoy the time we have with her, all right?" Sophie nodded watching her sleeping greyhound with a pleased expression.

"Do you remember that play you were helping yours and Morgan's friend with?" Sophie asked.

"_Peter Pan_?"

"Yeah. Can we play that? It sounds like a really fun story. I can be Wendy. You be Peter." Jack rolled his eyes but complied her to simple request. This would make him more Peter than Jack for that entire day and he could not believe how it had suddenly become a part of all their lives, in so many ways, affecting each person in a different way. Now his family was even wanting to become involved in it.

"Hey, are guys playing _Peter Pan_?" Jamie asked, finally deciding to emerge from his time with Pippa over the phone. He peeked one out of the crack of the door.

"Yeah!" Sophie's voice warbled under the impression of her excitement. "Come and play with us! You can be Captain Hook!"

"Ay, not that wretched scurvy Pan!" he growled in his best pirate voice. He jumped into his room and emerged with a couple of swords a few seconds later and holding the broken hooked end of a plastic hanger. "I will best ye!"

"Not if I feed you to the crocodile!" Jack laughed, taking on the role of the boy who wouldn't grow up, willingly this time. Morgan had told him several times how the connections between him and Peter Pan were a little strange, because he fit so many of the descriptions and things that were supposed to be fictional and magical were true in him. Because Morgan saw a truth in it no one else saw, that was much of the reason she loved it so much. She related to it and saw hope in it, but also saw so much truth within the fictitious world. There were things about the story that made him feel uncomfortable, and many things he did not like nor want to be true. He did not like being compared to Peter because if those were true, what did that mean about other things? What did that mean for the ending? Especially the often not included one which was being used in the high school play. For now, however, he decided he liked this part of it. The part that helped his family escape from their troubles and get lost in the action of pirates, the mystery of fairies, and the illusion of never growing up, never again, and never dying.

* * *

**I hope to be getting a lot more to you really soon. We're currently in finals week at school, but all that means for me is turning in an essay tomorrow, coming right back home, and one quick and easy test - practically a quiz - on Friday and I can dedicate more time to watching films and movies and dying in my feels and writing and killing you all with feels. So we'll see. I hope this was an interesting chapter. To those who have pointed out grammar mistakes - thank you very much. I have yet to go back and fix them, but I shall do it when I am more in a focused mindset to do editing. Between my connections to Peter Pan and OUAT's introduction of Neverland and its stories, I am getting major Peter Pan urges and I want to watch it (I don't know if I want to watch 1953 or 2003 though...), but I also want to type another chapter tonight so I don't know what to do! D: Anyway, have fun and I may or may not put up another chapter. Depends on if my need for Peter Pan is so great I am pained to go without it. Until later, my rosettes!**


	67. The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up

**I have gone back and fixed errors people have told me. If you ever find any errors in my writing do not be afraid to tell me :) I like correcting my writing, it's okay. This is a very long chapter, I didn't intend for it to be this long, but it happened**

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The play was almost not ready in time. In every high school play, there seems to be something that happens that threatens being unprepared for the opening of the show. Sometimes the costumes aren't ready, sometimes some people aren't quite ready on their lines. This time it was on Morgan. The five other people who worked on set design would declare something as "good enough," but Morgan could not just take "good enough." She would not settle for anything less than perfect.

"Morgan, this play opens in a week," Owen firmly told her when they put the finishing touches on the sheets of plywood. When the play started practicing, they had only needed to be in a couple of times a week, now they were there every day for the past three weeks. "It looks like a tree, the audience will know it's a tree."

"It's _the_ tree," Morgan muttered, dusting the top of the tree with the green of her brush. "This is the most important tree in the whole of the show. It needs to look magnificent and brilliant. It needs to look realistic. More than realistic. The audience needs to feel they can reach out and touch it."

"That made sense with the ship," Victoria said. "This is just a tree, okay?"

"I'm almost done with it, then we can finish up the London skyline."

"Oh my God, not London _again!_" Nicholas shouted. From behind the door and beyond the curtain they could hear the director loudly ordering positions around. "We have revisited that thing six times!"

"Well, seven is a lucky number," Morgan said. "I mean, I don't believe that, it's just a number, but maybe this time we will finally get."

"He already says it looks great, better than he expected."

"Maybe it looks okay, but what about Big Ben?" Morgan said, slamming her paintbrush into the small bucket of green paint. "Do you understand how important it is? It is so much more ornate in real life and we need to demonstrate it. We were asked to try and make it original, using our own ideas drawn from the script and the book, while adding in influence from Disney. I am the only one who has actually read the book here, multiple times at that, I am also the only one who is focused in detail on the reality of our scenery."

"We have already told you we are grateful for your help, we could not have done this as well without you," said the boy named Quilty. He was the one who was a little kinder. "And yes, you can put more detail on Big Ben... but they want to rehearse with the set."

"Morgan..." a hushed voice slowly began from near the door to the workroom. She turned to the voice that belonged to Linda, who was in her costume for dress rehearsal. The directors had wanted everything to be mostly original and taken according in context to the book by Barrie, but he also wanted to catch he interest of young children who may be attending the show. Even though the text was all Barrie's, they were putting in influences from Disney. In Linda's case, it was slightly hinted at. Morgan had drifted between two sections, working with the crew on the stage, utilizing her artistic abilities and knowledge of Geography in the Edwardian era, for the parts that were shown in London and for parts of Neverland, she referenced images from all over Ireland, a few places in England especially the Lake District region, and a few islands that were considered some of the most mystical islands in existence. Neverland was magical, but she did not want to completely come up with something. She wanted to audience to feel that it was real and for that she thought it would be best to refer to places that were real. She walked in now and then on the costume department and they asked her about what would be best for certain costumes. Linda's costume had been chosen and modified carefully to her instruction, trying to also remember to keep some bit of the animated film in it. It was a long sheath of a garment, and very simple. It was a very gentle blue, and the bottom was almost without any embellishment, except for a lace accent at the hem. The chest of it had pleats carefully folded to be less revealing and it was lined with lace around the collar. The flutter sleeves were incredibly sheen and bounced lightly as she walked. There was a dark blue tie around the middle of the gown. Her hair had been curled elaborately and pulled up tight, and they swished as she spoke. She looked so much older in her costume, which was a little bit of a problem, so there was little eye makeup on her and a lot of red in her cheeks, to make her look childish. "Wilkes wants to know if the set is ready to practice with yet." Morgan rolled her eyes, annoyed that this question had been asked nearly every day for the past two weeks and preventing her from putting her full focus on the set.

"Fine, fine!" she agreed with reluctance. "You can take the entire set, but I still need to work on Big Ben and I'm finishing up the tree. I need to finish the dead mermaid on the front of the _Jolly Roger _ too!"

"As long as we can have most of it," Linda smiled.

"Can you help bring out the sets?"

"Yeah..." Morgan groaned and popped up to rush over to prop the elaborately painted walls and the large window onto wheels. Owen, Victoria, Quilty, Nicholas, Isaac, and Jo all propped up the finished scenery that was too big onto wheels and pushed them out very carefully through the doors. Evan was currently slashing and clanging away with the man who was Captain Hook, practicing the ending fight scene. Linda blushed as she looked at him, dressed in lime green rags and dark green leggings, ivy tangled around his torso. His emerald hat was currently tossed to the ground.

"Yes, finally!" Mr. Wilkes reveled as the finished sets were finally unveiled. "Those look fantastic! And the detail on them is remarkable! Are the backdrops finished too?" Morgan was finishing rolling out the mast that had been completely a week ago. She groaned and arched her back to get rid of the bit of exertion on her spine.

"As finished as is allowed," she said. "I'm almost finished with the tree, and the dead mermaid on the front of the _Jolly Roger_ needs a face. I want to add more detail to Big Ben too."

"Will it be ready by the time we open?" he asked his question posing a little bit of an unspoken threat in his tone.

"Yes, it will," Morgan sighed. "I haven't been staying late simply for fun."

"Linda!" he said. "Go get into your ending costume. I want to do the last scene." Unlike most productions, they were including when Wendy had grown up, and Morgan was not sure how she felt about that. In some ways she liked how Wendy had decided the real world was best but still held onto belief in Neverland and pirates and fairy tales and Peter. In other ways, she wished the ending would be left open so people could hope one day she fled London and stayed with Peter forever. She had seen the bare bones of nearly the whole play by this time, but never the ending. She was waiting til opening night to see it. Morgan skipped backstage and tugged on the flat piece of plywood and removed the paints to add detail to the dead mermaid's face. She hummed loudly to drown out the lines being spoken on stage for the final scene. A young girl growing up and being in love with a boy who didn't grow up and how that was the thing that distanced them til he was a bittersweet memory was a scene Morgan refused to think about til she couldn't help but see it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgan found herself satisfied at the very least with all of the sets she helped create and gave input on by the day of opening. Linda's parents had gone to the show early, reserving a whole row for them because it seemed as if everyone in Morgan's life had wanted to see this show and celebrate in Linda's success. Morgan was there with her parents, and Aubrey and her fiancee, Ryan. Peter as well (he was excited to see a show with his namesake), and Brad. Todd was gone that weekend at his girlfriend's, cramming for a project he had due on Monday. Surprisingly, the Bennetts had also wanted to come and Ms. Bennett drove herself and her children down to see it. Of course, Jack was also there. To avoid strange looks, he was holding her coat in his lap so those who could not see him thought Morgan was just saving a spot for someone.

"Did you really make the set for this play?" Sophie asked, from the other side of Jack.

"Yes," Morgan proudly said to her.

"Wait til you see it. I've only seen a little bit of it, but some of the stuff looks so real and beautiful," Jack said. Morgan blushed from his praise. She looped her arm in his and he instinctively laced his fingers within her, brushing his chilled fingers along the top of her hand. He looked over to her and smirked lovingly at her. Embarrassed at the fondness he was expressing upon her, she looked down at her lap and let her hair fall on her side to hide herself. Jack pushed aside her soft brown waves and pressed a kiss into the part of her lips.

"Mom, Jack's kissing Morgan again..." Sophie giggled. Jack ripped away from the girl on his arm and raised an eyebrow at the blonde girl next to him. He rubbed his kiss into Sophie's cheek who flinched at the cold wetness he left behind on her skin. Jamie laughed at her misery. "You made that sloppy on purpose!"

"What are you going to do about it?"

"That's gross." Jack touched his lips to her ear and spoke nearly silently to her. The smile on her face lit up her eyes and she pivoted in her seat. "Jamie, when are you going to kiss Pippa?!" A long groan from Jamie told Jack Sophie would be distracted for a few moments.

"What if the set doesn't work as well?" Morgan worried, fiddling her promise ring. When her mom had noticed it and gathered a guess on the incredibly high cost, she told her it was a gift from Jack. Of course, her mother was getting really bored of hearing how Jack was in her life and lately had become convinced and obsessed with the idea that Jack was a way of hiding a boy in her life at school, and for some reason she did not want her parents to know. With his other hand, he rested his palm on her hand, enclosing her hand in his grasp.

"Morgan." Jack kissed her fingertips sensually. "Whatever happens with the set, with the acting... I am proud of both you and Linda. You put a lot of work into something you maybe normally would never have done. I think you've succeeded no matter what happens." The lights darkened and a thunder of claps welcomed the director to the stage, who began announcements on everything done to capture the spirit of Peter Pan. The curtains drew back and the story started with the set designed as a nursery and a large window that was central on the stage.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was executed flawlessly. Linda had acted far beyond her highest ability and Evan's enthusiasm and pride as Peter made him appear a completely different person, and she no longer recognized him. It was strange to think about how all of the actors, not just Evan and Linda, had originally seemed like they would never be able to completely take on new personalities, but they did. Nobody seemed like themselves and Morgan found herself not focusing on the scenery to see if it looked real – the actors' made everything feel real just by what the did and how well they understood their fictional selves and each other. Occasionally there was a comment from someone in the crowd about how the scenery looked great and people could not believe the ornate detail on Big Ben and the _Jolly Roger_. Every time one of these comments was heard, Jack would give Morgan's hand a squeeze and she allowed herself to enjoy the surge of gladness. It was going so smoothly, and then there was the forbidden ending that Morgan had never dared see or hear rehearsed.

Linda, hair down and a robe wrapped around her, a quick costume change to indicate changing of the years, was sitting on a bed, a girl peeping her head out from beneath the covers. Linda stroked the girl's arm tenderly, smiling at her.

"That was a long time ago, sweetheart," she said to her. "Oh my, time does fly..."

"Does it fly like you did?" the girl asked innocently.

"Jane, sometimes I wonder if we ever die fly..."

"Yes you did. Why can't you fly now?"

"You forget when you get older," Linda told her sadly. She stood up and kissed the girl on her forehead.

"Do you think Peter will come tonight?"

"I don't know, Jane. But I hope he does. Oh, the adventures you would have!"

"I would like to have an adventure." She yawned and rolled over, indicating sleep. Linda, as Wendy, glided over to the fireplace and warmed her hands, crouching before it. A moment passed, and a shadow emerged through the open window. Evan, as Peter, stepped in, clothed in green and leaves. He spotted the girl sleeping and smiled.

"Hello, Peter," she greeted. He spun and smiled at her, holding out his hand.

"Hello, Wendy." He did not seem to notice any change in her.

"Where is John?"

"Not here anymore."

"And Michael's sleeping?"

"Michael is gone too."

"Then it is a new one!"

"Yes, it is..." Linda smiled carefully. Morgan tensed with the emotion the actor's were putting into it. She was afraid to let him know the situation, and he could not see it. She was always going to be a child and his innocence was blind. He did not understand the passage of time and how it was making their relationship difficult. Jack put his arm around her shoulders.

"Wendy, I have come for you!" He extended his hand again.

"I can't I have forgotten how to fly," sh apologized.

"I will teach you again!"

"Don't waste fairy dust on me." Linda rose then, and some recognition of change came over his face. He backed up til the bed post prevented him from moving more. Linda touched the key of a wall lamp.

"Don't turn on the light!" But she did and he collapsed under his hopeless fear. When she ran to hold him, he scurried away. Morgan bit her lip as it echoed in her broken heart.

"I am old, Peter. Ever so much more than twenty. I grew up long ago."

"But you promised!"

"I couldn't help it. I am married now."

"No you're not."

"That little girl is my child."

"No, she's not!" he yelled, struggling with the situation, and wept dramatically so the girl awoke.

"Boy, why are you crying?" He put a halt to his sobs and stood before her proudly, bowing low.

"I am Peter Pan."

"I know. I'm Jane. I have been waiting for you."

"I have come for my mother."

"He does so need a mother," Jane commented, a tone of asking and pleading in her voice.

"I know," Linda agreed, wiping at a tear.

"May I?"

"For spring cleaning..." Linda nodded. Evan bowed and politely took the girl's hand, helping her out of bed. He blew a glittery powder onto her and she held her arms out, giggling at a discovery. He took her hand and the two of them jumped to the window.

"I'll be back with stories of adventure!" the girl laughed. Linda nodded.

"Goodbye, Wendy," Peter said, and the two of them jumped out of the window. Linda ran to the window and leaned out of it, waving back at the two.

"Goodbye Peter!" she yelled before the curtains closed and the lights came on. An rapturous roar of applause brought the curtains back up again, and the cast all ran out to bow before the adoration. Morgan flicked away her stream of tears lest anyone see and when the curtains closed the final time, they streamed out the doors to meet with their cast and friends and family. Linda was at the front, nearly every single person stopping to tell her how wonderful she was. She was glowing with the brightest warmth Morgan had ever seen on her, and it filled her with joy to see Linda receiving such attention. Morgan pulled Jack along, jumping onto her friend with an attack of hugs.

"You were wonderful!" she yelled.

"Morgan... why are you crying?" she asked, the light reflecting against the leftover sheen on her face. Then she rolled her eyes. "I am going to be so sick of that phrase now."

"Your acting was just that powerful!" she told her truthfully, although her crying was more of a combination of the powerful acting and the reality she saw within the fiction. Jack shook Linda's hand and kissed her cheek.

"You were amazing," he said and she lowered her head in exuberant shyness.

"Evan, where did you go? All I saw was Peter..." Morgan told him. He shrugged and laughed. Her eyes dropped to his arm, his hand loosely hanging from Linda's fingertips. Morgan nudged Jack who took observation of their hand barely entwined. Morgan and Jack had a conversation with their eyes, wondering what was happening. Linda's parents came by to give her hugs and rake pictures, and the Bennetts also came by, enthusing about how amazing the show was. When the crowd was thinning out, the cast gathered together and Linda took her parents aside, pleading something of them. When it was clear they told her yes, she walked back over to Linda and hugged her tight.

"Linda, um, can I ask what's going on with you and... Evan?" she carefully worded.

"I don't know!" Linda laughed.

"And that makes you happy?" Jack asked, leaning against the row of lockers.

"Yes!" she smiled. When they both looked at her strangely, she went on to explain. "The cast is going to late dinner to celebrate, and Evan agreed to drive me and pay for me. But the last couple of weeks, when we've been rehearsing together, we've been talking a lot. I feel like... something's happening, but I'm not sure what it is, but it's good!"

"He was holding your hand..." Morgan said. She nodded happily.

"He's been doing that the last couple of days..."

"Well, good for you," Morgan smiled. "You deserve it."

"Are you coming to see it tomorrow?"

"I have to go and get alterations done on my bridesmaid dress," Morgan scoffed and Linda expressed sympathy. Morgan was excited that her sister was getting married, but what her mother called "fun chaos" was simply "chaotic preparation" and she couldn't wait til it was all over.

"Well, at least you and Jack can have the night together." She smirked suggestively. Morgan's eyes rolled and her and she lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"If you and Evan become a thing, I am going to make fun of you so much!"

"I welcome it," she laughed. With one more hug, she skipped off towards backstage to join the rest of the cast. Jack pulled Morgan towards him and nuzzled the side of her face.

"Is that our future?" she quietly said, addressing the ending of the play. "You keep coming for me and eventually I grow up, am forced to marry and have children and you and I grow farther and farther apart?"

"Morgan, _Peter Pan_ is just s fun story..." he sighed into her ear. Morgan ripped away from his arms. He looked at her with surprised confusion, a bit of worry lining his face. Her eyes were filled with instant rage, and he braced himself, recognizing the signs of when he was about to get scolded and possibly turn it into an argument.

"It's more than a story! How may times have people been telling me there's truth in fiction, that there's some real meaning?! I have never been able to see it! But for the first time, I have. And it scares me, Jack! There's a lot of truth in this! There's the truth of growing up, the truth of running away from responsibilities of life, the truth of uncertainties, the truth of fear, the truth of first love, the truth of true love, the truth of running away... God, Jack there's so much truth in it!"

"But there's also fiction, Morgan!" he argued, failing at trying to be calm. His hands extended towards her to take a hold of her fingers, but she ripped away from his touch. She continued to glower at him as he talked. He took a long breath through his nose and slowly spoke. "I understand the parallels and I understand that's why you like it so much. Things make sense, as far as you're the girl I stole away into this... magical world." Morgan fought a grin back. "And it's filled with fun and I can fly and can never grow up and I don't have a family and things exist that no one else never knew about... but that is not us. Peter and Wendy never truly realized their love for each other. It never blossomed the way it has with us."

"I'm still going to grow!" she cried, a few of the stragglers looking at her as she screamed at the lockers. Peter Kenter whispered to his mother who was looking embarrassed and concerned. She fidgeted and hid her fingers behind her back. "You can't and I will! I'm going to die!"

"Morgan..." Mrs. Kenter started, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. She slapped it away. Jack flinched at the sudden movement.

"No! It's not just a story! It could be our reality! I'm going to grow up and nobody can stop it. Our feelings may change."

"Mine won't..."

"How do you know? How do I know? I might change as I get older! I may decide this is not the life I want! And I don't want that to happen! What about you? What if I'm eighty and we're still together and you decide you don't want to be with someone old and you want someone young and beautiful."

"Morgan, you're always going to be beautiful..."

"You believe that now but what about in twenty years? Thirty? Seventy? Let's say we make it, what are you going to do?"

"I haven't really thought..."

"Don't tell me this is just a story! This is a real possibility and it terrifies me! How can you sit there and tell me it doesn't terrify you too?!"

"It does Morgan!" he screamed, but no one else could hear him. Mrs. Kenter tried to pull on Morgan's arm, her face nearly as white as Jack was. "Every day I think about our future and what it means for us, and I am scared, all right?! I live my life trying to keep fear away , from everyone, from me so Pitch doesn't come back but I can't shake it! If it concerns you, I am always going to be afraid! I don't want to lose the most precious thing in the world to me, but there are so many dangers in life that could hurt us! It's possible the story is more true than false... but I need to believe it's false, or else I will only keep building on my fear. I don't want to believe in Neverland but I know... it may be more real than not, and I don't like that. So I pretend it's not."

"I've never been very good at pretending..." Morgan whispered as her mother pulled her along. Jack followed the Kenters out of the school. "We can believe that we'll be together forever. We can believe we'll love each other no matter what. We can believe in fairies, for crying out loud. But we can never believe I am not going to grow up."

* * *

**Agh there is so much going on that I want to include and so many points I want to get to... it is so hard to make this story move at a steady pace. Oh well, it keeps me writing :) J M Barrie really did write another ending to the play, and I personally really like it, as sad as it is. it reveals so much, and I love that Disney included it in Return to Neverland, even though that film wasn't the greatest... but Jane really was her daughter's name too. it was originally performed with that ending and Barrie's book actually does have that ending, however it has since very rarely ever been performed with that ending. The 2003 film has a deleted scene of it, which is beautiful I think. I wanted to include it, not just because I love it, because it really gets at their fears and what could happen in the future if they don't make it. Because of the rarity of its performance, I actually could not find the script for it online, so I used the book content to adapt the ending to a shorter one. So the lines are pretty close, but probably not exactly to what the real script says.**


	68. This Will Pass

**I am very very very sorry.**

* * *

Things moved along as normal through the rest of the year. School returned to normal. Linda and Evan hung out between classes as they had none together since he was a sophomore, Linda and Morgan had lunch with Jack. Aubrey continued to get more stressed and Mrs. Kenter freaked out more about everything being perfect. Morgan just went along with the ride because the wedding stuff was a stress she did not need in her life. Evan and Linda were incredibly flirty with each other, but nobody ever seemed to want to do anything. Morgan was kicked out of class a couple of times for calling out the teacher on being wrong in her world history class and disrupting everyone because of it. Linda's grades in math were actually going up thanks to Evan. Jack was with Morgan four or five times a week. Morgan spent the last day of the semester in detention for slapping someone who disagreed with her in history (and then suffered the embarrassment of finding out she was, in fact, wrong because the history books liked to hide things.) Christmas picked up and that added on more stress, but with everything going on, by the time it was over, it was simply a thing that happened. There were things going on that winter, but everything seemed to be moving at a steady pace. By the time school picked up again, that was when everything decided to happen, and of course when things were happening, they always happened all at once.

Linda waltzed into the lunchroom, gracefully setting her lunch bag at an empty spot at the small table. She sighed wistfully and floated down into the seat. There was rogue coloring in Linda's cheeks, as well as parts of her face that had never before seen the healthy shade of happiness. With a grace that even made the flick of her wrist seem like art, She removed her plastic bags holding various parts of her lunch and chewed in a ladylike fashion, which was very un-Linda-like.

"Um... you're acting weird..." Jack said, reclining against Morgan.

"Life is beautiful," she giggled girlishly. "Everyone is wonderful."

"What happened?" Morgan demanded to know. She waggled her fork with bits of macaroni stuck to it. The jiggling of the macaroni made it look more suspicious than it was and she suddenly lost her appetite. She immediately set her fork down in disgust.

"Evan is wonderful."

"Yes, you've said that before. Now why are you suddenly Miss Happy?"

"It's hard to know..." she began, her voice airy and chipper. "I still don't know if we're officially together, but considering he just kissed me outside of history, I would say there's a safe bet it will happen soon, if not already."

"Say again," Jack responded, sitting up with his attention more on Linda than it had ever been.

"I know it's not the most romantic of kisses, and honestly I didn't expect my first kiss to be so short-"

"This means something!" Morgan cheered, shaking her friend excitably. "Linda, you need to talk to him and find out what it means!"

"I intend to... tonight. He's coming over to help me with my math again. I am actually understanding what he says and it's making math so much easier!"

"If you two are together, how is studying going to work?" Jack thought. "I can't imagine it would go over well. You're not going to be rolling around the floor shedding each other's clothes, are you?"

"Oh, Jackie, you know me better than that!" Linda cooed, batting her eyelashes. "Of course that's what's going to happen."

"Has Evan seen this hormonal side of you?" Morgan wondered, poking at the questionable roast beef.

"A little. I mean, I talk about how I act with you and he sees me act that way with you but I can't act that way with him. It's a little scary. It's like I don't want to end up in a conversation about sex with him."

"Interesting..." Jack said thoughtfully, and then decided maybe they should change the subject. "How's that driving class of yours been the past couple of days."

"Ugh, boring. I mean we're just going over the basics and what signs mean and all that, stuff I already know. I feel like I know everything but the actual behind the wheel part. Is Ms. Bennett still seeing that guy?"

"Yeah, they've been out a few times but she doesn't like to go out with him too often with her job and the kids and he seems to very understanding. Last I knew, she really seemed to be growing to like him, and she's not as fanatic or anxious about her dates going smoothly anymore."

"Linda, Aubrey said if you wanted to bring Evan as your date to the wedding, that's cool."

"I'll ask him tonight." A buzz warmed Morgan's leg, the brick in her pocket numbing her. She fished out her cell phone from her pocket, bewildered to find the Bennett's number calling her, which never happened hardly. Last time she had talked to them was directions to see the play. She swiped her finger across the screen and answered it, immediately sensing a tight atmosphere from the other end.

"Hello?" she said.

"Morgan, is Jack with you?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible if he's with us for a couple of days?" Her voice was incredibly solemn, but intact and calm. Morgan swallowed tightly, already knowing whatever news she had to share could only be bad.

"Well, I mean, yeah Jack can do whatever he wants he's not my servant or anything and you're his family I'm going to keep him, but Helen, what's going on? You don't sound right."

"Oh, sorry, I thought I was doing so well, um... I came home for lunch and found Abby dead. The kids don't know yet, they're still in school and I would like Jack to be here for a bit. He can go long before your sister's wedding."

"Well, that's over a week yet, it's okay. We're coming."

"No, no. I mean, you can come up if you want, but please not til you're out of school."

"It's fine, I'm coming." Morgan tapped at her phone to hang up and rose to take her tray over to the tray.

"Wait, what are we doing and why?" Jack asked, panic and grief on the tip of his tongue. His eyes, however, told Morgan he had some idea of what happened.

"Abby passed away. Jamie and Sophie don't know yet, they're still in school and Helen thinks you should be there. I'm coming with you."

"Morgan, you have school."

"They're your family and you're my boyfriend. More than. My... promised one. That practically makes them family. I am just going to leave. Fly me to my house, Jack, so I can pack."

"But, Morgan, your history class..."

"To hell with history." Linda clutched her lunchbag to her chest, as if there were some demon rising out her friend and she was attempting to guard herself. "The past doesn't matter right now. What matters is the here and now. Abby was a member of your family and I will be there. I won't be able to focus."

"Morgan, you can't just leave!" Linda panicked. "It's against the rules..."

"I'll just explain to them what happened tomorrow and if I tell them my friend had a death in their family and I was emotionally distraught, maybe I'll only get detention for a day."

"You're already in detention three days for slapping someone! You keep doing things like this, you're never going to get out of therapy!" Linda begged, taking her friend's arm. Morgan pulled away from her gently.

"As long as I have my mother and I am dating Jack, I am not getting out of therapy. So I'm going to be in therapy forever." Linda growled and slammed her head against the table, moaning in protest. Despite it all, Morgan knew she would understand and tapped her head. Jack led her to her locker where she collected her stuff and the snuck out of the school, flying back to her place. Morgan used the hidden spare key to get inside and started on packing her bag, throwing things in.

"Help me," she asked.

"Doing what...?"

"I've been at the Bennetts a few times, you know what I take with me."

"Like, what... you want me to go through your clothes or something... I don't know what you want..."

"I'm not a regular girl, Jack, clothes don't bother me. Especially now. Just grab some jeans and socks and shirts and sweaters and some bras and underwear."

"... you want me to go through your underwear drawer."

"I want to get out of here as quick as possible. They're just clothes, they won't give you magic powers or anything. Just grab something." Jack threw his hands up and began throwing some rather embarrassing articles of clothing into her bag, forcing himself to stop thinking of certain things as this was an inappropriate time. When Morgan said she had enough, she began to throw a few things for some leisure time and some toiletries she would need.

"I can't believe you just walked out like that. You've gotten into fights, disobeyed, and been disruptive, but that's new for you."

"There are things more important than history." Jack watched her carefully as she packed, eying her as if she were a brand new discovery in the world and he was the first to ever see her.

"It is really hard to not just start making out with you right now." he said. "But it's not an appropriate time." Morgan ripped the zipper shut and Jack took it in his arms. This time they went through the front door so she could lock it this time. Morgan rapidly touched the screen of her phone, typing to her mother "Bennetts dog died. I am going over there to console them." Jack lifted her onto his back with ease and they started towards the sky. Morgan;s back pocket buzzed strangely into her backside. "Right now?!" was her mother's reply. Mother typed back "Yes." "You better not leave that damn school, missy." "Too late!" She ignored the last incredibly furious text from her while they rushed through the air madly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When they arrived, Ms. Bennett was sitting at the table, clutching a wad of tissues, all wet from the tears she had been shedding since getting off the phone. The minute she saw Jack come throw the door, she launched herself to him and he nearly lifted her off the ground with the force of his hug. He guided her back to the chair and Morgan started to kettle to get some tea going, using tradition as her preferred method of dealing with grief.

"Kids will be home soon..." she said, sniffling away. Jack pulled a chair beside her and kept his arms around the woman.

"Where is she?"

"Upstairs, in my room... I... I wrapped her up in a blanket in her dog bed. I think at their age, especially Sophie, cremation would freak them out a little so I am going to bury her and ask if they want to be there. I am glad she's out of her pain though. It has been bothering for so long."

"She was a really good dog." Jack reversed the roles between, patting her hair down as she wept into his sleeve. Morgan set tea down in front of them, sitting in an empty chair.

"We're had her since Jamie was really little... since before Sophie was born."

"I know..." Outside, a bus exhaled to announce the arrival of the kids. Ms. Bennett sat up and straightened her clothes. She took another tissue and wiped away her grief, trying to put on a brave front. Jack held her hand tightly and she waited for her kids to run through the door. They laughed an pushed at each other, telling jokes and teasing each other. Jack's heart shook fearfully, and there was a pounding against it with the doubt of it being a good idea to tell them now, when they were so happy. But the look on their faces, and the fact that Morgan was there and she did not get down there for just anything, told them play time was over and there was something very very wrong.

"Mom? What's going on..." Jamie slowly asked. Sophie bit her nails.

"Sweetheart. Jamie, Soph... listen to me. Um... Abby is... she's gone and left us. She's no longer here..."

"Abby's dead?!" Jamie screamed, and Sophie began to wail. Jack rushed to the young girl who welcomed his embrace and slammed her face into his chest. He pulled her onto his lap and ran his hand down her back, her screams and cries growing quieter but nowhere near less emotional as she sat in his lap. Jamie kept his lips tight, and the edging of his eye was wet, but he refused to cry, being thirteen.

"Listen to me... we're going to bury her, all right? Would you like to come and say goodbye?" Sophie nodded, her emotion preventing her from speaking. Jack slowly rocked her I the chair. Jamie showed very little emotion. He stared at the floor below his feet and nodded, but continued to remain stoic and silent.

"Let's do it now and get it over with," Ms. Bennett said. No words, no motions of agreement. They simply did as their mother did, followed her actions and relied on her to know best. She carried the limp body to the car and they drove to an area in the woods, where it was beautiful and open, and where Abby would have loved to run around and ply. Jack's heavy grief was making the snow fall in large clumps. He tried to stomp it so it would be easier for Ms. Bennett to dig the hole, but his sorrow kept winning out, and the weather changed according to his emotions. Ms. Bennett dug and Jack held Sophie. Morgan had her arms around Jamie and all anyone could do was stare. Together, they carefully lowered the body into the ground, surprised to find she was heavier than she looked. They covered the hole and rested a branch of pine tree on the dirt mound, since it was the middle of winter and there were no flowers available. Ms. Bennett retrieved her small bag and passed around candles, lighting them all with a match.

"I love you Abby," Sophie sniffled, running her nose against Jack's sleeve.

"You were the silliest, goofiest, most annoying, greatest dog ever," Jamie said, and finally let a few tears to fall.

"It was fun watching you bark at my snowballs," Jack said.

"You got me through some of the hardest parts of my life," Ms. Bennett said, touching the mound.

"You were very important to this family," Morgan said. "I didn't know you... but you must have been pretty amazing to be loved so much." Ms. Bennett reached into her bag and pulled out a couple of small planks, a hammer, and some nails. She created a simple cross from the tools and used a permanent marker to write "Abby Bennett – Beloved Dog" on it and with Jack's help, she stuck it at the head of the moment. A short moment of silence exited them from the grave and they drove on back to the house. Sophie was the only one really in tears anymore, but the weight of the death of their beloved dog was infecting the car and hung around them like poison.

At home, Ms. Bennett fixed soup for them, something simple and filling so they would just be doing something. But it didn't distract them. They ate, because when you're grieving, that seems like the thing to do, but no one really had an appetite. Eventually, Sophie asked to be excused, and then Jamie. A few more bites of her soup, and Ms. Bennett went into the living room to check on the children. Not wanting to leave them alone, Jack and Morgan went with her. On the couch, Jamie was relaxing, his legs stretched out and sitting upright against the arm. A dried stream trailed from his eyes and Sophie was laying across him, his arms holding her close. She also had the same dried trail of tears on her face, but they stopped when they had fallen asleep. While he slept, Jamie seemed to tighten his grasp on his sister, protecting her from the unfairness of the world as much as possible. Ms. Bennett smiled at the rare sight, a fresh flow of moisture beginning from her eyes. She touched the face of her children and then let a single tear fall to the floor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jack," Morgan said.

"Hmm..." he said, from his state of half-sleeping. Nobody wanted too be alone that night, so everyone was camping in the living room. Ms. Bennett and Sophie were huddled in one sleeping bag on the other side of the room, Jamie was asleep on the couch, and Morgan and Jack had snuggled into another together. What happened with them was sobering to her. She had never experienced any real kind of grief in her life and had only attended a funeral once, when she was four, and she wasn't quite sure what was happening. This was different. It was foreign and uninviting. She thought of the scenarios yet to happen in her life when she may have to deal with this kind of feeling – and for the first time she was really, properly scared. Seeing the animal being lowered into the grave gave her this heavy feeling, and nothing could compare to it. She felt he heart was pushed into itself and there was an itch to her eyes like something was trying to be released. She could not get herself to think of anything happy. Every thought came into her mind was negative and Morgan did not understand how anyone could move past this. At the same time there was a tug within her to do nothing but guard this family from everything and remove every bit of sadness from their minds. But that was not possible.

"Is it like this, always?"

"It can be so much worse," he answered. Morgan gulped, the pressure of grief making her swallowing feel so rough.

"Why do we have to get old?"

"Morgan, I'm a Guardian, not a deity," he snapped.

"I'm sorry... I just..."

"No, it's okay... I'm a little on edge is all."

"It's so unfair. The older I get, the more confusing life is. I never used to question things. They were just always as they were, Because that was how life was. I don't like being confused, and I don't like dying. I don't want anyone to die."

"Oh, Morgan, all the messes that thought has put people through..." he lamented. "I died, but that doesn't mean I have all the answers to life. That's one of those things no one person has an answer on. Each religion, or lack of, has a different answer to that question. I was raised in a Christian community and I was taught that we die because of the fall of man, but I just don't know. There was never anything in the Bible that told about the afterlife protecting children."

"I don't even know if I believe in anything... and maybe that's one of the reasons I'm so confused. I just wish there was no pain. I know we need an opposite emotion for everything we feel to truly appreciate them, but it seems so hard to deal with." Jack shifted his arms around Morgan. "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"

"Of course, of course, you know that. I promise," he said, his finger tracing her lips. "You're always going to be young and beautiful to me."

"Would you love anyone after me?"

"Morgan, I don't want to talk about it..."

"We have to. I mean... Abby's death, and the play... doesn't it feel like everything is coming together to tell us something... we need to be aware of all of this and... talk about this." Jack sighed and his arms left her torso. He turned and put his hands beneath his head so he was looking at the ceiling.

"I'm going to stay the same. You're going to get older. I'm immortal. You're going to die. We shouldn't be together." Morgan's chest tightened. "But we are, and I don't know if I could ever love anyone else the way I love you. For starters, that would require someone to see me who isn't a child. And then there's the matter of allowing myself to fall in love again. I don't know if I could do that after you leave. Quite honestly, I have thought about going with you..." Morgan sat up to begin a lengthy speech. He pressed a finger to her lips. "I'm not, okay? I don't even know how I would, I'm a Guardian, it's not like I'm technically alive. Not only that, it;s unfair to the children. I need to bring fun for them, and I need to protect them. I know you would want me to do that. But it would be a very long and painful eternity. I still intend to do as I promised. Someday, when you're ready, I'll whisk you away to that house the Yetis are working on for us."

"They're really doing that?"

"After a long argument with North about needing to think about it, about maybe you won't even want to be with me anymore, yes. He agreed to do it. Things like the plumbing and the heat and are going to be tricky, but they're working on it. A simple house, with a living room and a kitchen and four bedrooms, so we can have people visit, like Linda and my family and yours... if they ever believe in me. Of course, one will be ours. Two bathrooms... Just something simple for us to live in. But one day, I will take you away and we will stay there all year long. I need to do my duties of course."

"And I'll go with you because I want to see the world."

"We'll stop by and see your home sometimes. It will be great, Morgan, I promise... and maybe... if you want... I guess we could adopt." Morgan thought about that and smiled.

"Older children?" she asked. "At this point... I'm not sure how I feel about really little kids. That's Linda's department, but Sophie's okay. I guess from six, they're okay. Plus, the older children are the ones no one wants. We could find some children who really suffer and need parents... and home school them." Jack ran his lips against Morgan's own, returning his embrace to her middle once again.

"I like that idea very much."

"I want to finish school first," she told him.

"Done."

"And I would like to graduate from college."

"I'll wait."

"You're sure you're okay with waiting til I'm in my twenties for this?"

"Morgan, even if I needed to wait until you were 100, I am determined to turn this thing..." He took her hand with the promise ring and held it in front of her face. "Into a wedding ring... even if it's really unorthodox." Morgan kissed him on the tip of his nose.

"Good," she said, resting her head against his chest again. "I promise it won't be a hundred. Maybe 25 or something like that."

"Ten years isn't long when you've been around for a few centuries," he teased, lightly tossing her hair. "Morgan... I know this upset you... and someday..."

"I will die," she finished bluntly, never once opening her eyes.

"Yes... but I promise, you and I will live more than most people do. We will live more than I have in 300 years, and love more."

"I guess that's okay then..."

"I would rather you live with me and die then to have never met you." But Morgan had fallen asleep. He wondered if maybe she didn't hear him, and then decided it didn't matter if she heard or not. She always had a knack for seeing what no one else could see, and spotting the real truth, and if that knack worked the way it always had, she already knew.

* * *

**It's possible I put in a certain line to share my excitement about the upcoming Great Gatsby movie**

**I tried to sandwich this between some pretty kind of happy things because I know some people have been bracing themselves for it. And it was a very hard chapter for me to write. Between 2009 and 2012, my family and friends were hit with so many deaths and some of them are still fresh in my mind. Thankfully, things seem to be changing as so many of my friends and family are getting married and/or having children, but there are times I still suffering from intense grief. So I want you to know I write this, knowing that there are people out there suffering from terrible grief. Even if it's someone like a goldfish, it is the heaviest of burdens and I hope I did not trigger anything. I am very sorry to those of you who have lost and I want you to know that I am here to talk, if you so need to. I love you guys. I want to write a third chapter tonight to sort of atone for my sad chapter, but it is hard to sit an appropriate position to type for a long time so I may not get a chapter up. I love you guys, thanks so much for your attention :) I'll be seeing you soon.**


	69. Chaotic Preparations

**I do apologize for the very boring chapter... I will redeem it later when I come back from work**

* * *

"Out of all the stupid things to do at the stupidest times-"

"Mom, I said I was sorry!" Morgan yelled. Mrs. Kenter glared a warning at her daughter.

"You do not interrupt me!" she seethed. "We have things to take care of before your sister gets married! We can't be dealing with this right now!"

"Mom, it's okay," Aubrey started.

"No, Aubrey, it's not! Your sister needs a little bit of discipline! I am sick of this!"

"Mom, she was trying to help out a friend..." Aubrey quietly added, a little timid in coming to Morgan's defense.

"No, this is just one thing on top of other things! You don't take school seriously-"

"I take school very seriously! I do my homework on time all the time, I pay attention in class-"

"You take history seriously! A little too seriously! If someone argues with you, you get into a fight, over a _school topic_! That is absolutely no need to fight over something so trivial!"

"That's not why I'm fighting! They call me stupid and weird and crazy!"

"Well, maybe you should stop acting so crazy!" Morgan gasped and Aubrey raised her hand in front of her mouth. Mrs. Kenter let her chin drop regrettably and the angry lines on her faces faded with her rage. A new emotion of guilt took over her and her eyes widened at her shock of saying what she said. "I didn't mean that, Morgan. You got to believe me, I didn't."

"Morgan, isn't crazy, Mom. She just sees the world differently. She acts differently. When she was young, you used to embrace her individuality," Aubrey calmly replied.

"I love that you're different, Morgan." Morgan stayed very still, looking up at her mother while she listened obediently. Her only movement was the flutter of her eyelashes while she spoke. "I really do... but sometimes you're difficult. Aubrey was... well... easy."

"I'm not Aubrey, Mom," she murmured. The young bride to be rolled her eyes at her mother's response.

"Ugh, for crying out loud Mom!" she finally said. "I wasn't easy, I was just too afraid to do anything but everything you told me to do. I'm like every other girl who likes clothes and shoes and make-up, but that only makes me look like everyone else. If you only knew half of the things that I did in college..."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Mrs. Kenter shouted, suddenly flipping the conversation to her older daughter.

"It means that I admire Morgan for speaking her mind and doing what she believes. You're being really harsh."

"Are you saying it's okay for her to fight and skip school?!"

"Not at all, of course not, but you're being too harsh. She only gets into a fight or two a year and they're nowhere near as bad as they used to be. She _slapped_ someone, mom. She didn't beat on them til they bled, but it's not like the other kids are right either. They tease her about her obsession with history and her strong beliefs in all of those childhood characters, and especially this Jack character... which I admit, I think is a bit... different." Morgan looked at the ground, a little ashamed that her sister believed she may be a bit strange. "But why does that make her crazy?"

"She's on medication and in therapy, Aubrey," Mrs. Kenter enunciated, trying to get a point across.

"So is half the world. Maybe you should look into that too, mother." Mrs. Kenter gasped at the accusation and was so drawn aback from her comment that her mouth twitched to search for words but nothing came. Morgan smiled proudly at her sister, who rose from her chair and flung an arm around her. "She believes in things that no one believes in exist. Claims she sees them. That doesn't mean they're not true in her eyes. Mom, the wedding will be fine. Dad talked to the school and explained to them she left because there was a death in her friend's family and they softened the punishment. She's only been suspended on Monday. It will be fine. And Morgan has promised no more incidents for the rest of the year." Aubrey glanced down at her sister, an encouraging glare to try and influence her. Morgan nodded. "She knows what she did wrong, so now we're getting past this."

"Okay, fine, I may have... overreacted..." Mrs. Kenter sighed, breathing evenly now. "But how did you get to their place, and so fast?"

"I flew," Morgan answered honestly. Aubrey chuckled at what she thought was a joke.

"Morgan, I don't get you..." Mrs. Kenter groaned. "All of the stuff you do, and all of these secrets, what's the point? I mean, we still have no idea where that ring came from..." Morgan hid her hand behind her back to block the glimmer of the snowflake from her mother's view.

"I told you, it's from Jack."

"Honey, you need to realize that Jack is a fictional character."

"He's not," she snapped. "He's real and I love him and someday we're going to get married."

"Aubrey, are there going to be boys there Morgan's age that aren't related to any of us?"

"A few..." she answered carefully.

"Maybe she'll get a real boyfriend for once." Morgan had heard enough. She stomped away from the kitchen and refused to hear the rest of the conversation, which quickly escalated into a yelling fit between her mom and her sister. She slammed her bedroom door behind her and then stalked over to her bed, falling into her bed covers. If weddings made her family this nuts, she was glad that they would never believe in a wedding to an invisible boy.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

All of the packed tension everyone was feeling was finally being released the day Aubrey was to be married. Never had Morgan ever seen so much drama and panic coming from a few women in her life. Cynthia, Aubrey's best friend since fourth grade, was more maniacal than anyone, constantly fretting over small details and having an explosion of fits when nothing was right. Bridgette was a little more cool, constantly reminding them no matter what happened there was still going to be a wedding and everything would work out fine. Morgan liked her attitude, but she got a little testy about people being... well, testy, and that was a little annoying. She sat back, watching everything play out and just going a long with everything until it was all over. At the salon, she leaned back and listen to the audiobook on Charlemagne as the women curled and piled her hair on top of her head, letting a few of the front curls fall down in front of her face. She remained quiet while she had ten pounds of white and pink eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara plastered all over her face and simply allowed another two pounds of blush to be put on her. Her mother claimed she looked like she was twenty and beautiful. Morgan thought she looked like a hooker, but refused to say anything. For Aubrey, she decided she could just go along that one day.

The only time she had to herself was after Aubrey had slipped on her wedding gown. She thought it was a little ostentatious, but Aubrey was the one who wanted a fairytale wedding. The gown was strapless, the bodice covered in tiny jewels, while the skirt was incredibly full with tulle ruffles and glittering embroidery of flowers an ferns stitched between the ruffles. At the waist, a small tulle bow was held down with a jeweled flower. It looked gorgeous on Aubrey, however Morgan gagged on the thought of wearing something that reflected something as unrealistic as Cinderella. While her mother and friends cried over her beauty, they urged her to go out into the hall to take pictures. Morgan opted to stay behind, having been the last to get into her dress. When the door to the girls' room was shut, she finally breathed. For a moment, she rest in the small armchair in the corner of the room, enjoying he lack of chaos and whining. A tap on the window startled her into frustration, and she stomped over to it to allow Jack inside.

"I saw everyone go outside and I figured it might be safe to come in," he said. "Aubrey looks very pretty."

"Thanks, I'll tell her you said that even though she doesn't believe in you," Morgan groaned. Jack frowned as she huffed with an incredibly amount of sharpness. She dragged her feet over to a small box on the table and opened it, sifting through the pieces of jewelry. He sat beside her and squinted at her face.

"Yes, I am wearing gobs of make-up, yes you can laugh..." she said, fastening a drop earring to her ear. "Give me comments."

"Well, it's not you, I can say that," he said.

"Oh, you think?" she sighed. "Nothing is me today. Not my hair, not my make-up, not my dress, not my jewelry."

"Speaking of which, I'm surprised you're not dressed," he said. "Aren't they going to have a panic attack that you're still in your jeans?"

"I'm trying to avoid wearing it as long as possible... but I suppose." She finished with her earrings and matching drop necklace and shooed Jack out of the door. He pretended to look very hurt but she laughed and shoved him out of the door, locking it in case he got any ideas. The bridesmaid dresses were an ocean blue, heart shaped with a ruched front, and the cloth was gathered by jeweled beads at the side of the waist, and trailed up into the chest. It was simple, elegant, and incredibly modern which meant Morgan was not a fan. She reached behind her to pull the zipper up and scoffed at her incapability once it reached that certain part of the back no one can ever reach. She opened the door to a pacing Jack and gestured towards him to enter. His eyes popped at the way she was dressed and for a second, he could not remember which foot to move first to walk. He couldn't respond properly, and instead he just made sounds that sounded as if they belonged to some sort of animal. He did enter the room and he stared at the floor when she turned around to expose the flesh on her back.

"Stop getting embarrassed," she said. "I have no time for this." He walked towards her hesitation and cursed at himself for getting so worked up over seeing her bareback, finishing the zip. She spun back around and modeled for him. "Well, come on, what do you think?"

"Considering you are unhappy about everything you're wearing, would you hate me if I said I think you look amazing?" Morgan smirked, her smile extending into the red of her cheek.

"I guess not," she said sheepishly.

"I do have something else to add though." He took her by her waist and brushed the spring of hair from her face. "I feel very uncomfortable and almost sad that you look like a fully grown adult."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgan could not be more thankful for the commencement of the ceremony. By the time everyone was in position and the procession began, everything they had been pouring their stress and anxiety into was coming together, which meant she felt she could finally relax. Never in her life had she become so emotional over things that were sappy, but there was something about the way in which Ryan and Aubrey exchanged their words of the deepest promise and the genuine beauty of what they were feeling. She could not remember the last time she had been so proud and so happy for her sister, and in that moment she decided she was okay with her leaving to California. If it meant true happiness for her and that she was following what her heart was telling her, she was okay with Aubrey starting a new life. It was okay that she would be many miles from her. Morgan was surprised to find herself crying a few tears and tapped them away as gently as she could, She watched the two of, Aubrey crying and Ryan's voice cracking as they finally made the ultimate promise, and wondered if her own wedding would be like this. She would never be able to have the room full of 400 people, because there would never be that many people who believed in Jack, but there would be a few. Her whole family would not be attendance, except maybe Brad who still believed, and all of the Guardians, and Linda, but she hoped it would be as equally beautiful. She wanted a little bit of the pomp and circumstance, wanted a little bit of the décor, but she hoped the words she and Jack exchanged would be as true as those that her sister and Ryan were sharing. A glance over at Jack who was watching from the corner told her he was deep in thought about something too, and then her thoughts were broken when the congregation applauded the first kiss the two shared as a married couple. There was a rise of exultation in Morgan and she wanted to celebrate in everything that happened, which was hard to believe considering a couple hours before all she wanted to do was throw everything out the window and just walk out on everyone. She skipped on down the aisle and Jack pulled her aside to tell her he would see her later at the dance, taking a kiss with him. She watched him fly off, a tear glistening in her eye. The days til she and Jack could share the same day seemed so far away, but if their union was beautiful as Aubrey and Ryan's was, she knew that every day leading up to it would be worth the wait.

* * *

**Much of this is based on my own sister's wedding and the feelings I had. I hated everything leading up to it and my sister was a complete Bridezilla so everything was so much worse, but the actual day of, I was really happy for her and couldn't wait til I could share the same thing with my fiancee. So it was boring, but there's a lot of true feelings in it. **


	70. Big Promises

**I intended this to be a little fluffier than it was, but it's still pretty sweet. Things are all happy fun time in here :)**

* * *

"I see no happy face. Why is there a lack of happy face? Show me happy face," Linda demanded, invading her friend's personal space by purposely sitting way too close to her. She tilted her head so her face was dangerously close to her, and Morgan rolled her eyes at Linda's strangeness.

"I'm happy," Morgan said unconvincingly. Aubrey was hanging on her new husband's arm, smiling and laughing with the DJ behind his booth that was framed in colorful lights. The bar already had five people ordering drinks, but most people were sitting at the tables, rounded with blue tablecloths and small vases with several blue and yellow flowers in them.

"Then stop with the mopey face, Morgs," Linda said. She looked up to Evan, who was dressed in nice black dress shirt and a pair of black slacks. Morgan took a moment to admire the way he had cleaned up, his russet hair combed over gently and a freshly shaven face. Seeing him this way, she did find him to be a little more attractive than his every day look. He handed Linda a soft drink and then took her hand in his lap when he sat beside her. Fondly, she smiled at his action, still not used to having a guy near her like this. "The stress in your house is finally going to go down drastically, and your sister is happily married. I mean sure, it sucks she's going to be in California. But look at her! She is gorgeous, okay, and her smile makes her even hotter. And Ryan is the one that's doing that. Also, this is a day of happiness. And you, by the way, has Jack told you you look sexy yet?"

"Not in so many words."

"Where is he, anyway?"

"Are we going to finally see this mysterious boyfriend of yours?" Evan asked with a chuckle. "Honestly, I hear you two talk about him all the time but I never see him."

"It's complicated, let's just say that," Morgan sighed. "And no, he's not here yet."

"What's he doing?"

"Adjusting the weather so Aubrey and Ryan can drive safely tonight."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Linda cooed. The DJ announced for everyone to be quiet and sit down while Aubrey and her father danced together to some tune from the seventies they listened together a lot. It was a mellow song, not sad, but was bittersweet enough for Mr. Kenter to tear up and clench his daughter's waist tightly as if he were afraid of her leaving him forever. Morgan tightened her fingers, an anxiety pushing at her knowledge that she would never be able to have anything like that with her father. She looked away until the song was over and then Ryan approached the dance floor with his mother, playing what was quite possibly the saddest song Morgan had ever heard about letting go.

"When I get married, I don't want want them to play a sad song when I dance with my father," Linda said. "I want them to play only happy music. I don't want to be be blubbering and crying because I don't want to leave my parents."

"I'm not going to be dancing with my father on my wedding day," Morgan said.

"Seriously, Morgan? You hate dancing that much you won't have one dance with your father on your wedding day?"

"My wedding is going to be incredibly small," she said.

"You're not even inviting your parents?" Evan questioned from Linda's side.

"They wouldn't come," Morgan said. "Let's just say... they don't approve of Jack."

"Hang on, though, you're fifteen, how do you even know you're going to marry him?"

"They've known each other since she was nine," Linda said. "And they've been dating for... two years now?"

"Okay, but there's still a lot that could happen before then. You can't even get married until you're eighteen here."

"Trust me, we're going to be together forever," Morgan said to him with a strict firmness.

"Don't you think you're being a little unrealistic?" Linda guffawed at Evan's comment, her hand holding her stomach to dull the pain she was giving herself. Evan put both hands on her shoulders, keeping her from falling. He smirked through his confusion, not understanding what was so funny.

"Morgs... unrealistic... That is the... I have never heard her... described that way... ever. That's funny, Evan. Really funny." Their dance finished and the DJ began to speak once more. One of the guests was unwrapping a pack of cigarettes and slipped outside. As the door opened, a boy in a frosted blue sweatshirt snuck in, flying across the room to where he spotted Morgan sitting.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hi, Morgan smiled at him, tilting her head to prepare for a kiss on the cheek.

"Who's she talking to?" Evan asked.

"Why don't we get a better view of Aubrey and Ryan dancing...?"

"But there's nobody there...?"

"_Let's go Evan_..." Her snarl scared him enough that he shot from his seat and pulled Linda along, who was winking at the two of them.

"Linda hasn't told him about me?" Jack asked.

"She's told him, and I said I was okay with her saying something, but she refuses to say who you are," Morgan explained. "As far as Evan is concerned, you're a secret boyfriend I am ashamed to bring anywhere. She's concerned he'll think I'm a little crazy, but honestly... I'm not so sure about that. I think Evan would believe more than most."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because he believes in things like ghosts and aliens and psychics and if you told him there was a spirit in the room right now, he would probably believe it."

"Really? He doesn't seem the type." Aubrey and Ryan glided towards the dance floor. The blissful couple pressed against each other and a romantic tune began to play. They stared at each other, smiling in a way Morgan had never before seen them do, especially Aubrey. They waltzed along the floor, Aubrey resting her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Well, he doesn't believe that easily. He doesn't hear a door slam or see a face in the window and automatically think it's a ghost. He looks for an explanation. But he swears he's seen a couple. Linda is just being overprotective of me again, especially since it's her first boyfriend."

"Are they an actual couple now?"

"Yeah, but they actually haven't been out on a date yet, which is weird, but they have plans for next weekend. Which means it's just me and you, all weekend," Morgan casually said. Jack pursed his lips seriously, and then arched his brow, so one was higher than the other.

"I have a few ideas..."

"You are such a perv sometimes," she scoffed, slapping him in the arm, and then slinking into his embrace.

"Are we going to dance?"

"No."

"Why not?! What's the point in me even being here anyway?"

"So I'm not bored."

"If you danced, you wouldn't be bored. Come on, as soon as they let everyone dance..."

"No, Jack. There's way too many people here, and you're invisible."

"Honestly, Morgan? You're going to deny me this? You obviously have no idea what this dress is doing for you right now?" He let his eyes travel downwards and then snapped them back up. Morgan lowered her eyes, grabbed Linda's jacket from the seat beside her and threw it on her shoulders, angrily zipping it to her neck. He hung his head and moaned painfully.

"You're really mean sometimes."

"Only when you are. I may be truthful to the point where it's rude and possibly detrimental to me, but I'm caring a little about what people think of me right now. I'm already labeled as a mental case and I would like to not progress that.

"What if we danced with Linda and Evan a little bit? People would think you were dancing with them," he informed. "And later on, when most of the people here have had a few drinks in them, there will be so much chaos and people will be drunk, we can dance." Morgan let her shoulder drop and lolled her head to the side to give him an exasperated look. She knew she was not going to win this argument this time.

"Also I want to see you do the Hokey Pokey."

"I am not doing the Hokey Pokey."

"The Macarena?"

"You do the Macarena."

"It isn't fun when nobody can see you."

"That's exactly why I am not doing it."

"Electric Slide then."

"I don't know the Electric Slide."

"I thought you didn't tell lies."

"I don't."

"Isn't that like a rite of passage you need to learn in Junior high?"

"I didn't do a lot of things you're supposed to do in school."

"Okay, Cha Cha Slide. And if you tell me you don't know that one, you're totally lying because the song literally tells you what to do."

"Do you know every single song they play at weddings?"

"I've been around," Jack teased, nuzzling her. "I might enjoy attending some, even before I met you, because I thought they were the greatest display of love and I never thought I could have that, so I enjoyed watching other people's happiness. Unfortunately, a few years later, I watched some of them fall apart due to Cupid's ignorance."

"You do know that Cupid doesn't control EVERY aspect of love right? Sometimes people's hearts change, sometimes they were never meant to be, sometimes their love wasn't true, sometimes they were just stupid..."

"But he doesn't even try," Jack said. "You know those couples that argue a few times and decide they would rather separate than fix it? That's what gets to me. He doesn't try to help and remind them why they fell in love in the first place, he doesn't encourage them to try and fix it. But the ones who have been fighting for a few years, go to counseling, try everything to rekindle and things just aren't working... that is where I know nothing Cupid does will fix it. It's the first situation that gets at me." Morgan watched the new couple spin around one last time with a dramatic flair at the end of the song, and Aubrey was dipped in a passionate kiss that was met with enthusiastic applause. She politely clapped for her sister.

"Jack, I want you to do something... I know this isn't your department... but... please keep an eye on my sister. And if there's something... happening with her and Ryan... bug Cupid about it to do as much as he can. I know that's really selfish, because there are other couples out there too, but... I don't know if I could handle it if the happiness she has now... was just ruined." Jack rubbed his lips against her knuckles tenderly.

"Of course." The crowd was beginning to gather as the main music started. He jerked on her arm and ran out to the floor, meeting with Evan and Linda on the floor. Morgan squealed in protest, but she smiled through her complaints.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A couple of hours and the majority of the adults were very much intoxicated. A few more upbeat songs spent dancing with Linda and Evan, and Morgan was less self conscious about being seen dancing by herself. She hoped those of her family that weren't so inebriated either didn't care, thought she was just being silly, or were too busy enjoying the festivities to notice. By the time Jack had her in his arms on the floor, all of her fears dissipated and she surprised herself on discovering she really did not care what other people thought. Her observation told her hardly anyone noticed, but if someone did, she was okay with it. Linda would probably come up with something since she could not be expected to lie, and her mother seemed a little calm and very happy in her drunkenness.

"I take it back, dancing is not that bad," Morgan admitted, placing her head on Jack's shoulder. He chuckled so lowly the skin on Morgan's back rippled with feverish anticipation.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

"Even though I look like a hooker?"

"Not so much now... I mean... you never did... I mean, it was a little much but... you looked fine... it wasn't normal but..."

"Shut up," she giggled and pulled on his lips with her own set. He squeezed her waist into his body while they slowly moved across the sick floor, the lovers around them preventing the others from seeing the interesting act Morgan was apparently doing by herself.

"Most of it's gone," he continued, a little flustered from what he said before. "You're more beautiful now than you were earlier, because I can see more of yourself. I mean, your hair looks good that way, and that dress does... things to your, erm... body."

"And to yours apparently," she laughed.

"Well, if you want to get out of it right now by all means..."

"No." Morgan looked around the couples dancing around them, her eyes falling on Linda and Evan. Her eyes were shut, but there was a subtle trace of content playing on her lips. Evan's fingers were firmly gripping her in a way that let Morgan know he was serious about being with her. He pushed his forehead against hers and then leaned down to give her a gentle peck upon her lips. There was a different kind of presence to Linda that changed her, and it was all because of Evan. She seemed more confident and Morgan could not remember the last time she spoke so badly about herself. Whatever change was happening in her personality, it made her even more beautiful and Morgan felt her spirit float warmly to her throat with pride and absolute elation for her friend. So long, she had been seeking for what Morgan had, and now she was finally getting her own chance.

Her gaze went over to Aubrey, who had taken a rest from dancing and was seated with Ryan and leaning on him lovingly. She looked as if she had a few, but definitely nowhere near as much as may of the other people in the ballroom. Her face was a mixture of a warm glow and a healthy pink, which had been present for most of the evening. Someone was talking animatedly with them, someone Morgan didn't know, and they were laughing together, their movements seeming to play over each other. Every once in a while, Ryan would look over at her and their eyes would catch. They were overjoyed to be where they were and there was not a doubt in Morgan's mind that they were meant to be together.

"I'm really happy for your sister," Jack responded, following the path Morgan's eyes were taking. "And Ryan seems to treat her well."

"He does, and he better keep doing so."

"What are you thinking?" His voice was so low Morgan had to strain to understand him.

"I want that," she confessed. "I want this. All of this. I didn't think I did. I thought a simple ceremony with North declaring us a united couple with a few witnesses was enough, but I want this. The white dress, the dance, the cake, the decorations, the people walking up to the couple to give their congratulations and just sharing in their happiness with them... I thought being with you on that day would be enough, but this is nice. Really nice. I want people to be there to celebrate and to see how happy I am."

"You're saying you want a ceremony with a few hundred people in attendance?" He looked horrified at what that would take.

"No! No, I don't... need that many. But I wish my family could be there. I wish they weren't so blind to you... especially my mom, although everyone I know secretly thinks there's something wrong with me. Some are just more accepting than others. I think if my mother saw, everyone else would."

"Sweetheart..." he slowly began, cradling her her as the song ended. "Your mother is pretty stubborn..."

"I know..." her eyes fell and she blinked back the thin layer of moisture that was clinging to her eyelids. Jack groaned and stopped moving when the music was completely over.

"Morgan, you can have all that," he said to her, sighing as if it was heavy to agree to it, like he would need to overcome the trials of Hercules. "Everything, if you want. You're a human girl with all the dreams and desires like all other mortal girls. I expected the want of the fairy tale wedding... I'm sorry... realistic white wedding... more than I expected it to be a simple ceremony. Your mother though... she's..."

"A nightmare..." Morgan finished, rolling her eyes.

"Out of all the words in the world, you go for that one?"

"Ugh, fine... a terror."

"No, that's a little harsh..."

"Just forget it."

"No!" he protested, drawing her hands into his. "No, Morgan... you want your family to see you... you want your mother to see me... I may have to grind Mount Everest into dust to do it, but I will make sure by the time we marry, your mother will be there to see us unite as we should. I swear it." Morgan looked away hopelessly, obviously not encouraged by what he was saying. He took another deep breath, knowing that this was probably going to be the most difficult thing to ever give his word on, but he was determined to make his Morgan happy. "Morgan, I promise your mother will be there to see your wedding day."

"Do you really promise, Jack?!" she said in a rushed panic. "She'll see you marry me?!"

"Yes, she'll see the both of us... I'm just glad I've got a few years, because it may take that."

"It may take longer than ten years," Morgan giggled. "If I get that an nothing else... even if I attend my wedding in jeans... I'm okay with my mother there."

"Morgan, I promise... you're going to have everything you want when we are finally together."

"Of course," Morgan giggled and touched her lips to his nose. "Because I'll have you."

* * *

**Once again, because I lack creativity when it comes to clothes and fashion and beauty, just know that everything I describe I do actually have pictures of. I want you to come up with your ideas of what everything looks like, but if you decide you can't take it and must know, message me and I will show you pictures :) Until tomorrow! Good night!**


	71. Broken Kisses

**Because I'm a cruel person who enjoys making people cry. I'm nice enough to apologize for it though.**

* * *

"Wait, why did people care so much about Marie Antoinette's sex life?" spoke up a girl in the back of the class. "I mean, it's none of their business..." Morgan nibbled on the end of her pencil, trying to distract herself from speaking up. There would be nothing wrong with simply answering her question, but Morgan knew an answer would lead to some sort of heated argument. This girl always found something to argue about and she had promised she wouldn't fight over anything at least for the rest of the year. She didn't need another mark on her record. She flipped her notebook and began to doodle a cartoon figure of Marie Antoinette, in the hopes her mind would be focused rather than distracted by the girl's comments.

"Well, if I don't get to sleep with my wife the night of my wedding, I guarantee you I am going to tell people about it and we're going to talk, because that's rude!" cackled the noisy kid in the class. Morgan dared to glare at him but continued to etch on her paper. The teacher was keeping a careful eye on his best student, who was currently trying to perfect the hair on her drawing of the Dauphine.

"It wasn't a matter of not wanting to sleep together," the teacher explained, his eyes still on Morgan. "King Louis had performance issues." Morgan muffled a squeak at the surprise of her phone buzzing in her pocket. She never received texts in class, except of course for those stupid ones with promotions from her cell phone company. She ignored it and kept on drawing.

"Why did he have performance issues?" said another voice in the class.

"I should have known that this would be the topic freshman would want to discuss..." Morgan smiled in amusement at his comment.

"It was one of the many things that led to her being hated so much," Morgan carefully said, attempting to get back on the Dauphine's actual life rather than her matters in the bedroom.

"That was the least of the things that created her horrible reputation," a boy off to Morgan's side said. "Marie Antoinette was a wench." She snapped her pencil in half, chucking it into the backpack. She clenched her fist and beat it against the desk. It made enough noise to make Mr. Geiser draw his attention to her, but he kept from saying anything. She had been struggling with speaking up in class lately and so far nothing had happened, but there were certain things that were triggers.

"She was no such thing," she said to herself, using her hair to draw a curtain between her and the boy. Her phone buzzed again and she jumped.

"You have got to be kidding me. She was vain! She didn't care for the people! And she was a traitor."

"The last part is most certainly a lie... Everyone thinks that because of 'Let them eat cake' but she never even said that!" Her phone buzzed again. Aggravation growled in Morgan's throat and she whipped her phone out, too enraged to care if she got in trouble for taking her phone out/

"Morgan Kenter, you are _not_ texting in class!" Mr. Geiser bellowed, a little more flabbergasted than he had ever sounded. Morgan was the one student who never even tried to sneak a text. The minute she was in her seat, her phone was put away. She scrolled through her messages, ignoring what the teacher was saying to her and frowned at what she was getting, all three from Linda.

"I'm sorry I know you're in class right now but I need you," and "Please pick up, I know you don't text in class, but please get this," and finally "This is selfish, but can you please skip class? I'm dying here." Morgan stood up out of her seat and tucked her phone away, closing her book shut. She was really thankful for the texts, since they were probably the reason her anger was floating away and all thoughts of any kind of violence disappeared.

"Morgan, what do you think you're doing?" Geiser demanded. "You sit back down right now."

"I'm sorry, I have to get going," she told him, sliding her materials into her bag.

"No, you're staying right here."

"Mr. Geiser, I'm sorry, you know I am fascinated with this, I really am and I will make it up. I will take detention even, but I need to go to my friend right now. She's... in fact I really don't know what's going on. I just know that she's in some kind of trouble, is hurting and... she needs me, okay? That's all I can say."

"I'm not allowed to let you go."

"I know, I know..." He dropped his arms and sighed. He gestured for the phone to be handed over and she placed it in his hands. He looked up to her, as if asking permission, and she nodded her response. He scrolled through the very few messages she had, seeing the last ones that had been sent a few minutes ago. Moaning reluctantly, he gave her the phone back. "Listen to me. I am turning my back to right something on the board. You can simply decide to take your opportunity. I am not letting you go. I'm... missing marking you down. If someone catches you, you tell them you up and left class. I am not giving you permission to go. I am turning my back."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." Mr. Geiser turned around to write a date on the board while Morgan took her few minutes to escape through the door. She looked back at him, smiling with a glow of content. In that moment, she decided he was her absolute favorite teacher, despite being one of the toughest she ever had. Morgan punched at the keypad on her phone to Linda, asking her where she was and that she was coming. Another minute and her phone pinged, telling her she was in the library.

The past few months had gone by without much incident. Morgan was the best student she had ever been, Aubrey and Ryan spent their honeymoon in Spain, Jack was wonderful as always, her time with Linda was cut in half by her time always out with Evan who seemed to spoil her nonstop. Linda's grades were improving thanks to the combining efforts of Evan and Morgan, she even got a C plus on her last math test which was the highest she had ever gotten in math, and Morgan's family was actually pretty normal. Mrs. Kenter was on the phone with Aubrey at least once a week, asking how things were going, and the last few weeks, she had been asking about the possibility of grandchildren. It was a little early, Morgan thought, but her kept attention away from her. Peter was finishing up his last year and would be attending a college in Maryland. Bradley has been acting a little strange lately, but Morgan decided not to say anything since she was strange herself. Things were all right. The only struggles she was having was trying to not engage herself physically in arguments, keeping a low profile in history class in order to do that, and dealing with the annual anxiety that came with Jack's soon departure, which was a week away.

Linda was seated at a table, reading one of those books based on one of her favorite TV shows that had something about two brothers chasing mystical monsters and killing them. Morgan had the desire to get angry, but pushed it away. There seemed to be absolutely nothing wrong with the situation and Linda looked just as she usually did – immersed in her maniacal fandoms. Linda would not have called her out of history class for nothing, so Morgan calmly approached the table. The minute her friend was aware of her standing there, she threw the book aside and looked up. When Morgan saw the tiredness and the puffy pink to her eyes, she knew things most certainly were wrong.

"Linda, what is it?" she asked as a concerned mother would, whipping the closest chair to Linda's side. Morgan clutched her friend's hands, who began to cry. It was clear she had already done a fair amount of crying, but somehow, she still had leftover tears.

"Do I need to say it?" she choked. "Why else would a teenage girl be skipping class and asking her best friend to come down and console her?"

"He didn't."

"He did."

"Evan broke up with you?" When Linda sobbed louder she realized that she probably should not have said it so bluntly. "Did he say why?"

"He was starting to get feelings for this other girl who's in most of his classes, and of course he does! She's obnoxious and hilarious and afraid to speak her mind and goofy and fantastic and beautiful!"

"And you are all those things!"

"I'm super shy and too obsessed with... everything in life. I am such an idiot, Morgan, to think he could like me. I think I was in love with him, I really do. I should have told him, maybe he would have..."

"No, that just would have made it harder." Morgan lifted her friend from her chair and carried her book, leading her away from the library where Linda was receiving odd stares from how loudly she was crying. She walked along with her, putting her arms around her. The halls were empty, considering nearly everyone was in class, which was nice. Once in a while, a privileged student with a responsibility pass or one of the seniors who had an open period walked by, turning their eyes away immediately when they saw the crying girl. "You're not an idiot."

"He was so perfect in every way! Of course he wouldn't have wanted to be with me! I never get perfection, I never get amazing things in life... it was doomed from the start."

"Stop it, Linda, stop it. He was your first boyfriend. It's incredibly rare you're going to be with them forever. My first relationship didn't last. You're only fifteen."

"Yeah, but you knew you were going to attract someone else."

"Linda..." she groaned, but it was hard to know what would convince her otherwise. "You'll find someone else, but it's not going to happen right away... it shouldn't happen right away."

"Oh, don't tell me that!" she snapped. "After Tristan, you were with Pitch for twenty four hours or something like that -"

"I thought we agreed never to bring him up."

"And then you went right into Jack. You've never been without someone since you were twelve. You can't tell me that. The reason I am not going to find anyone is because I am undesirable."

"Linda, that's not true at all!"

"I don't have the energy to argue..." she sighed, slumping to the floor against the wall. Linda hid her face in her hands and started up her sobbing. Morgan carefully placed her arms around her again and rubbed her back reassuringly. She decided that for now, it was best to just let Linda speak as she wanted, get her feelings and emotions out. All she could do was be there for her and tell her that it was going to be all right. She didn't know how to deal with break ups, but knew that friends would never leave their friends to the dark.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This time, Morgan had been very clever. She called in sick the next day, although it probably was not that clever considering Linda did the same thing and everyone in the school knew they were best friends and by now it was probably circulating that Linda and Evan had broken up. She was concerned about seeing him and wanted a day to just be alone. Jack flew Morgan over to Linda's place and per Linda's request, happily stayed. She wanted as much to distract herself as possible and the Guardian of Fun was more than happy to take up the task.

"Are Disney films really the best thing for you to be watching right now?" Morgan asked. "They're all filled with romance."

"They remind me of my childhood," Linda said, shifting on the couch. "When things were simple and there were no boys to hurt me and life was beautiful. Just don't put on _Peter Pan_. I can never watch that film again."

"Isn't she being a little dramatic?" Jack whispered, resting his hands on his lap. Morgan had requested they not be so affectionate around Linda no matter how much they wanted to touch each other. She just didn't feel it was right.

"Here, let me dump you and see how you feel," Morgan snapped. "Linda's always seemed to feel more things and have more emotion than the average human. And yes, Linda is a little dramatic, but that's how she is. Because she feels more. We're also women, we're a little more sensitive than you are."

"Maybe that's what I need," Linda commented during the showing of _Beauty and the Beast_. "Maybe I should find a horrible, ugly man and then we can fall in love. At least if he's ugly he won't think I'm so ugly..."

"Linda, you are not ugly or horrible or disgusting or any of the other things you have been calling yourself the past hour," Jack sighed, pushing over the bowl of popcorn. Linda reached in and scooped out a handful of kernels, pouting as she did.

"It's cold."

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right, it's like Evan's heart." Linda sniffled again, dropping the bowl to the floor. Morgan knelt and began to pick it up, throwing the now dirty popcorn back into the bow. "I'm being unfair to him... he broke up with me because he didn't want to cheat on me or hurt me... he was actually being really kind about it... it's so hard to hate him... but I want to... God, this really sucks. I mean, really sucks. You two are so lucky..." Morgan refrained from answering her, scooping the last of the particles into the bowl. She took the large bowl and transported it into the kitchen, where she cleaned up the mess and began to wash the bowl. Linda left the movie on, but turned away from it, hugging her knees to her chest Her tears streamed onto her kneecaps and drenched her jeans, spotting them with a dark blue. "Jack..."

"Yeah?" he answered quickly.

"Would you be weirded if I... um... asked to be held...?" she inquired with shyness. Jack smirked and moved closer to her. She leaned towards him while he put his arms around her, rubbing his arm.

"Linda, you know you don't have to ask," he chuckled. "You know you're one of my best friends..."

"Am I really?" she squeaked, fresh tears flowing. This time her tears were for her feelings were for Jack and his words lifting her spirit a little. He nodded and stroked her hair with care. From the kitchen, there was a splash of water while Morgan washed the dishes. Linda rested her head against Jack's chest, comforted by coolness he was giving off. Linda raised her head a little, the tears sparkling in her eyes. He frowned. Something about the way Linda was searching his face pulled at him uncomfortably, but he didn't know why. Her eyelashes flutter as she watched him, the look remaining in her eyes. Then Jack understood, when her lips were on his. He was a little confused so it took him some time to react. There was a pang of off-putting strangeness, followed by embarrassment. Then he feared Morgan would walk into the room, and he didn't understand what Linda was doing.

"Oh my God!" Linda softly exclaimed ripping away from him. She held her hands in front of her face and turned away, ashamed to look at him, "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened! I hate myself! I'm a terrible person... Jack, I'm sorry!" A violent patting across the floor echoed off the walls ad Morgan rushed in.

"What happened?!" she frantically asked.

"Morgan, I am sorry! I was stupid! I don't know why I did that... hate me, please, dump me as your friend, I deserve it, please!" Morgan hugged Linda close to her, still not understanding what was going on but deciding it didn't matter. "I kissed Jack, just now! I'm stupid! He didn't kiss me back, I promise, he just sat there..."

"Shh, Linda, it doesn't matter..."

"Yes it does!"

"I'm not mad..."

"How can you not be mad?!"

"Because I;m not... I'm shocked and a little... disturbed, I guess, is the best word, but it will pass..."

"How?!"

"Your emotions are crazy right now, Linda, and you're sad and lonely and needy, and Jack was right there and you have countless times displayed an intense attraction for him... It's okay..."

"I'm such a terrible person!" She ripped herself from Morgan's arms and flew up the stairs. The two of them watched as she bolted for her bedroom, sobbing and sniffing loudly. She slammed her door shut, making the two of them wince at the loud noise. She looked over at Jack, unsure what to think.

"So..." Morgan started with some discomfort.

"She's telling the truth, I promise," he said.

"I never thought she wasn't..." she scoffed and then took up the spot beside him, folding her hands. "God, I have never seen her this upset..."

"I'm not going to leave."

"What?! But you said..."

"Not when Linda's like this. Not until she's okay..."

"You have to be joking."

"What kind of friend would I be to her if I just up and left during the worst time of her life? That's really crummy."

"So you won't stay for me, but you'll stay for Linda? Which, oh, interestingly, moments ago, just kissed you so you have decided that you need to stay?!"

"It was her kissing me that told me this may take longer to pass and be harder for her than I originally thought."

"No, no, I don't accept that!" Morgan screamed, pacing away from him. He slowly stood up and his chest fell with a huge sigh, but he stayed where he was.

"Morgan, look, I know this looks bad..."

"It looks atrocious."

"Every year I need to leave, but I am not going to leave if someone I truly care about is hurting or in pain or... in danger of something. I would do it for any of your family, any of my family. When Pitch had a hold on you, I fled immediately. If Aubrey was in some sort of pain or was upset, I would stay and keep an eye on her.. for you, okay? I care about her because she's your sister. I care about Linda because not only is she your best friend, but also mine. I'm not just going to abandon her..." Morgan bit her lip and slammed her palm against the wall, shuffling her feet with her anxiety.

"Damn it, Jack..." she said. "I hate it when you make me feel like a freaking idiot."

* * *

**So today I received my first paycheck for my new job. I could get used to having more money than I originally calculated. Watch for another chapter later on today... or in the morning... depending on where in the world you.**


	72. Sinking

**I'm sorry this is incredibly short. I kept trying different things and they just didn't work and I'm trying to study for my last final tomorrow. So you're getting something, but not as much as you usually do. However, I think this is pretty filled with stuff, so there's that.**

* * *

The only time Jack ever moved that summer was in between the two towns. He was trying his best to not upset the temperature so people would be fairly happy, so he remained in either Burgess or Harrisburg. The news reports were a little conflicted as to how only Pennsylvania was affected in staying about sixty degrees Fahrenheit. There were many complainers, from several people who had wanted to go swimming or those who wanted a tan. The sun was still bright for the most part, but nobody really wanted to go tanning when I wasn't that warm. Those who worked outside seemed to love it, and with the extra hours of daylight, they were actually very thankful. By July, the shops were seeing many annoyed teenagers returning swimsuits they bought, seeing no point in using them now. Climate change was blamed for it, Morgan just giggled whenever she heard someone in a store talk about it. This particular incident was all Jack, and she was amused at the private knowledge she had of this.

"I told you, I am not in the mood..." Linda moaned as her friends dragged her through the mall. Jack walked alongside them, growing a little tired of having been there for a good while now. "I appreciate the offer but all I want to do is sit and home and watch TV."

"That's all you've been doing... it's summer!" Morgan said, picking up a lacy tank top that Linda would love but she detested. "Linda, look at this! You would look amazing in this!" Linda barely looked at the tag and then walked away, shaking her head

"It's been a cold summer. Which means I stay indoors. Which means I won't need the tank top. Especially not for that price." Morgan slammed the top on the hook again and let her shoulders fall with disappointment.

"I know I don't understand girls and I could never possibly could, but he broke up with her at the end of April. It's July," Jack said to her. "Isn't that a little long?"

"Not... necessarily..." Morgan explained. "There are many factors that play into this. For starters, everyone is different. Some people get over things quickly, some are much slower. The first relationship is the hardest to get over, because you're usually pretty naïve and you have the highest dreams and the biggest hope and then it just gets crushed which brings everything way down. Then there's the fact on whether or not you fell in love with them. The more you care about them, the more it hurts and the longer it's going to last. And then there's the fact that Linda never really had a positive image of herself, and being dumped just makes her believe that even more. Finally, remember what I said about Linda having such strong emotions? It actually makes perfect sense. In fact, Linda may not even truly get over it until another man comes in her life. That's really sad to think about, but... you never know."

"Excuse me, are you finding everything all right?" Morgan turned to let the associate know that they were just talking and were waiting for their friend, but then she realized she would not understand how the plural form worked in context and that she probably approached her because she appeared to be speaking with a wall. The absolute last thing she needed was to be unwelcome in a store because of her supposed insanity.

"Yes, thank you," she replied safely. The woman nodded nervously and turned away, gesturing to her coworker.

"There's nothing here," Linda sighed, returning to the two of them. "Come on, where else are you going to drag me to?"

"There isn't anywhere you would particularly like?"

"I guess we could go to Media World," she decided hopelessly. "I would like some new books and if I could find some movies... if you're willing that is..."

"I told you before I would buy you anything under fifty bucks," Morgan told her in a chipper tone, hoping it would rub off onto her. It didn't and she slung her hands into her heavy grey sweatshirt that was completely the opposite of cute, not something Linda would normally be caught dead in when out in public. Morgan hummed, attempting to change the atmosphere but nothing seemed to work on Linda. She remained staring at the ground, using Morgan's shadow to tell her what direction she was going in.

"Are there two of them?" Morgan joked, trying to get to her some of her favorite obsessions.

"Huh?" she murmured.

"The... episode of the library and the... shadows..."

"Oh. Vashta Nerada. Right. Um, no there's one," she dryly said, not answering in the usual Linda way. Together, the three of them entered the entertainment store, an anchor of the mall they were in. Jack stiffened at the site of a small entrance to the back of the store, growing a little timid but then smirked. He jumped in front of Linda, who jumped noiselessly at his sudden movements, and then walked backwards as she moved forwards.

"Linda, let's sneak into the adult section and taunt Morgan with everything," he suggested. Of course, he really didn't want to do that, but if it got a rise out of Linda, he was willing to take any risk of Morgan getting incredibly angry with him. From behind Linda, Morgan flailed a warning at him. He smirked wider. Linda shook her head.

"No, I don't want to be reminded that I'm never going to be intimate with anyone, thank you. If you two want to go in there, I promise I won't look."

"Oh my God, we are _not_ going in there!" Morgan snarled so Jack's amused expression was wiped away. Linda trudged through the store to the back, where the books were being kept. She picked up a couple that had colorful covers and paged through them. She passed over one to Morgan.

"Here, this is true crime. You might like it," she said. Morgan ignored the temptation to look at nonfiction and set it aside.

"We're not here for me," she said. Jack took a bestseller from an end cap and paged through it quickly, stopping in the middle of the book to surf through it. Something in the contents draw his attention and then his eyes grew larger. He flipped to the next page and threw it back on the shelf, knocking over a couple of the other ones as well.

"How did that fall?" asked one of the employees who came rushing over. Morgan ran over to the fallen books so no one would see books picking themselves up and being placed on the shelf.

"Um, it's okay! Just keep... helping that guy..." she told her as she helped Jack put up the display. When the employee turned her back, she took one of the books and slammed it against the top of his head.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Jack Frost, we never ever pick up books from the romance section. Never ever. Especially when they they have covers like this." She held up a book where a half naked woman was pressing herself against rippling abs of a mysterious man and there was some silky backdrop.

"The... one I picked up didn't look like that, though..." he stammered, licking his lips. "It had a tie on it."

"Oh my God, that is the worst one... you don't go to bookstores much, do you?"

"Well... no." She rolled her eyes and then spied on Linda, who was sitting in the armchair by the window, paging through a graphic novel. After placing the last of the books on the end, she skipped over to her friend and peered at the artwork. It was a little disturbing and looked similar to the stuff Peter liked to read. But that was Peter. He liked the gore and the violence and the aggressiveness of the characters. That was not Linda, and that was the disturbing part of it. She looked engrossed in the illustrations of human's with rods being plunged into their necks and zombies getting their heads sliced off.

"What's that?"

"I dunno... I just think the artwork is cool."

"How is it cool?"

"I dunno, it just is..."

"It's... really bloody."

"I think your artwork is cool, and you draw depictions of people in torture rooms," she pointed out.

"You grimaced at my miniscule drawing of Anne Boleyn's beheading. You've seen worse on your BBC shows..."

"Well, I think the illustrator is really talented..." She placed the book back on the shelf and slung her feet over the arm. "I don't know what I want, Morgan... I just don't care."

"Do you want to go home and sing with the Lion King?"

"Please don't sing," Jack begged "I mean, Linda can sing. You can't." Morgan slapped him in the chest painlessly. Linda smiled, Morgan's heart flying at the trace of some genuine happiness in her. Morgan bought some chocolate at the front for her before they left the mall behind, making their way for the bus stop. Linda looped her arm through Morgan's arm, huddling close to her. When the bus pulled in some few moments later, Morgan brandished their passes and swiped them through. Linda went on ahead, finding a row of three seats along the side of the bus. Morgan sat in the middle sit, with Jack and Linda on either side of her. From the other side, there was a boy holding up his phone and smirking, discreetly trying to make it look as if he were simply browsing through content on his phone.

"Are you taking photos of us?" Morgan hissed, a scowl etched on her forehead to show her opinion of him. He casually pouted his lips in a way that told him no, but that he was trying very hard to maintain a poker face. "Excuse me, but that is a form of harrassment."

"I'm sorry, I'm just admiring how adorable you look..."

"Adorable?"

"You're lesbians, right?" Morgan and Linda animatedly looked at each other and Linda screwed up her nose.

"No..." she whispered.

"What makes you think that?" Morgan continued.

"Well... she's pretty frumpy looking and doesn't care for her appearance. Only girls think that inner beauty is more important and value the mind. Guys need you to be sexy, and I'm sorry lady, but that is not sexy."

"That is sexist in so many ways!"

"Okay, but, you're also sitting pretty close to each other and your arms are linked... I assumed..."

"You know, friends can be really affectionate with each other without having romantic feelings for each other. We're just really close..."

"Close," he chuckled, flipping through his phone again. "That's hilarious. And the Asian doesn't do your homework for you." Linda slid down in her seat, quickly pulling away from Morgan. She whipped her head towards her friend, her teeth grinding ferociously from the anger she was attempting to hold back. Jack, who as always, was invisible, looked to Morgan, waiting for some sort of command. Morgan laughed softly and when the bus pulled near their stop, the two girls got off together. Jack paused a moment, swinging his staff around and knocking the phone from his hand. He slammed his staff onto it again. He did it twice; once to shatter the screen and the interior workings, the second time to freeze it solid for good measure.

"What the hell?! It froze!"

"Aw, that happens sometimes with those smartphones..." a woman from the lower portion of the bus voiced.

"No, ma'm, it literally froze! It's like a freaking ice block! Aw, man! All my contacts and pictures and those videos of Stacy..." Before the doors did close, Jack slipped out, receiving a thank you kiss from Morgan. Linda did not look pleased and stared at the ground, shuffling her feet down the street.

"See, Morgan?" Linda said. "I told you. No matter what anyone thinks, I'm not sexy. Sure, maybe I look good when I'm wearing pounds of make up and have on some tight fitting shirt and short shorts, but I have to really try to do that. Nobody values me as myself, nobody wants to talk to a girl who is dressed like a sack of potatoes. They want the promiscuous one. They want someone who looks fun. No guy will be attracted to me if I'm ever myself, and even when I'm not myself well... I'm just an Asian who doesn't know anything, so what is my worth?"

"If you didn't matter, then Evan would have just cheated on you..." Jack interjected.

"Please don't bring him up again..."

"No!" Jack defied. "Listen to me, okay? Evan didn't break up with you because he thought you were disgusting or unattractive. If he thought that he wouldn't have dated you in the first place, or kissed you, or been around you so much. Evan broke up with you because he didn't want to cheat on you, because he valued you and believed you deserved better. He didn't want to deceive you."

"He probably only did it because he's nice. Honestly, he saw someone and compared me. Who knows, maybe I was a pity girlfriend. I'm going to be alone forever, I know that, so don't tell me otherwise..." Morgan strained her face when Jack looked at her. Linda continued to walk on, jumping over cracks in the sidewalk. He pulled her aside.

"Jack... remember when you told me that I need to fight fear and prevent it from overtaking me?"

"Yes," Jack said quickly, worry growing in his eyes.

"What if your fear is trying to tell you your best friend could be in very serious trouble?"

* * *

**I'm not saying looking at graphic novels filled with violence is creepy, but it's just that it's out of the ordinary for Linda that's the creepy part. And I can already imagine what some people are going to say about this chapter. Everyone deals with loss differently and there are MANY different variables, depending on what's going on... but Linda has also believed the lies she's been told her whole life and this was the last straw that really pushed her into this depression. Plus when you think about first relationships ending, or even relationships just in high school, sometimes people have a tendancy to get INCREDIBLY negative about it and can be dramatic because their vulnerable and inexperienced heart is getting really harsh exposure to the cruelness of the world. That's how I was. I was blind and convinced I was going to marry my ex and we were going to be together forever and everything would be happy and so when we broke up and I got into some incredibly dark places that I look back at and I'm like "What the hell was my problem?" It might even get annoying what Linda is feeling, but what she is feeling is VERY real, and if you experienced this in high school, or something similar, I hope you know what I am talking about :) Goodnight my lovely rosettes! I shall see you soon.**


	73. Stopping Hearts

**Okay so school is officially over! I am surprised I got this up, especially since I should have been asleep two hours ago. Actually, two hours ago I had no idea what I was going to write - but in the shower I gots ideas. So here you go! I'm going to be out tomorrow so I don't know if I'll get anything up. But I will on Sunday. :)**

* * *

When Linda's mood had not improved even a little and the weight of terror was pulling at Morgan's heart, she summoned her courage to speak with the Tans alone. It was strange to her that she should be so terrified of speaking to Linda's parents when she had always gotten along with them so well, but Linda had not wanted her parents involved in her life at all. Lately, when they tried to console her about what was going on, they flung angry words in Chinese at each other and nearly every argument ended with Linda's slamming of a door. It seemed like betrayal for informing them of things she might have wanted kept hidden, but she was too scared for Linda to not let her parents in on what was going on. It seemed like the better thing to do even if Linda would be extremely angry with her. She told Jack that she was going over to the Tans to speak with them, and that she was shaking with the idea of doing so. She didn't want her friend to be angry and she didn't want to upset them, but Jack assured her it was the right thing to do and went with her for support. He flew her to the Tan house where the doorbell chimed her arrival and the contented couple was happy to welcome her in.

"Linda didn't say you were stopping over," said Mrs. Tan. "I'll get her-"

"No, please don't, Di," Morgan interrupted before the woman went to retrieve her daughter. "I'm not here for Linda, I'm here to speak with you and your husband." Mr. Tan gripped Mrs. Tan armed and looked on the girl with concern. She gestured to the small table in the kitchen. "Could we please...?"

"Yes, of course," responded Mr. Tan. The three them pulled out chairs at the table and took their spots.

"I take it you've noticed Linda's been a little moody lately."

"I wouldn't say a little..." Mr. Tan tried to joke, but continued on when nobody did. "But yes, we have. It's a teenager thing, right?"

"I'm not so sure... I mean, I think there's more to it than that," Morgan said, hiding her twitching hand under the table. Jack reached under an took it to prevent its shaking.

"She had a break up, that's how girls are."

"That was months ago. If anything, her mood seems to have worsened. There's just something not right with her right now... talking about how ugly she is, how worthless she is, how much love sucks, it's a little more... it seems to be like an obsession to her. She no longer has any interest in things she loves either. I try to interest her but she doesn't. All she does is eat candy all the time and watch films. Which is what I do, but not that bad, not that much, and Linda has always been way to restless to really be watching films all day long and munching. Every thing to do with love she has to make a cynical remark about and when we go out and I have to coax her and it takes almost an hour sometimes to get her to come out with me."

"She has been telling us we don't understand her and she wants us to leave her alone. We thought it was just a teenager phase," Mrs. Tan said. "But that's definitely not Linda. She gets annoyed with us and calls us lame but she's never been so rude."

"I can see what you mean about the motivation." Mr. Tan added. "Linda has always been pretty slow to get out of bed for school, but on weekends, she's usually up by nine. She's been sleeping in til nearly noon, and many times she won't even change out of her pajamas."

"I don't think I've heard her laugh in weeks..." As little things began to pop up in their conversation, they began to bounce them back and forth off of each other to try and come to some sort of conclusion about what was going on. Jack kept watching the two of them exchange looks and watched Morgan, her mouth wretched with contemplative worry as they spoke. He ran his hand up and down her back but her expression did not change.

"This sounds like some thing teenagers do, I don't understand..." Mr. Tan replied, scratching at the grey bits of his hair.

"Not to this extreme," Morgan specified. She folded her hands under the table. "Di... Wei... do either of your have depression in your family?"

"I had it when I was in college," Mrs. Tan nodded. "And I got it after Linda was born. Post partum."

"My father had it, and my sister. My sister's on medication for it," Mr. Tan answered.

"So it's present... I just think she exhibits many of the symptoms. I'm not a doctor, you would need someone to diagnose her, but she seems to fit with the symptoms shown by some of the most famous depressed people in history. And I did current research."

"But it's just a break up, these things heal."

"Wei, I know it seems that way to you. It looks that way to you, but Linda may not see it that way. She has been bullied and harassed senselessly, trying to fit against what people have said about her. She has always had a low self image and esteem. When Evan told her he liked someone else, in her mind, it told her she wasn't good enough. I don't think he ever thought that, but the brain is strange and you're the most critical of yourself. Because someone she cared about, someone she was probably even in love with, abandoned her like that, everything that she was ever told came back. And it came back far worse than it ever had. Now she believes everything ever said to her was true. It's possible this triggered it."

"Morgan, thank you for telling us this," said Mrs. Tan, reaching her hand out to her. "You are a very good friend."

"I hoped so."

"Maybe we should get her looked at," Mr. Tan suggested. Mrs. Tan grimaced.

"It's going to be really expensive..."

"You think I care when it comes to my daughter's health. We'll worry about that later..." Mrs. Tan tightened her lips and nodded.

"Okay, we'll call someone tomorrow. In the meantime, Morgan, maybe you want to spend some extra time with Linda this week?" She shook her head.

"No. I tried," she sighed. "She told me she doesn't feel like doing anything this week and doesn't know when she's going to be able to. I didn't push her so I'll just keep checking back in." Mr. Tan rose from his seat and walked over to a rounded pile of various items, mostly knick knacks and home décor. From a drawer below the counter, he pulled out several sheets of colored stickers and began to write amounts of change on the. Morgan nodded to the pile.

"What's that?"

"Oh... we're having a garage sale to get rid of some things and hopefully earn a little bit of cash. Is there something you want? We'll give you it for free." Morgan's chair whined as she pushed it back with her legs and meandered over to the motley of items gathering on the counter top. Her eyes rested on a stack of DVDs and CDs, furrowing her brow at their familiarity. She flipped them over, recognizing every piece of them.

"I don't understand, these are Linda's."

"She said she didn't want them anymore."

"That's not right..." Morgan muttered going through them. "These are the Sherlock DVDs. I gave them to her for her birthday. And a CD of _Doctor Who_ music... _Pride and Prejudice_... her books..."

"They were just phases," Mrs. Tan explained. "Kids go through them."

"Hang on, Di, Linda does not get rid of birthday gifts. She kept that ballerina doll from her Aunt when she was four," Mr. Tan said.

"And _Sherlock_ and _Doctor Who_ are not phases... nor is _Super_-" when she made the connection, Jack was already tearing up the stairs. Things weren't exactly clear to the Tans, but Morgan's panic seemed to make them realize things were not good and they ran with her to the bedroom. The door seemed to fly open to them, with Jack exploding through it, and when they entered, the first sight was of Linda, arm resting over her eyes as she lay on her bed. Mr. Tan swiped a small bottle from the end of the bed that had been lying open and Mrs. Tan was screaming over her daughter, shaking her from the shoulders. Linda made a noise, such as one a girl would make in the morning when she was being forced to wake for school. Mr. Tan inspected the bottle.

"Damn it, there's nothing left!" he screamed. Jack flew from the room just as Morgan was picking up a perfectly penned letter from the bedside table. Her tears fell into the ink of the letter and dragged the blue black down into the scrawlings below. Mr. Tan picked up the lethargic girl and threw her over her shoulder. Jack returned and handed Morgan the phone, not taking the time to apologize for the ice crystals on the side of it. When Morgan called emergency services, her words seemed to fall into each other and her emotions seemed to hinder her from speaking coherently.

"911 What's your emergency?"

"My friend... my friend she's... I think she's going to..."

"Ma'm, what is she doing?"

"Pills... the bottle was empty and I..."

"Ma'm, did someone overdose on drugs?"

"Not drugs, medicine... of some kind, I don't know... she's...oh my God, please say she;s not... "

"What's your name?"

"M-Morg... um..."

"Morgan?" Mr. Tan was busy throwing her into the backseat of the car, fear reddening his face and making it sticky with sweat.

"Um, yeah."

"Morgan, is she alive?"

"She's... mumbling..."

"So she's alive?" Mrs. Tan had lowered her head and pressed her hands together. Jack knew she had no idea he was there, but he still felt a need to hold onto Mrs. Tan's hands. Mr. Tan swore loudly and a neighbor could be heard rushing over to find out what he was screaming about so angrily.

"Yes."

"What's your location?"

"Harrisburg, um... somewhere on uh... Ratchett Drive... I don't know.."

"87723!"

"87723, I guess is the... number..."

"I've already dispatched the nearest emergency vehicle." In the distance, sirens were faintly glaring from an approaching vehicle.

"I hear them..." Morgan coughed and passed the phone over to Mrs. Tan, who began to blubber with the operator. From the sound of it, she was being comforted. Morgan stumbled out the door, Jack lifting her arm to help her out the door. She threw herself in the backseat of the car, pushing aside Mr. Tan and the neighbor who had come over to help. The lights were flickering down the street and the sirens were singing in desperation loud enough for them to really make out. Morgan hugged her friend's, who's eyes were barely open and the color in her face had drained to a sickly grey white. She wept so her tears leaked onto her face, and there was a tremble on Linda's lips. Jack stayed back, refusing to get to close to Linda. In her state, a simple touch from him could lower her temperature dangerously. The noises were now ripping at the air around them and pounding in their ears. It remained at its octave when the robust white truck slid into the driveway of the Tans' place. There was a brief moment of panicked yelling and a man in white uniform stuck his head in the car. Morgan quickly moved back from Linda so he could easily grab her.

"Can I go in the truck?" Morgan pleaded and looked over to Mr. Tan while the paramedics quickly lifted Linda's delicate body onto a stretcher and raised her into the back of the ambulance, immediately hooking her up to some of the instruments and machinery they had in back. One of the paramedics looked over to her and then back up to the parents.

"Not with her. Only one of her parents," he told her with sympathy.

"I'll go. I'm in no condition to drive," Mrs. Tan volunteered.

"Morgan, come with me, we'll meet them at the hospital," Mr. Tan said. A heaviness pounded into Morgan's chest, infecting her with an intensity of fear she had never known. Water flowed in not drops, but rivers so the road ahead of her was nothing but grey and black swirling with dots of yellow in the mix. She choked on the tears that fell into her mouth. A nauseating pain was climbing up her throat and she kept her head down in the seat for anticipation of throwing up. She kept her hand to her heart as if she was trying to either blot up blood or hold it together because of how it was trying to combust. Her anxiety was making her kick her legs against the dashboard and Mr. Tan sharply yelled at her to stop, his worry making him tense. He reached over to take Morgan's hand and she cried even more. The world was not making sense. Morgan was not even sure where she was. The unfamiliar pain was suffocating Morgan and every foot the car took seemed to take a billion years. Her head was screaming the most colorful words she knew in existence and for some reason was really angry that Mr. Tan could not drive fast enough. He was ignoring the speed limit and still it was not good enough for Morgan. The hospital needed to be there right away. Linda's life depended on it, and she hated not being in the ambulance with her so she would know how she was doing. Drowning in her grief, Morgan wailed when Mr. Tan told her they would be there in seven minutes. Seven minutes was too long when someone was on the verge of death.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The relief everyone felt when the news was given to them Linda was going to be all right was one so happy, a child could not even show the feeling through their playtime. Morgan dropped into a seat into the emergency room and the Tans squeezed her tightly, both of them kissing and crying.

"Morgan, if you hadn't figured out what was going on..." Mr. Tan sobbed. "Thank you, Morgan. You are a real blessing to us in so many ways. Without you, Linda would not be here."

"We love you, you know that?" Mrs. Tan laughed. "We love you!" Scurrying down the hall, Morgan's parents, Peter, Todd, and Bradley were running towards them. The Tans quickly embraced them and shared the wonderful news with them. Morgan allowed people to hug her and give their proud remarks, but she remained on the seat, staring at the ground. Jack swung his legs impatiently from the seat beside her.

"You figured it out before I did," she whispered.

"I've seen too many of them," he confessed. "A few even as young as seven."

"I can't believe it evolved into this... I should have caught it, I'm her best friend."

"Morgan, if someone really wants to kill themselves, they are very good at hiding it so people don't say anything." She unwrinkled the letter she grabbed from the house and looked over its contents.

_Mom, Dad, and Morgan._

_I want to start off saying I love you. Also I am sorry. I know that you guys all loved me, but I can't do this anymore. Mom and Dad, I know I was harsh with you at times, but you raised me very well and I am so glad I had the opportunity to be your daughter, but I know all I have ever done is disappoint you and I know that's all I will ever do. I know you don't understand me and my strange antics. I know you proud of things like the play, but I have very few of those achievements and my life is doomed to amount to nothing. I will only bring you heartache. So this is best for all of us. Morgan, you are the greatest friend I could ever ask for, and I do believe you will be with Jack some day. It may take a while, but you will and I am happy for you two. But I also know that you will get sick of me like everyone else and you will realize what a failure I am. You're smart so I know you would never tolerate that. I do love you and I am glad you loved me. Thank you for being my friend. And should Evan read this, I understand and I don't want him to blame himself. I forgive him and I am glad I got the chance to know what it was like to be loved. It wasn't his fault, and my imminent demise was bound to happen anyway. I love you guys, I am sorry to do this, and thanks for being in my life. Have a good life. Linda._

Morgan crushed the note, first angry that she thought all of that. She never thought she was dumb or a failure. She was never disappointed in her. Then she felt horrible and was saddened that she felt all of that. Then Morgan was relieved and overjoyed that she would be able to tell Linda how none of that was true and she admired her and was proud of her and she had an intelligence she didn't yet know. She hung her head and allowed herself to release the rest of her tears that she had been holding onto, glad that they were not tears of grief.

* * *

**I had to be nice. I had to end it so you knew Linda lived. I couldn't leave you grieving.**

**Also if you're struggling with suicide, please call the toll free hotline or tell someone, or me. I really need to get to bed right now, but I feel I need to say this because I love you all and I know this might get at memories or thoughts for people. So please talk to someone. Talk to me. And even if you're just stressed and upset, you can still talk to me. I love you guys.**

**I will give you guys happiness soon, okay? Good night. :)**


	74. Belief Creates Existance

**Apologies necessary! I was gone all day Saturday and when I came home, my roomie's dad was painting the room the internet modem was in and so he had to remove it so I didn't have internet until this morning and then I had to go to work so I am sorry. I didn't know he was going to do that. So here you are! Sorry sorry sorry! This is a fun chapter and I am glad it worked out the way it did. I AM SEEING GREAT GASTBY TOMORROW I AM SO HAPPEH. Have fun :)**

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The machines chirped while the tubes whistled and sighed as they worked to return Linda to normal. She was awake now, but she still appeared really pale and thinner than normal. The curves of the bone around her eyes had deepened and her chin looked sharper. Morgan could not understand how that was possible considering they had found her the day before and Linda had only been incoherent a few hours. Jack was also in the room but he was cautious of Linda's health and he had stepped into the corner, perching on a chair. Morgan was seated beside her friend and clutched her hand tightly.

"I honestly can't truly explain it," Linda admitted. "I just... don't know... something clicked and... I don't know, I honestly felt like this life was it for me. Nothing would ever happen and I decided what was the point? I decided that about two weeks ago, but I wanted to get affairs in order."

"I still don't understand why you would think that..."

"I can't explain it," Linda said. "Not to someone who's never been suicidal."

"And how do you feel now?" Linda shrugged.

"Still upset. Still like I'll never amount to anything. I still have no joy about being alive... but this fuss is... Not fun. And I can't say I liked how I felt."

"How you felt?" Jack questioned.

"When those pills started to take effect, it was quick," Linda explained. "I slipped away, as if you would when you were sleeping. But there was something else. There was darkness, but not the kind that goes with falling asleep. A strange, scary one. There was also light. It was weird. It was like this darkness was pulling me down, and I wept because I thought I was supposed to be done with it... and I was sinking with it. And then there was a light pulling me up and warming my heart, and soon it became a battle between the two. And then I started to cry because the fight was stressing me out and I realized I was not on Earth anymore and I didn't want it and I struggled to stay alive. And then I heard voices screaming my name and started to swim back to them... and I awoke to lights and this room. It was stressful on me. I don't know what happened, but I wonder if there would have been a battle if I hadn't tried to kill myself."

"I just can't believe you would think that of yourself..." Morgan groaned.

"Dad's taking a weekend job and Mom's going to try to add a couple hours onto her work schedule every day, if she's allowed to..." Linda sighed. "So we can afford for me to see someone. See? My problems just create more problems..."

"Linda, don't ever think like that," Morgan begged, gripping her hand tighter. "It sounds like it's in your family and that means it could be genetic. Besides, insurance will pay for most of the bills."

"I guess," she sighed.

"We just don't want this to happen again. We don't want to lose you, Linds," Morgan said. "You are way too important for us. If I ever lost you, I would never recover."

"You would have Jack to help you."

"But I'm not you," answered Jack before Morgan did. "You're a special soul and you connect in a way with Morgan I can never connect with." He lounged in the chair and twirled his staff coolly.

"And you need to be around to see the baby," Morgan giggled, a smile stretching light onto her face. Linda's eyes widened at her remark and she passed her glance over her two friends.

"Uh... okay... first of all, _when did this happen_? And how? I mean, good for you Morgan, and I am so glad to finally know you have finally done it, but I didn't think Jack was able to-"

"NO!" Jack and Morgan yelled together and then he chuckled while she glared at Linda.

"No," Morgan continued. "Aubrey is having a baby. She's due in March."

"That's wonderful news!"

"And we want you around to meet him or her."

"Of course," Linda smiled. "I promise I will be."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The majority of the summer became devoted mainly to Linda. Morgan's parents encouraged her to hang out with her and they had a sleepover at least twice a week. The Tans were always happy to have Morgan over and never told Linda no to going over to her place. Jack always stayed around, keeping an extra eye on his friend. Her personality seemed to take shape of her original one, but there still lingered a detachment from the Linda they had grown to know. There were days that were really good were they would throw their game pieces at each other and somehow end up in some combination of a dog pile pillow fight, laughing hysterically, but there were days where Linda also got really moody and refused to speak with anyone hardly. All she wanted to do was read a book or stare the TV with no comments. It was hard to guess what was going to happen, but Linda always told them she wasn't mad at anyone and she wasn't going to do anything. She just got really sad and hopeless sometimes. She promised she would be okay, and told them they could stay around and watched her if they wanted.

On a day where Linda had been particularly sad, Jack and Morgan were over once again. Linda was reading _Jane Eyre_ and Morgan was sketching an image of the death cart picking up bodies that had fallen from the plague. Jack was casually throwing a ball against the wall impatiently, twirling his hooked stick in his hand as if he were expecting something. Morgan had grown to know him well and she kept looking up to spy the smile he was wearing.

"I can't take it anymore," she hissed, slamming her pencil onto her sketchbook. Linda jumped from her spot beside her friend, but turned the page and continued to let her eyes wander around the page. "What is going on?"

"Okay," he agreed disappointingly. "I'll tell you, but only because it's taking forever. Morgan, Linda, I am taking you to the Warren." Morgan squealed and leaped off the bed, catching Jack in a hug. Linda drew her face away from the page.

"The Warren...?" she muttered with curiosity but it was weighed down by her doubtfulness. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

"Remember? It's that beautiful place with all the eggs!" Morgan said. "It's wonderful! It's the closest thing I have ever seen to Nev- Uh, the closest thing I have ever seen to an Enchanted Forest!"

"No, sweetie, you have to explain it to her in Nerdspeak," Jack corrected and then he cleared his throat. "Linda, imagine what you would get if you combined... The Shire and Rivendell."

"No, not Rivendell," Morgan said. "Rivendell is more like a Thomas Kinkade painting of the magical world. The Shire and Lothlorien." Slowly Linda shifted so she sat up, pulling her book into her lap. Doubt was fading from her eyes and now they were filled with inquisitive interest.

"The Easter Bunny's home?"

"Yes!" Jack chuckled. "He was supposed to be here soon..."

"Australia is on the other side of the world," Morgan joked. "Maybe he got the wrong day..." When Morgan was finishing her sentence, the floor rumbled mildly and Linda clutched the small pillow on her bed. The flooring fell in to a hole in the ground and slid down into a mossy entrance of some kind. From the tunnel, there popped a large grey macho bunny. His muscles bulged his fur an he stood heroically before them, but Bunny's eyes were the opposite of his outward appearance. His toothy smile was enthusiastic and his eyes looked adoringly on Linda. Jamie jumped out from behind Bunny and Sophie was clinging to his arm.

"Bunny, what took you so long?" Jack demanded.

"Did ya really think I could take some sheila friend of yours and go to the Warren without Jamie and Sophie?" he explained jokingly. "I just couldn't do it, mate. So I stopped round the Bennetts and picked them up. Said hi to Ms. Bennett of course and explained." Linda was cocking her head as she examined the stature of the Bunny in her room.

"You weren't lying," Linda expressed. "He really is like... freaking Wolverine."

"Do I ever lie?" Morgan giggled, shifting her eyes so she could take in everything happening around her. Bunny was smirking, obviously pleased with the effect he was having on Linda and was even puffing his chest a little and raising his shoulders a little to appear bulkier. Jack also seemed to be noticing this, rolling his eyes at the ridiculousness of what Bunny was doing. Linda, however, gaped at the rabbit warrior towering in her bedroom.

"But I thought maybe you just has this fear of rabbits and so you made them out to be these tough things."

"Jack came and found me the other day and told me ya been having some troubles," he explained. "He said you've been feeling depressed and hopeless. Well, I want to take ya to where I reside and show ya a thing or two. He said you would love it and that ya are a big fan of beautiful things, of strange things, and some things that just never seem possible. The world is a dark and scary place, that much is true, but there are things in this world that are also brightly light, filled with color, and ya can't do anythin' else in the Warren but feel hope and happiness surroundin' ya. Ya will be breathing in joy. So..." Bunny stepped forward and bowed lowly to Linda, holding out his paw like a gentlebunny. "Would ya accompany me to the Warren, Linda?" She was hesitantly, but she slowly gave her his hand. Then, she looked over at Morgan frowned in her shock. She opened up her eyes more and gave her a look that said "There is a giant warrior bunny escorting me to a mystical land." Morgan snorted back her laughter. He slammed his foot against the floor twice again and the mossy tunnel opened once more. Morgan clung to Jack and all of them dropped into the floor. Laughing and giggling, Linda was jerked down the tunnel by Bunny, who was moving very fast of course, and in an unimaginable short time, they exited into a lush green world. The hills were emerald and the stones waddled, their faces carved to appear cartoonish on rock eggs. Linda's musical laughter rang easily, a noise that awakened relief in Jack and flowering mirth in Morgan. Many of the stones also had shadows of moss, and the lavender lake glittered in yellow, blue, ad green shimmers. Flowers in pinks and blues and yellows welcomed the other's presences with the opening of their petals and stubs from the cherry blossoms drifted around them like nature's confetti and dotted the greenery with white and pink accents. Pine trees were popping out of the earth in even rows and smaller trees in various pastels weaved between them. On the towering walls of the Warren which stretched farther than anyone could see, stone arches marked the entrances of tunnels leading to various parts of the world. Mushrooms and bushes of curiously warm colors also made up the landscape between the trees and the flowers. Several wisteria trees presented streams of purple hanging down over the paths that whipped through the wonder world.

"Welcome to the Warren," Bunny gruffly announced with pride Sophie cheered and immediately began to walk through a nearby tunnel, on a mission to find something. "Sophie don't fall into the lake this time! I don't want to send you home again to tell your mother the proper way to clean all the colors off!"

"I won't!" she called back, but then giggled.

"Aw, crikey, she's going to go swimming in it..." he said.

"Yep," Jamie nodded.

"Jack, Morgan, why don't ya show her around. I'm going to keep on an eye on Sophie so she doesn't get dye in her ears again. Sophie, wait up!" Bunny dropped to his fours and sprung towards the tunnel to catch up with her. Linda waltzed around the paradise, touching the stone faces delicately, jumping when they turned to show their angry faces to impress her on how they could change. Her fingers trailed through the wisteria and the trees, following the petals of the flowers and fingering the soft moss that glided over the stone. She gasped when a single white egg waddled over to her. She lifted it and looked over its legs with bewilderment.

"They have _legs_," she wheezed out.

"Yeah, they do," Jack said, leaning against his staff. "Everything you know about eggs is different here. Morgan and Jack led her under a bridge and took the egg towards the lake Bunny had gone to, spotting Sophie on the other side. Her sandals had been removed and she was kicking in the lake. Bunny was currently trying to warn them to not splash around so much, but she and Jamie were ignoring him. Jamie was spotting Bunny's fur with the different colors of the water by his extreme splashing methods. Jack looked on them fondly and then gestured to to the lake below Linda dropped the egg into the water and gleefully watched it roll around and coat itself with purple and blue, a spiral of yellow at the top.

"Now you're feet are purple! Blimey, Sophie, ya can't do this every time! Your mother is gonna think I'm irresponsible!" Sophie cackled and attacked Bunny, tickling his fur violently. Linda looked up over to Bunnymund's vicious attack and her wondered grin spread even wider. Linda carried the egg over to where Morgan was leading her, spiraled vines hanging and waiting. Linda dropped the egg through and it squeezed itself through the corkscrew of the vine. When it dropped back onto the path, it waddled back over to her, showing the lilac designs that had been stamped on the colored stripes.

"It's beautiful!" she laughed. Bunny found them and he looked a little colorful and his fur was disheveled, but he exposed his large front teeth again in his grin, smiling at the small egg in Linda's hand.

"I can't believe how fantastic this place is!" she said. "And this egg... It was able to take care of itself and make itself into this brilliant thing! Now look at it! It's the most wonderful thing I have ever seen..."

"That it is," Bunny grinned. "But Linda, I want you to think about something."

"What?"

"You say this egg did it by itself."

"Yes."

"But it needed to be given some direction, didn't it?"

"Well, I guess..."

"This egg was a blank, empty thing. To the world, it didn't seem that important. However, it was given help. Just a little mind you. It got a little bit of a push, and it was able to move forward and do somethin', mostly all by itself. It needed a small bit of help to get better and fill itself up to make it wonderful. Now it's somethin' ya admire, somethin' to dream about." He closed her fingers around the egg and his flickering green eyes melted into Linda's dark ones. "It needed to accept help to get to be beautiful and something incredibly artful, but it also needed to be willing and do most of it by itself. Remember that, Linda." Linda held the egg to her chest, understanding gleaning in her eyes.

"What would you have said about walking eggs yesterday, a river of color, and stones that can change their faces yesterday?" Jack prodded, bringing his face to close to Linda with his curiosity.

"Um, well as much as I would have loved the idea of them existing and thought they would be the coolest thing ever, I would have said they would never exist and it was ridiculous to think they could," Linda answered carefully.

"Wow, that sounds familiar," Jack said sarcastically. "Gee, that sounds an awful lot like something someone said about never amounting to anything or falling in love again. But you know what? This all does exist, despite what you think. You know why Morgan and I are together?"

"Because you're both sexy beings that belong together and should totally get it on like, yesterday?"

"YES!" Morgan screamed, punching her fists into the air and scurrying across the path before them. "That's totally embarrassing and disgusting but Linda is back!" Jack smirked and looked over at Linda again.

"Because she saw me. And she saw because she believed."

* * *

**All you guys are giving me the most amazing things to say and that is wonderful. I love you and I am so proud I can make you guys happy, but I also want you to know that if something doesn't sit right with you feel free to tell me! I want to know the errors in my writing so I can better it.**

**I also want to say that what Linda says about what she felt when she was dying is totally made up. I have not come across any testimonies that have dealt with something like that, but it's sort of a mystical elements I put in, supposed to be more symbolic of the darkness of depression in Linda fighting with her former happy go lucky self. I took it from the idea of the old Catholic belief (I am not saying all Catholics believe this, but some do and it's usually associated with the old beliefs of Catholicism) of suicide sending you directly to hell and my own personal belief that suicide does not send you to hell, that your final destination is determined, as it always is, by your heart. So it has multiple meanings and it's something I am very proud of. The two forces are also fighting because it was not Linda's time yet and they did not know where to place her, although each one wanted her, and that combined with a sinking fear of what death could mean, is what stressed Linda out and made her realize she did not want to die.**

**As far as how she feels and what she did... I am basing it off what I have been told and certain things I have felt. I have been depressed, and I have had fleeting suicidal thoughts, only once did I think about it for a good several minutes but I have never been... how do I put this... in a constant state of thinking about suicide where it never left me. And so I never tried. So I cannot say if I depicted it well, but I tried, going off what I know and what people have said. So I apologize if things aren't accurate.**

**Bunny is the Guardian of Hope, ad Linda is Hopeless. That is why he brought her to the Warren :) I'm not saying it is a sudden turn around for Linda, because depression does not work that way, but it helped.**

**I find the idea of someone jumping into the lake of coloring dye hilarious. So it was a must. Thank you for understanding. I'm going to go play my new Nancy Drew game and scare myself to death with it now. Love you, my rosettes. Mwah. Gute nacht!**


	75. Running with Thoughts

**We ended up NOT seeing Great Gatsby today which makes me all sad inside :( But I am very proud to report that today my home state legalized gay marriage which makes me happy :) I hope this chapter is okay, I kinda had... no idea, so I smooshed too things into one. It's not the greatest chapter but it's all right. I like the ending anyway**

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"Linda, I am very happy to hear that you have realized that maybe love isn't out of the picture for you," the doctor expressed to her in her weekly session. Morgan's parents had given the number of the therapist she saw to them and the two of them had figured out to attend sessions together, as they were most honest when they were around each other. Per their requests, Jack had joined them for their sessions. Morgan, of course, was really not in need of her sessions but her parents were not convinced yet she didn't have schizoaffective disorder, but since Linda truly did need the session, she no longer fought with her parents to cancel them. She was okay with attending the sessions if it helped with Linda, and lately her mother had been easier to deal with. Morgan was pretty sure it had to do with the preparation of the arrival of the baby, but the fact that she thought Morgan's decision to no longer argue with her over the psychiatric visits was a breakthrough probably helped as well. Jack was reclining on the small desk, resting his arms on the hook of his staff. Linda and Morgan were both seated together on the couch and Dr. Finster was across from them in the armchair, the oak table separating them. "When did you come to this realization and how?"

"Uh, well... someone showed me something beautiful and filled me with... hope that things will be okay. He helped me to understand that just because something seems like it could never exist doesn't mean it won't."

"Who is this person?"

"Morgan knows him. He's Australian."

"Morgan, is this Australian the Easter Bunny and is this place the Warren?" Dr. Finster prompted. Morgan nodded slowly. The doctor tapped her pen against her clipboard and then sighed patiently, folding her hands professionally. "Linda, was this a dream of yours?"

"No, it really happened in the middle of the day!"

"You mean, like through some meditative practice?"

"No, it... ugh, never mind. It was a beautiful place and I didn't think it could exist. But it did."

"Linda, you say none of this stuff ever happened and you didn't believe in it until yo met Morgan, correct?" She nodded. "I'm glad you two are attending these sessions together because I am starting to believe that maybe all of this plays together."

"What do you mean?" asked Morgan. Finster leaned forwards and looked between the two of them seriously.

"Do you have an interest in each other?"

"What?" asked Morgan.

"I don't follow," responded Linda.

"Morgan started to get really vocal about her relationship with Jack around the time she met you, you seem to be more honest with each other than anyone else, you are always around each other, you both seem to bring something out of the other person that no one else has ever been able to do. When something happens, you are always there to support each other. Morgan, this belief in Jack... is it possible that Jack is a cover because it's better to have everyone believe you are seeing people than to face telling everyone, especially your family, that you're in love with Linda?" She twirled her pen while she waited calmly for an answer. Morgan drew in a sharp breath, the doctor's response pounding shock into her veins. At first, Morgan could not conjure up any words to explain how she felt. Nothing floated through her brain while the complete madness of that question stirred her and she searched for a way to express how she felt. Her body seemed to not even be sure of how to react, until it settled on anger. Dr. Finster had always been a genuine and caring person, and for the most part, liked her, so she could not believe she had asked this and was ready to explode. Jack jerked up, staring at the doctor as well, but his attention quickly fixed to Morgan. The twitching in her arms and and the bulging red in her face were tell tale signs of an explosion on Morgan's part.

"Hang on a second," Linda voiced quickly, while Jack drifted over to Morgan and held her shoulders tight against her chair. "Why does that mean we're together?"

"These gifts she is receiving are coming from someone important, and you care about each other a lot. You both seem to know about Jack, and it would explain everything. Together, you two are making up these lavish lies about things that could never happen because maybe you think being judged for the way you see the world is better than getting judged for admitting to being in love."

"You think-" Morgan began to hiss.

"Morgs, stay," Linda ordered, as if her friend was a puppy. "Listen, doctor, I understand you have a degree in this, but that analysis is a little ridiculous, and let me explain why. Morgan and I have both had boyfriends in the past."

"Morgan was thirteen, and that was right before she met you. Maybe she was still exploring her own identity, maybe she was confused, maybe she was trying to cover. Same with you, Linda and Evan. Or maybe you're bisexual or pansexual."

"Trust me, I am in love with men. And I do think Morgan is sexy, but in a I love my best friend and she is gorgeous and charming sort of way. You are a beautiful charming woman, I'm sure you have friends, and a best friend. You must know how it is, how you are so close to someone you feel like your souls were separated when you fell to Earth to go to different families. That's how I feel about Morgan. She's more like family to me, more like a sister, and since I don't condone incest except in one or two instances of fanfiction-" Jack blinked rapidly and Morgan stared a her friend with disturbance. Linda giggled slyly. "Besides that use your logic. You know my troubles with being poor my whole life and how my family has always lived paycheck to paycheck. Could I really afford all those gifts? Could I afford something like this?" Linda raised Morgan's arm so the promise ring on her finger was glittering. "And that Anne Boleyn Morgan always wears, she got that from Jack before she met me. Way before. It doesn't make sense, okay? I love men, okay, very very much, and have no interest any other way. And Morgan is... well, I'm not sure. She might even just be attracted to anyone who has an ancient aura. Jack is over three hundred years old. Joseph Fiennes is always in historical pieces. She says Cupid makes her weak in the knees, and he's incredibly ancient. He also does that with everyone I am told. Then there was Pitch, he's older than all of them. Hmm. You know, Morgan seems to be attracted to impossible men." Morgan rolled her eyes.

"I'm not a lesbian and I'm not bisexual. I am straight, but I don't fall for every single man I have ever seen like Linda does," she taunted. "Jack is not a cover for anything. He is Jack."

"Just Jack," Linda squealed.

"Oh my God, is that another reference?"

"Morgan, you know me. Of course it's a reference."

"Ugh..."

"Come on, you left that wide open!" Dr. Finster smiled a little at their interaction and scribbled something on her notepad on her clipboard. Jack nestled between the two of them, pushing them aside from each other. Both of the girls narrowed their eyes at him and he smirked smugly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Damn it, Morgan, why do you need to be so truthful about everything?" Linda breathed in exasperation when they got back to the Kenters. The world was getting ready to bid the world good night, already having prepared by dropping it's black shade dipped in golden sparkles across the atmosphere.

"I'm not going to lie to a psychiatrist," she said. "They're there to help."

"But for crying out loud, you know you're telling the truth!"

"And people who have real mental health problems think they are too. I've always fought against censoring and restricting of any kind, so I wouldn't be true to who I am if I lied," Morgan explained.

"What about when you would tell your parents you're going to hang out with me but you're really going on some rendezvous with Jack?"

"That's different."

"How is it different?"

"Because if they found me gone they would panic and freak out and worry. They're family and if I put them through that over and over again I couldn't live with myself. It burns me every single time I do it, but I would rather them be lied to then to send themselves into panic attacks."

"Thankfully for you, those lies have been coming more true than anything else," Linda scoffed. "Which by the way, what do you and Jack do when you're off in the middle of the night?"

"In the winter, sometimes we go ice skating, sometimes we create ice slides, sometimes we have snowball fights. Sometimes he terrifies me by playing through the air. Sometimes we just go somewhere and be alone. He takes me to historic places sometimes. My favorite thing we do is chasing the Dreamsand."

"I think you mentioned that once," Linda recalled. "Is that when you follow Sandman's dreamsand across the sky?"

"Yes," Morgan whispered, her eyes dilating with her wonder. "And it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It's so... impossible for things can leap out of sand like that and come to life. Things that have been in your mind. And the glittering of the sand... it's gold, practically. It's like no other sand on earth. I can only think it must be something... something magical."

"Whoa, Morgan used the word magical," Linda breathed. Jack, who had been standing in the corner, slumped against the wall and watched them whimsically, apprehensively twitching his foot. "Someone alert the authorities, that never happens."

"There's no other way to explain it..."

"I want to see it then..." Linda asked. Jack was already popping up and walked over to the window. He looked over to the clock on Linda's wall and then looked back out.

"Then we'll go," Jack offered. Linda whipped around and her eyes bugged to Jack's answer.

"We'll go?!" she exclaimed.

"It's been a while since Morgan and I chased the Dreamsand, it's about time we go," he chuckled. "And you've never been able to do it." Morgan laughed at her friend suddenly bouncing with the possibility of the idea.

"Yes, yes, yes!" she agreed. Jack gestured with his hook to the sky. Flecks of warm gold extended from the horizon in a ribbon heading right for the neighborhood. Morgan strained as she lifted on the edge of the window, opening up their gateway to the rest of the world. Jack jumped onto the sill and then casually held out his hands behind him, waiting for the girls to take a hold of him. Morgan immediately clung to him, her sudden impact tugging on his body so he nearly toppled over. She gestured with her eyes and a smile to her friend to take Jack's hand. Hesitantly, Linda took Jack's hand. He leapt out into the wind and sailed on, Morgan resting familiarly on his back and Linda clawing his arms with the desperation of finding a stable position. He laughed and shifted so she was holding onto him without the risk of falling. They met with the snaking trail of sand and he lowered both the girls off of him, keeping a grip on their hands as they tiptoed over the vibrant grains. Morgan giggled at the tingly feeling the Dreamsand radiated through the soles of her shoes. Linda nervously tread over it, but couldn't deny the gentle bubbling the sand gave her. Another ribbon drifted above them and Jack jumped into the sky, catching the grains so a dolphin emerged from the Dreamsand and chattered, its tail caressing Jack's cheek. He laughed and then Morgan traced her fingers through it, the sand taking image of an 18th century soldier. The soldier bowed lowly to Morgan and she curtsied, before he slung his musket across his shoulder and marched off. Linda nervously poked at the sand and an image took form. From the sand rose a scene of a couple, the woman in a large majestic ball gown and the man with a tailcoat. The two floated in their sky dance and she was enchanted by how the fine lady spun and twirled with the movement of the gentleman's arms. Morgan latched onto Jack, watching as Linda slowly grew to believe in dreams once again.

* * *

**I have a lot of ideas coming up but I am in that terribl period where I am trying to connect A to B and I just asdfghjkl;kiuytrew don't know what to do. I'll try to get another chapter up today but I need to give myself a break to brain storm. So expect it the usual time, which is between Midnight and 2 am CST, which is 1 and 3 am EST, 11pm and 1 am Mountain Time, and 10 pm and midnight PST, 6 and 8 am UK time, 7 and 9 am most of Europe and the rest I dunno. Hopefully that's enough for you to go off of. See ya later guys :)**


	76. Practicing Fatherhood

**Okay so there are things I want to get to and I still have some time period within the story and I want to get it and I really have very little planned... a few things, but not a lot. So how would every feel if I sped this up a little and passed through a couple of years, only a few chapters? I want to cover at least... a couple of things in Morgan and Linda's sophomore years and then a couple more things, but I made skip a lot of time because otherwise it's really... kinda of boring. How would you feel? Please let me know. Otherwise I think I would set sail on the Boring Ship to Nowhere land.**

* * *

October had fallen once again as it did every year. Mrs. Kenter fretted over Morgan's sweet sixteen, but she refused to have any sort of fuss. She did not want a fancy party in fancy dress, especially since she had very few friends to invite. Instead, Morgan allowed her family to have a small get together and then afterward she allowed Peter to join her and Jack and Linda staying up all night watching films. He ended up falling asleep somewhere around one and Morgan passed out on the floor somewhere around three. Linda chose to go to bed after helped Jack carry the others to bed. After she had finally reached sixteen did Morgan decided to finally put her learner's permit to use that she had obtained at the end of the summer. Jack refused to let her get inside a car without him there, constantly panicking on the things that could go wrong. Morgan only allowed him on the promise he would shut up and only react if she put herself in fatal danger. The only promise Jack could give was that he would try his hardest because he was pretty sure if he made a solid promise, he would break it in a manner of minutes. Morgan was learning to drive, and that terrified him. Of course, the part that made him want to launch from his seat and grab the wheel every five seconds was ever present, but it was the simple fact she was learning to drive that freaked him out. Technically, if she had received her permit earlier, she could have already been driving. The first step into adulthood. The first real sign of the possibility she may stop loving him when she stops believing.

But right now she did believe in him, and he was struggling to also believe in her as she whipped through the turn, taking it far too wide so the approaching car had to honk at her to get her to steer back. He hissed and fingered the back of the driver's seat, fighting his desire to jump out of the vehicle and start an ice path to send the car in the right direction, but he promised he would really try to be on his best behavior.

"Morgan, don't do that again," Mr. Kenter calmly said.

"I tried, okay?" Morgan huffed, her voice sounding tense. Her knuckles whitened under the pressure of her hands wringing the wheel. "I misjudged and turned to late so I had to make up for it."

"Just don't do it again. It's good he honked. Get in the right lane now."

"Um... um... okay..."

"Push the handle up," Mr. Kenter instructed.

"Oh right," said Morgan, flipping on the turn signal light. Morgan breathed and smoothly cut into the correct lane. A heavy breath slid out of Jack coolly.

"That was good, Morgan."

"Thanks, Daddy."

"When you first start driving on your own I don't want you driving more than one person around."

"Okay Dad."

"I'm serious, Morgan. No phone. At all. Turn it off when you're driving so you don't call or text. And keep the talking to a minimum. That includes Jack, okay?" Morgan sighed.

"Yes, Dad."

"And this Jack character. Honestly, Morgan, I don't think you're crazy at all. I think you have always been able to see the real truth in the world, even when no one else sees it. I still am unsure as to what Jack is and if Jack is even a person. I think the fact that you claim to be a little bit in love with him is ridiculous because he's not really real. I mean, he may be... but he's not... a real person. I don't think he's the Jack Frost of fairy tales, but I think he's something, darling." For a second, Morgan tore her eyes away from the road to look over at her father. Jack launched himself and made to grab the wheel as the car drifted back over to the other lane, but drew back once Mr. Kenter swerved the car back into the right lane. "Damn it, Morgan, keep your eyes on the road!"

"I'm sorry, Dad, I'm sorry! I just can't believe you said that..."

"I've said it before, haven't I?"

"But you believe there is something?"

"Yes, Morgan. I just don't think this Jack and Jack Frost are the same. Best thing I can come up with is this specter heard your stories about your imaginary friend Jack Frost and decided to become him. Kind of like that show your mother and I saw in New York a few years back."

"He's not a specter, Dad, and he's definitely not the Phantom of the Opera," Morgan chortled, turning her wheel along with the contour of the road.

"That was a perfect turn, Morgan."

"Thanks. It's nice to know that you think he exists in some form and that I'm not mad."

"Is this Jack character here now?"

"Yes Dad."

"Jack?" The frost boy perked up, feeling strangely excited that a member of Morgan's family other than Peter was addressing him.

"Yes, sir?" he said politely, but Mr. Kenter did not show any sign of hearing him. Jack slumped in his seat. Of course he couldn't hear him. He may believed Jack existed in some form but he would only see him if he believed in him as _the_ Jack Frost and no one else.

"He says 'Yes sir'" Morgan repeated.

"When my Morgs is driving, you do not distract her and keep the talking to a minimum, got it?" Jack nodded.

"He agrees." Morgan lifted her leg and the car's power decreased as it slowed down. She carefully let it slide into a parking lot and Mr. Kenter winced.

"That was a little rough," he said. "But all right." Morgan moved the car into a spot and listened to her father's directions how to properly park a car into a spot with two cars on either side of it. Jack kneaded the cushioned back of the chair but remained quiet as he told Morgan's father he would. After six times, Morgan got the car parked in a satisfactory way and then jumped out of the vehicle, scurrying to catch up with her dad who walked twice as fast as she did. He slung his arm affectionately around her and kissed her forehead.

"How am I doing?" Morgan asked.

"Much better than Peter, slightly worse than Aubrey. And Todd was perfection from day one."

"Todd is perfect in everything he does."

"Apparently not considering he's missed going to class for a week," Mr. Kenter said.

"What?!" Morgan squeaked. "In his final year of college?!"

"Well, he's just had a bad break up, Morgs."

"But that's no reason..." Morgan's voice faltered off when she remembered Linda and how her relationship failure seemed to finalize every opinion she had of herself. "Oh, Todd."

"He'll bounce back." he said. "Once he realizes what he's doing."

"Hey Dad, when Linda and I go up to the Bennetts, can I-"

"No," he sharply said as he stepped in front of the censor of the store so the large doors slid open. "It's way too far and you're not ready for that. Another thing I forgot to mention; No radio until you get comfortable with driving."

"I don't listen to the radio."

"That includes audiobooks."

"Dad!"

"You'll get to in tune to the day's history lesson and focus on the details instead of the road. And then you'll be history." Jack snickered from beside Morgan, using his sleeve to try and muffle the laugh. Morgan rolled her eyes and slapped the top of Jack's head playfully.

"Grow up, Jack."

"'You'll be history!'" He repeated. "Aw, Morgan, you can't tell me you don't think that's hilarious."

"Someone is actually laughing at your jokes, Dad. Be happy," Morgan scoffed and attempted to distance herself from Jack. With large eyes made to appear pitiful, Jack returned to her side and looked at her apologetically. She giggled when he taunted her with a dramatic batting of his eyelashes and then he kissed her on the cheek. Mr. Kenter grinned and held up his hand to the air.

"All right, high five Jack!" he joked, but then Jack actually touched his own palm to Mr. Kenter's. Mr. Kenter dropped his arm and looked curiously at his hand. "My hand got really cold all of a sudden..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The passage of a couple of weeks found Linda and Morgan at the Bennett house again. For the last decent weekend of the year and the promise from Jack it would not be incredibly cold, Mrs. Bennett had gone out with her new boyfriend and had asked Jack to stick around to help keep on things. Linda and Morgan came down as well to accompany him and because they will still slowly still working on building Linda up. She had come a long way but she still had many moments where she had some sort of fit and they were working to get rid of all episodes so they ceased to exist.

"The tree did not stand a chance," Jack said, finishing up a story at the dinner table about Morgan's recent driving experience where she was driving on a country road through a thrush of trees and hit a tree branch, sending the car into a sapling.

"It was tiny," Morgan remarked in defense, quickly gnawing on the sliced carrots that had been kabobed to her fork.

"You weren't paying attention, so instead you decided to ignore the road and the giant piece of wood that was right in the middle."

"That sounds like Morgan," Linda laughed, swishing around her potatoes with her spoon. "'That tree reminds me of a cherry tree, like the one George Washington cut down. Ah yes, I remember learning all about that! What a great moment in history! I'm sure when historians wrote it down all they could think was about how it was a shining achievement for young George! I wonder what kind of axe – oh my God a tree I am about to cut down aarrrggghhhh!'" Linda then dropped on the table, letting her tongue fall and touch the surface so she looked dead in an overkill sort of way. Jamie chuckled and Sophie cackled wildly at the hilarity of Linda's interpretation.

"Linda, don't be ridiculous!" Morgan chastised, her brow wrinkling into disgust. "Washington never cut down a cherry tree." Jamie and Sophie laughed harder as they scarfed down their only slightly burnt chicken.

"Because people who go down in history do not violate young trees," Jack smirked, placing his hands behind his head. Morgan gave him a dull look and then shoved nearly a whole dinner roll into her mouth. The rest of the table continue to guffaw at Morgan's embarrassment, who tried her best to hide her amused grin.

"Sophie, why aren't you eating your carrots?" Jack sternly said.

"I don't want to."

"Well, you have to," he plainly said. "Now come on. Morgan and Linda worked hard on the stove today to give you a good meal. And they only burned the chicken. It's a good thing Morgan doesn't cook like she drives."

"For heaven's sake..." Morgan whispered as she caught the endearing look Jack was giving her across the table.

"Dad never says I have to," declared Sophie defiantly.

"Well, Helen does and I go by your mother's rules. Eat your carrots now or no ice cream later." She crossed her arms. Jack leaned closer to the blonde child. He expanded his eyes so Sophie knew he was not cross with her, but that he was not about to let her push him around. "Sophie. Please eat your carrots."

"Why? What will you do?" He cocked his eyebrow and then looked over at Linda. She pursed her lips to keep back the boiling laughter.

"The evil witch will kidnap the snow princess again."

"No!" Sophie laughed.

"Sophie, you must eat them quickly! They're magic seeds!" Morgan laughed. "They will prevent the witch from finding you! Now! As quick as you can!" Sophie laughed and then slowly shoveled her carrots into her mouth, swallowing them down. She held out her tongue to show Jack that she had swallowed them and he swept her from her chair and placed her on his shoulders.

"No! Where did she go?" Linda dramatic asked in a gruff voice. "I cannot find her... what happened!" Sophie giggled contagiously while Jack held up her arms, swaying them from side to side.

"Victorious! See, I told you you need to eat your carrots! Now, you are safe..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"That was the best meal I ever had," Jack murmured into gentle calm of the dark that shrouded them. The rest of the house had fallen silent, the Bennett children in bed and Linda musically snoring through the one nostril from her place across Jack's room. Morgan was curled up in Jack's arms, a blanket tangling her to prevent Jack's touch from chilling her all night. Another blanket was wrapped around the two of them so there was no way they would come apart except with some struggle. Morgan drew aback from his answer, examining his face for some sort of lie.

"I don't know how that's possible considering the chicken was burnt on one side and everything turns cold the minute you swallow it anyway," she said.

"I don't mean the food," he chuckled lowly so Morgan's skin crawled with anticipation. She tightened the lock of her fingers around his middle. Jack's fingers caressed the feather touch of her tresses. "I just mean the set up. The way we talked. You and I. It felt like Linda was the rebellious teenager who had a remark for everything you and I said, Jamie was the rambunctious child who felt a need to laugh at everything and Sophie was the difficult one who refused to eat her vegetables."

"And there were you, being all tough but caring papa," Morgan laughed, tracing circles across his chest. "And making fun of your lady lover and her cooking."

"Why can't we have that future?"

"I thought you loved being a Guardian."

"I do! But... I miss being able... if only I could father children."

"Manny isn't answering his phone?" Jack smirked at her sense of humor. Morgan pried her arms from Jack's waist and chopped at the blanket, forcing it away from them. She raised her body and set her feet to the floor so she was seated on the edge, her hands closed in front of her face. Jack reached for her again, fingers sliding around her.

"Love, come back to bed..." he begged.

"This always happens... why can't you let it go?"

"Because I can't let it go..." he sighed. "I'm forever going to be like this. I know you have never been big on the idea of having kids, but I can't shake it from my mind."

"Jack, if it were possible for us to have kids, I would, okay? For you. When we're older. Of course I would. I think I would be okay. But we can't and we should just accept that."

"Morgan, no, I can't... it is hard for me to just be okay with it."

"I agreed to adopting, didn't I?"

"An older child, yes, and I want to do that but... there's something different about having children that are related to you and share your traits. There's a blood connection there, something I feel with Jamie and Sophie and Helen." Morgan swung her head from side to side in her distress and rubbed her eyes. Then she spun and angrily threw back the blanket around Jack. She pursed her lips and glared at Jack, ignoring the glisten of the tear that was trailing down her face. Jack was a little conflicted about what was going on and though his body eagerly reacted to the touch of her fingers tugging at the blue sweatshirt over his head, he could sense a reluctance in Morgan that made him reluctant in whatever was going on that was fueled by Morgan infuriated passion.

"Morgan..." he started as she then pulled the ratty cloths of the remains of brown vest and a fraying white tunic over his head. He caught her hands just as they slid down his bare chest and touched the waist of his trousers. "Stop. Morgan, right now."

"Why?" she wheezed, her tears flowing at a steady rate. "You want kids, we'll find out if its possible right now. Right now. It's perfect timing. I'm right in the middle of my cycle and if you are capable then there's-"

"Morgan, no," he sharply said. "This isn't right, okay? You are not ready for this. And we know I can't."

"But you want-"

"Linda is here, and let's say there's the smallest of impossible chances that it works, okay? Your mother, Morgan. A pregnant sixteen year old? And how are you going to explain it? To your judgmental, disbelieving mother? Morgan, give it a few years. Plus, Linda's sleeping, come on. You have an incredibly high intellect, but this is the stupidest thing you've ever done." Morgan wept uncontrollably and her face fell to Jack's bare chest, her cheek cooling against its frosty chill. He stroked her hair lovingly and pressed his lips to the top of her head, moving her in a comforting motion in his arms.

"I lied..." she choked. "I lied to you Jack."

"Excuse me?" he asked, finding he did not understand how it was possible that Morgan lied. She never lied to him. Or to anyone hardly. "Please explain."

"I lied about kids... I thought if I didn't want them it wouldn't be so hard on you... and maybe at first it wasn't a lie, but we've been through so much an with Aubrey's baby coming I... I like the idea of having my own kids running around the house. But I see it did nothing for you. And I feel terrible, Jack, I am so sorry." He shifted again so she was laying beside him instead of on top of him and kissed her eyelashes til the tears crystallized and glittering along the edging of her eyes.

"Darling, it's okay, it's all right, I understand..."

"What are we going to do?" she rasped. "How can we have our perfect life if kids aren't a part of it?"

"Morgan, we'll still have a perfect life. We'll still have children running around. It will be fine, Morgan. We'll be okay, snowflake. I promise, I promise..."

* * *

**Okay, so I actually don't have my license. I'm 21 an I do have my learner's permit, but I've had it for four years. There's a lot of reasons why, like financial, my dad dying from cancer, nobody ever having time or wanting to take me anywhere, but I think the biggest reason is my extreme anxiety especially given my very first time driving I got into an accident that was minor but could have been major. So I have been driving before and I aside from deaths that happened in my family, in is the scariest thing I have ever experienced. And Mr. Kenter won't truly believe for a while guys, but he is going to acknowledge that Jack is there. I know I've made Mr. Kenter sort of a background character so I brought him forward more because I want to show that he is on Morgan's side (and always has been). That's it for tonight! See you later guys :)**


	77. The Makings of a Home

**I want to apologize for any future slip ups on not updating that may happen in the next three weeks. I am moving in less than three weeks and I haven't packed anything yet (I mean all i really have to pack is my bedroom but even so) and I am working (SEVEN DAYS IN A ROW SERIOUSLY. Six days at one job, and then the seventh day at the other). So if I don't update one day please don't like have a cow or something. I mean I know you guys never do because FF readers are like the most patient people ever next to Sherlockians but still. I am just getting stuff together. **

* * *

Well set into December, Jack decided to stir up a little fun and blow a huge snowstorm through Harrisburg. When the morning broke and people stepped out to see two feet of snow had fallen during the night and the wind was still working on more, schools were immediately canceled and people tried to call in to work. The Kenters and the Tans still went into work that day, which worked out perfectly with what Jack had planned.

"Come on, come on!" Jack urged, pushing open Morgan's window and flying into her room. She groaned and pulled the blankets back over her face, turning away from his boisterous yelling. "It's a snow day, let's go!"

"Which is why I'm sleeping..." Morgan mumbled, muffling her voice against the pillow. Jack smirked to himself and then pushed the covers down, plunging below the covers. Morgan shrieked when she felt his icy bare feet touch her ankles and she attempted to pull them in. Jack only pulled her closer to him, laughing at how hard she was trying to pull away from him. He placed a nip on her nose and she finally let her body rest against him, extended her arms around his abdomen and nuzzled into him. Jack weaved his fingers through the strands of her hair and placed a kiss on top of her head.

"Is this why you issued a snow day?" she asked, her eyes still shut. "So you can keep me in bed all day?" Jack chuckled sensually in her ear.

"It's an idea for some other time." Morgan blushed through her giggle. Her interlocked his fingers with her. "I had something special planned. I want to take you and Linda up to the North Pole."

"To see North?!" Morgan squealed and sat up enthusiastically. "Wait a second... but there's two weeks til Christmas..."

"One day isn't going to hurt, and North has had time crunches before. Besides the Yetis work on the toys. Half the time, North sits in his office creating ice sculpture. It's kind of a gift. for Linda anyway. She hasn't been up there yet, she's still got a long way to go before she's the Linda we met. I thought maybe this would help a little. Plus, I hadn't gotten her a birthday gift yet and I suppose it could count as a gift for getting her license."

"Oh fine... I'll get out of bed..." Morgan sighed. She began to slip out of bed, but Jack pulled her back in with him.

"I suppose," he chuckled. "We can wait a few minutes." Morgan took his lips and he pulled her back down.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Before midday, Jack and Morgan left to go pick Linda up and then they were on their way to the North Pole. Their arrival was welcomed bu disgruntled and exasperated Yetis, who yelled in their garbled language when Jack waltzed on in to the workshop with the two girls clinging to him. Upon entry, Morgan gasped once again at the marvel of the floating toys and the large rotating globe in the center of the entire establishment. Linda stayed quiet, but the gaping expression made up for her silence. Several Yetis brushed on past as they hurried towards something important. Someone was lugging a large crate across the pathway. The elves were jingling across the floor uselessly. Linda shift as one brushed across her boot and then scooped one up. The impish creature grinned widely at the new being that was holding him and did a jig for her, showing off his abilities.

"They're so cute!" she giggled.

"They seem to be," Jack agreed. "But watch out. They're annoying and mischievous." The little elf blew raspberry noises at Linda who scoffed and carefully set him on the floor. Morgan spun in the wondrous atmosphere of the shop, several feet ahead of the other two. Jack took large strides so he caught up with her quickly and caught his staff around her foot so she stumbled and teetered backwards. Jack confidently stood behind her and hooked his arm around her waist so she was staring up at him.

"You did that on purpose," she accused.

"And if I did?" he chuckled, colliding his nose with hers.

"You just wanted the opportunity to get yours hands on me."

"Hmm... perhaps." Their lips were only several millimeters apart and Morgan's was glowing a bright shade of pink.

"Oh, for crying out loud guys, this is Santa's workshop," Linda said. "This is the epitome of childhood, have some respect."

"Oh, make sure you don't say that to bunny," Jack laughed, tipping Morgan so she was upright, but his arm was still round her waist. "He and North have a thing about which holiday is more important."

"Jack!" a voice thundered from the back of the shop. The robust man in red marched towards them in his pounding boots. "What are you doing here? Christmas is in two weeks, it is time for crunch!"

"I just wanted to take our friend Linda to see the place!"

"Santa!" she cheered wildly and then threw herself at the big man, clutching his waist so tightly she was almost buried in his folds of clothes. "OhmygoditisreallyyouIhavewaitedmywholelifetoseeyo uIcan'tbelieveit!"

"Ah ha! It is good to see you too, Linda. But you cannot be in here! All your gifts must not be seen til Christmas Day!" he warned in a friendly tone.

"Oh Santa, please let me take a quick look around! Please! This shop is amazing! I have never seen anything so wonderful and beautiful in my life! Just a short tour..." As she begged, North's eyes softened and his smile tenderly broadened. He boisterously laughed and gripped Linda's shoulder firmly.

"Of course you can," he announced. "But I will show you."

"Yes, of course, sir!" she giggled, her face brightening as if she had met her favorite celebrity.

"I'm going to take Morgan out to see the house," Jack said, as Morgan beamed at him affectionately. North frowned at his answer and then towered before him with intimidation. His eyebrows turned toward worry and the edges of his lips crinkled with nervousness.

"Jack, I know I already shared with you my thoughts about it, but I say it one more time. Especially since Morgan is here, and this is last time. I never bring it up again. You really want this house here? Even with the possibility this could not work? Should not work?"

"Yes," Jack responded with hesitation.

"Morgan? You are okay with living with Jack up here? And you plan on being with him?"

"All my life," said Morgan. Jack turned to her and stared fondly. Then North's belly shook with his laughter.

"Okay, okay, I leave alone then. The Yetis have been hard at work, but have slacked on it last couple months with Christmas around corner. It is taking shape." North turned from them and led the bubbling Linda down a hallway, beginning his introduction of the workshop. Jack pulled on Linda's hand up the stairs and out of the main door of the building. He swung her onto his back and she clung to him in a perfectly practiced motion. He drifted on the wind the short distance to an icy cliff dusted with a thick layer of virgin snow. He led her up the incline of the slope, requesting she shut her eyes. She smirked and then let her eyes fall shut. Jack's fingers curled around her hands in a firm grasp. Morgan felt the comfort of a promise in his hands that he would not let her fall off the mountain and followed the urgent tugging on her wrist. The snow rustled under her feet and she could make out quiet grumbling of Yetis having a civilized conversation mixed with the rigorous sawing and pounding that often equated with construction zones. The musty aroma of wood mingled with the heavy bitter smell of paint, which was an interesting scent in the crisp chill of the air.

"Take a break guys," Jack said and the Yetis gave remarks of approval in their languages. The ground moved as they stomped down the mountain. "Okay, open your eyes." Her eyelids flipped up and the air caught her throat. It really was not a thing of a great beauty, but it was the potential of it that made Morgan so enchanted. The frames for the bare foundations were in place and the front portion of the house was still open. The walls on all the other three sides were still closed up, however, and one even had the beginnings of paint on it. Most of the roof had been thatched with dark hay, but there was still a good chunk of it left open yet to be covered. The floor had been completely plastic, a rustic type of wood to give the house a older look to it. Jack pulled Morgan along, showing her the interior. She stepped up onto the flooring and breathed shallowly at the size of it.

"Wow," was all she said. Along the floor, wood framing had been placed to start on the inner walls that divided up the rooms. He led her though the house, pointed out the incredibly empty sections.

"This is going to be the living room with a fireplace, and it's going to have something of a royal 15th century theme to it, like something you would have found in the Tudors' home."

"You mean Hampton Court Palace?" Morgan recited, but her voice was very dull with her awe at the framework and all of the labor that had already gone into it.

"Yes, that place, and then this leads over to the kitchen." He pulled her into an adjacent outline of a room. "This is going to be our kitchen. It's going to be a little modern and look like a vintage country home kitchen." He led her into the next shadow of a room. "The kitchen is going to be here. This one is going to reflect a medieval kitchen. I thought this would be the room easiest to reflect the time period since there would not be a lot of every day objects that would interrupt the effect." Before she even had time to picture what it could possibly look like, he was already pulling her down the makeshift hallway. He pointed to a small room along the way. "That's the bathroom. I think I'm going to go for an ancient India theme with that one. We're also going to get plumbing in here so it serves a purpose." He stopped and pulled her along a finished set of stairs. "They recently finished the stairs and upstairs flooring so they could get to work on it. It really is coming along. Most of these are bedrooms."

"There's a lot," Morgan observed. He shrugged.

"I don't know how many little ones we're going to have around here, or how many guests we're going to have. I also have no idea what themes we're going to go with. North suggested Siberian theme."

"He would," Morgan laughed.

"There's the other bathroom. I thought that could have a pioneer theme. And here..." He pulled her along down the future hallway and into a large space marked off. "This is going to be a library. Filled with all your historical documents and facts. This will have a Roman theme to it." Morgan was stepping into further, imagining the rows of books against the wall before Jack ripped her away again, showing her a room that was almost as equally big.

"This is... the master bedroom," he muttered nervously. Morgan looked over him, analyzing how he seemed a little nervous in saying that.

"Our bedroom," she added, and his smile drew back on.

"Yes."

"What theme is this going to be?"

"Victorian. I've heard that theme makes some beautiful bedrooms. There's going to be a master bathroom connected too, and I thought that theme could be-"

"Winter wonderland."

"What?"

"You heard me right. You're doing all this for me, Jack, spoiling me with my most favorite historic destinations. You should get something of your own interest, and in our own private area too. The master bathroom is going to be winter themed." Morgan set her eyebrows so Jack knew she was serious. He wet his lips and looked around, filling in the imagery of the future bedroom in his head. Morgan gripped him and placed her kiss in his mouth.

"Thank you," she said. "I can already see it's going to be beautiful. Even though it's not completely there."

"Of course." he chuckled. "That's because I had a beautiful inspiration."

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**I know it was shorter than my other stuff but it seemed like a good stopping point. I liked this chapter despite it simplicity, and I wanted you guys to get an idea of the future Jack is trying to build for them, however short it may be considering Morgan is a human. Gonna see if I can get another chapter up tonight. Until then :)**


	78. Reaching for Adulthood

**Another chapter for you guys tonight. Thank you for all your kind words once again! You never disappoint :) To a question I was asked but I can't answer it privately because you are a guest user... Jack can't have kids because he is frozen. Maybe I wasn't clear before because I was trying to be incredibly subtle since I only want to imply, use innuendos, and infer things because it's Dreamworks and I am trying to keep some innocence to it, but it's possible I was too subtle. Therefore... Jack's scrotum is frozen, okay? And because of that I did actually innocently try to sort of hint at that in this chapter too. I may be experiencing a little baby fever myself because OH MY GOD EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY IS HAVING A BABY RIGHT NOW, I SWEAR. AND I SWEAR EVERY OTHER ONE OF MY FRIENDS. Every day on Facebook I see something and I'm like HOW ARE THESE PEOPLE HAVING CHILDREN WHILE THEY'RE STUDENTS. Also my sister is pregnant and I am very excited because she has been wanting a child for like... five years now. Actually it's been more like since she was a teenager but as far as able to have a child with time and funds and a real life guy.**

**And to ChocolateIsKryptonite, I love you forever for saying "They're going to live in the House that Jack Built" Oh my God, just you watch, that's going to be a chapter title...**

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When Aubrey walked into the house, holding the small child swaddled in a thick blanket in her arms, Morgan saw Jack fidgeting nervously beside her in the living room. Aubrey and Ryan had come up to show off the baby and for three days, Jack had seemed as if he could think of nothing else. He kept asking questions about who he looked more like, wondering if he would be able to see him yet, what he would be like when he grew up and Morgan almost walked out on all his questions. T was hard to tell if he was scared about being around a baby or elated, and both of those emotions seemed to pour out of him the minute Morgan cradled him against her chest. There was a different sort of expression that Morgan wore as she looked at her nephew. Jack observed her carefully, watching the smile fill with a welcoming joy that was different from the way she looked at her family, Linda, or even him. It was the happiness of knowing the connection between the small, innocent life and the one bearing that life. It was the closest Morgan had ever looked to the way his mother looked at Emma when she was born, and he loved the way she looked at him. It drew him closer to Morgan and he so badly wanted to hold the child with her.

"Lawrence, I will teach you all the fascinations of history, no matter what your mother says about it," she said to the sleeping child in her arms, who simply stretched his arm. Her family members seated around the room laughed.

"And then he'll be bored of it and never study it in school and get bad grades and it will be your fault," Ryan joked. Morgan screwed up her nose in response to him.

"Never. Not the way I teach. I will start with his name, and who in history bears his strong namesake."

"Who in history has the name Lawrence?" Aubrey wondered.

"Lawrence of Arabia, as a surname, and quickly forgotten monks. I actually... there's actually not much. But it's better than my name, mother!"

"What's wrong with your name?"

"Not only did you teach me that an incredibly evil woman who tried to kill King Arthur was really the only person with my name in history, but when I was eight I found out that story wasn't actually true! Talk about a disappointment."

"Blame your sister, she's the one who gave you that name," jabbed Mr. Kenter.

"I liked the story okay," Aubrey said in defense.

"You named me for Morgan Le Fay?!"

"She didn't tell me where she got it from til later," said Mrs. Kenter. "I just thought it was pretty.

"You names me for someone evil."

"Heeeeyy," Linda said from beside her friend. "She's not that bad."

"That's because you watch the BBC show and you pity her."

"It's all right, though," Aubrey said/ "Larry doesn't need anyone important figure in history to share his name. He'll make his own name for himself." Morgan nervously helped passed Lawrence to Bradley, who held him with great care.

"Jack, make sure he doesn't drop him."

"I'm not touching that child, Morgan," he said to her calmly.

"Why?"

"Here we go again..." Peter groaned from his chair. "Mom, she's talking to Jack."

"I know, babe, I know just... let it be for now. If she gets hysterical or violent will move her."

"Mom, I don't get hysterical or violent," she scoffed. "Well, here anyway. And I certainly wouldn't with the baby. Jack just... if Peter can't support him..."

"You'll have to. Morgan, I refused to get to close to Lawrence."

"What...? But I don't understand... you talked about wanting kids someday..."

"Kids someday?" Aubrey questioned.

"Wow, that's going to be really hard with a figment of your imagination," Peter laughed. "You know, Morgan, there's a word for doing yourself and it doesn't produce children."

"Uh, shut it, Peter!" she snarled with disgust. Mr. Kenter looked really concerned about the idea of his daughter trying to have kids with what he thought was a ghost and was in deep thought about trying to understand how ti would work.

"I can't touch them until they're two, or thereabouts."

"Won't? Or can't?"

"I won't because I can't get them sick," he explained sternly. "Babies are incredibly sensitive to temperatures and I can't... make them cold. They could really sick and if they get really sick, it can be really dangerous for babies. You've heard of SIDS, right?"

"Yes." Jack looked away from her, down at Lawrence, and then he turned away. "No, Jack you haven't..."

"Always accidental."

"But the reasoning for that has been solved and infant's..." she lowered her face, afraid to mention something like that around Aubrey. "death... has been deduced to lying the baby down wrong."

"Most of the time... but whenever I saw a new baby had been around, especially when I first became Jack Frost, I wanted to visit it in its crib, because it was the only human that probably would not have noticed me no matter what. All they cared was that someone was holding them and playing with them."

"Oh my God Jack, I'm sorry..." Morgan reached to help Bradley keep the baby's head up. "That's... that's horrible..."

"And that's why I stay away from babies. Especially when they're sleeping. Let me know when Lawrence is two and you've told him all the stories about me and then I'll come and greet the title tyke." Morgan nervously hovered around Bradley, but kept her eye on Jack sympathetically. Then she took a glance at the clock and remembered her plans with Jack.

"Mom... I'm going to go for a drive... I think."

"A drive?" she squeaked. "But you only just got your license this morning."

"That's exactly why, and I need to..." she looked over at Jack again. "Besides I... I like how it clears my head." Mr. Kenter rose from his seat and lowered his gaze to Morgan adamantly. He fished his set of keys from his pocket and dropped it into Morgan's hand.

"No radio."

"Yes."

"No audiobooks."

"Yes."

"Remember what you were taught."

"Yes."

"Back before it gets to late."

"Yes."

"And be careful."

"Love you Daddy." She clutched him and kissed Lawrence on the forehead, skipping towards the door.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just fly there like always?" Jack mentioned for the last time that day. She laughed in her throat and gave Jack a knowing look. She used her fingers to squeeze his lips together.

"Aww, it's adorable how you worry sometimes. We'll be fine. And you'll yell at me if I do something wrong. I have Guardian in the passenger seat. Just... don't do anything to distract me."

"Would touching you provocatively distract you?"

"Um, yes, I would be on you like a bunny..."

"...oh now I'm thinking of Bunny, you just made it gross." Morgan giggled and pulled him out the door and into the vehicle.

She could not believe she had ever been so nervous about doing this before. After several months of practice, Morgan had learned to be comfortable with welding her palms to the soft vinyl wrapped around the wheel in front of her, and the metal plate fit against the sole of her shoe perfectly. Somehow, the adjustment of the seat seemed to be formed to her body and the sound of the wind ripping past her window exhilarated her in a way she could not explain. She knew the sound of the fast pacing wind well from her journeys with Jack, but there was something incredibly different about it now that she was in control of it. The ferocious hum of the car intoxicated her sanity and she glorified in the intensity it stirred her. It was fitting she passed her test and got her license, the day before Jack was to leave, and for their date that night she begged that Jack let her drive the car because she wanted to be the one who would transport them. The indigo of the sky falling into the hazy orange behind the distant outline of the buildings created the perfect atmosphere as she turned onto a road that was delightfully absent of cars save for the occasional one. The more she practiced driving defensively, the easier Jack felt and he even felt relaxed enough to prop his bare feet against the dash board. Morgan smoothly pulled the car into the parking spot at the edge of flattened grass that was just beginning to turn into that healthy shade of spring green.

"See? Didn't kill us," Morgan said.

"Yeah, I was really concerned about me dying," Jack remarked sarcastically.

"Shut up," she laughed and he walked alongside her down the stone path that trailed through the park. She dropped her hand from her pocket and her took it in his own.

"There's nobody here," he observed as they passed under a bright lit lamppost.

"Oh, there is... but they're in the bushes..."

"Why are they are in the bushes?"

"They're all couples, Jack."

"Oh... is that... why we're here?"

"Yeah." Jack jerked his gaze to her and sucked in air through the gaps between her teeth, the idea occurring to her what he was really asking.

"No, god no, Jack! That is not what I meant! Oh, damn it, no I mean when we do do it, it's definitely going to be more romantic and more comfortable than rolling around in twigs and leaves and grass, no I just mean that everyone is preoccupied and no one will see us, that's all." He looked around the landscape of the park to distract himself form the awkwardness between them, observing the shrubs and flowerbeds and bushes that were attempting to bud and come back.

"I bet it's beautiful here in the summer."

"It is. There's a civil war museum just over there. I used to come here so much that now I have memorized everything in that museum, so it's a little boring going there. But sometimes they have new stuff." Jack and Morgan walked down the path together until she led them towards a domed stage, with several benches faces the set up. They walked down the incline and together the two of them sat on the edge of the stage, looking at the now black sky that was accented with gold and silver sparks. Jack shifted closer to her and placed both hands on her one.

"The bandshell," she explained. "Sometimes bands play here. It was built in 1939."

"Do you know all of the town's history?"

"Probably more than the mayor does," Morgan said. "Although it's not like politicians really pay attention to our past or they wouldn't make the mistakes they do." Jack laughed louder than he expected to. Morgan rested her head against the flat surface of the stage, shielded by the dome of it suspended over her head. Jack followed and leaned back, and then he rolled over so he was looking at her face from above. "I always prepare myself for your leaving, but no amount of preparation helps. When the time actually comes its unbearable. And I think it's even worse since you stayed last summer."

"How is Linda doing?"

"I think she's okay. Pretty much normal. She's a teenager, she's going to have moments she hates herself. I do too. And as women, we generally struggle more than men do with our body image because of society's values on our looks. So there will be days, but I think she seems to be pretty much normal on her antidepressants. Her sessions are almost finished and then her parents can go back to their normal lives."

"I am very glad to hear that."

"I am too. I really was scared for a while." Jack's knuckle massaged her cheek and she closed her eyes to its feathery touch of ice. "When will you stop leaving me like this?"

"When we are allowed to be just us and run away to the North Pole."

"That's after college."

"What is the point of that anyway?" he asked. "You're going to college to get a degree to get a job you can't get at the North Pole."

"I could still do something," she giggled.

"Like what?"

"Well, you still earn money."

"When I got a girlfriend, I realized I would need it." Morgan's hand flew into his chest. "Ow!"

"Jack, you set up a website using Bradley's nerd brains and Linda's eye for design to create a company that doesn't exist with a fake address-"

"It's not fake, it exists, the building is abandoned."

"With a Google email account."

"As you said freelance. I'm a small company, I don't have the funds for all that fancy stuff." Morgan pouted her lips and narrowed her eyes to warn him not to interrupt her. "Sorry.)

"Anyway... you have created this elaborate lie on a website that you make me check every day when you can't be here that you are Jack Bennett, ice sculpting extraordinaire. Which by the way, people are very angry you can't creature sculptures for their weddings. Most of them happen in the summer you know."

"If any of them are penguins, I could."

"Yeah yeah... point is, you are... 320 or something. I'm bad at math. And you have a freelance internet based job where you are getting paid. And all over the world in every currency. In cash. I think I could a job." When Jack was told that he would need require certain things for the now finished, but unpainted and unfurnished house, he went seeking for opportunities to obtain money. Conversations with Bradley and Linda helped him realize if he was very careful, he could make up this business and pretend to be a hermit, which is why he never showed his face. He asked for cash, as that was the only way he would be able to use it, and even though to others it seemed sketchy, to those who used his services in the past three months highly rated him and more people were beginning to trust those reviews. He also gave them an incredibly low cost seeing as he never actually had to buy materials. All he charged was his labor. Of course, he had to put on the website that he was not available during the summer and that annoyed a few of his customer.

"It's weird, isn't it?" he asked. "House... jobs... baby talk... I mean, I feel like I'm doing adult things Morgan. When I'm dead. It's a little funny."

"You know, when you talk about things like that, you actually seem a lot older," she chuckled, leaning towards him. He cradled her and kissed her forehead.

"Really?"

"Like... maybe twenty. But when you start flinging snowballs, you seem twelve." Jack chuckled lowly.

"When you held Lawrence today, you looked different."

"Different?"

"You just seemed... so peaceful and content with yourself, and the way you just... adored him. I've never seen you like that. I've never seen you seem to love something the way a mother would."

"He's my nephew," she said simply. "It's as if... because he's blood related, I can feel how we're connected and any doubts I had about caring for a child just melted away, because I know I'll be okay. The minute I touched him I loved him and I want to take care of him and pass on my knowledge to him..." Her eyes seemed to drift away to another world as she spoke, and Jack was entranced by how she seemed to belong to her realistic dream state. "Is it strange how the most realistic thing that could happen in life, having a family, is the one thing that's incredibly unrealistic for me, the realist?" Jack didn't say anything. "How do you know you really can't?"

"I just can't. It's not possible for... things... to survive in that cold of temperatures. I'm cold to you Morgan, but inside, my organs are much colder."

"But you can be warm, Jack. Sometimes, when we're kissing, I can feel you heat up beneath me. A little. Imagine how much it would be if we..." Jack turned away, hopeless taking over his expression and telling Morgan everything she needed to know about what he thought about that.

"Or it could go the other way and just get you sick."

"I haven't gotten sick yet."

"But prolonged exposure to me might. I purposely do not sleep with you every single night for that reason." Morgan sighed and dropped her hand from him, and rolled over to face the other way.

"I didn't want to spend out last night arguing."

"Morgan, I'm not arguing." She jolted up again and jumped into his embrace, smothering his face with the fiercest of passionate kisses, her lips parting to make room for him. His hands traveled across the contours of her body and he pressed his kiss harder into her. She tangled her fingers against his frost coated hair. She pushed up his blue sweatshirt, tossing it aside on the stage. He pulled her farther into the dark where the hood of the bandshell met with the stage and slid her scarf from her neck and her jacket off her arms. Both fell to the floor near where the Jack's sweatshirt had been thrown. Jack flipped around so he was now on the floor and Morgan let her lips fall to his neck. This time, he didn't protest when she pulled away his vest and tunic, exposing his bare chest. She moaned in a pleasurable pain when he nibbled at the skin on her nape, and pushed her neck in for another round. Jack responded happily and she rolled over again, her fingers following the patterns of crystals on his chest.

"You know, my mother is going to want to know where this hickey came from..." she muttered with a sultry tone.

"Well, considering you always tell the truth..."

"I guess it's not lying if she doesn't see it. I'll need to be many scarves to last me for a week. I only have this one."

"Linda would be ashamed by your fashion choices."

"But Linda would be proud of what I'm letting you do to me right now." She took another kiss from him, and then looked up at the moon. "I swear he's looking at us disapprovingly."

"How are we to know? He never talks," Jack scoffed with a little coldness to his voice.

"Do you think he knows how our future is?"

"You're confusing the Man in the Moon with God, my dear."

"Does He exist?"

"I don't know! I died, but I didn't go to heaven, I went to... Guardianland or whatever you call it." Morgan giggled boisterously. "I mean... I was raised to believe but it's hard to in this world." She rubbed her fingers from his chest to his waist and he pulled her hands back up. He wished she would touch him more, but the feel of her life awoke his frozen state. She slung her hands around his neck.

"Must you go?" she asked. "I want a little more of this."

"You don't want to wake to find me gone in the morning and you promised your parent you would be home soon... so yes. You need to drive away without me. The longer we wait, the more painful it will be." Wordlessly, she slipped out from under him and put her jacket and scarf back on, adjusting it so it hid the developing bruise well. Jack pulled his tunic, vest, and jacket back over his head and could not resist giving Morgan a dip and a kiss before he gave her his annual promise of coming back for her. Then he used the staff to push himself off into the wind and Morgan found she did not like driving without believing Jack was besides her mentally watching her every turn of the wheel nervously.

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**This park, btw, is a real place. it's called Reservoir Park in Harrisburg, PA.**

**I didn't know where this chapter was going, but I like where it went. I had a lovely convo with one of my readers on Tinychat the other day (even though I ended the dumb think because I hit a button and ruined everything D: I'm sorry Abysmal :( ) So if you want to join me on Tinychat sometime, please do! If you don't know what it is, its a free IM service where you can use video, if you want, you don't have to, and stream stuff together and watch youtube videos and it's pretty awesome. No signing up and no downloading. Also find me tumblr! Same username on here, and don't forget to review! Send me questions, and I will answer. :) love you guys, see you tomorrow! I'm going to pass out now.**


	79. A Catcher in the Rye

**So today was just not my day. At work I slammed my finger in the door, meaning it hurts as I type right now because there's a big old bruise and at first i thought I broke my finger. And then, I was watering the plants (I work in the Garden and Outdoor dept) and I had the hose turned the wrong way and it shot me in my face. Good job Rose. Oh, and then the worst thing of all worst things happened.**

**You know when your computer freezes and the only option is to shut it down manually? That happened. And then guess what. MY ENTIRE FANFICTION DOCUMENT WAS CORRUPTED, COULD NOT OPEN, AND THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO SOLUTIONS ONLINE. Like seriously, the onyl answer by Tech Geeks was "Nothing can be done. Learn to back up your files." Well. Thing is. I am an idiot when it comes to computers and I never back up anything. Because I am stupid. Fortunately, since it's on here, I can download all the chapters. However, that requires a lot of work. I like having a copy with all my chapters all together in one document, and it actually really annoys me that Fanfiction has tis set up where there's no indentation for every paragraph and there are breaks between each paragraph. I suppose it makes for easier reading, but I write like the way you would see in a book, because in my mind that's the "proper" way to write (I realize there's more than one way and creative writing has less rules because it's creative but I have rules in me that I was taught in elementary school and I can't get rid of them.) So I got this chapter typed so you're not waiting, and I am going to spend my night and probably tomorrow before I go to work download EVERY SINGLE EFFING CHAPTER AND FORMATTING THEM AND ASDFGHJKLKIJUYTRE... Okay. So the moral of the story here is folks if you don't want to lose your stuff; back up and close the freaking window document if you're not using it (of course, save first), and don't just close your laptop so that gets avoided. Please don't send messages about how I shouldn't do that, I know better, and I feel like a fool, and now I am paying for it. I am just thankful that I have them online. **

**I have really bad luck with my fanfictions. I had five one a USB and I lsot the USB my freshmen year of college. And that is why I do not put my stuff on USBs anymore. Except now this happened... Maybe I should just back up with five USBs. Anyway here's just one chapter. I am not typing another tonight because I need to get all of this down. Ugh I really hate myself tonight. I bet Jack froze my freaking computer, thanks you annoying sexy adorable jerkface.**

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"Don't you feel weird for being here?" Linda asked her friend who sat beside her. Jamie and Sophie had gone to see their father and Ms. Bennett had asked the two of them to come over. With her kids gone, Jack gone, and Abby no longer around, things got pretty lonely for her, even with a boyfriend. In the middle of the summer that year, with the scorching heat pouring onto them, they lounged on the long lawn chairs with a pitcher of lemon iced tea between them, which Morgan did not care for because it was unsweetened. Linda, of course, was obsessed with getting a tan and so she was stretched out in the shortest denim shorts known to man and a tank top that only gave her little more coverage than a sports bra. Morgan, however, was perfectly fine in a set of capris and a short sleeve shirt, even if she were a little less comfortable than Linda. She didn't care, however. She refused to show much skin.

"Why would I feel weird?" Morgan said. "The Bennetts are our friends, and Ms. Bennett will... kinda in a weird way be like my... mother-in-law one day."

"It just seems wrong to be here without Jack," responded Linda, pulling down her large sunglasses that Morgan thought made her look like a fly.

"It's been a while since we were at the Bennetts," said Morgan. "And it's kinda nice getting the place to ourselves."

"You're only saying that because you're stuck in a room that smells like Jack."

"Ice is a comforting smell."

"Ice is ice. It smells like nothing."

"No, it has a particular smell. It's like the smell you get when you go in a walk-in freezer, it's a little bitter and cold and I think it's refreshing."

"Whatever weirdo," Linda said, sipping from the tea. Morgan wrinkled her nose at her.

"Hey girls!" Ms. Bennett greeted as she stepped into the backyard.

"Hi, Helen," said Morgan.

"Sorry, I was on the phone, but I'm out here now. Did you guys sleep well? Linda, I hope Sophie's bed wasn't too squeaky. It's old, I really need to get a new mattress." Linda nodded quickly in response.

"It was fine," she said slowly.

"I had trouble getting to sleep," Morgan told her. "It's weird being in there without Jack."

"You know, I thought I was going to be such a cool mom," said Ms. Bennett. "You and Jack... I mean, I look at Jack as my own son, but you and him are so much different than Jamie and Pippa. I have no problem with you around here and spending nights and stuff, but the minute Jamie is not home when he should be, or they've been way too quiet in Jamie's room. I worry, and then of course we argue..."

"It's because you raised Jamie, you didn't raise Jack," Morgan responded. "And the fact that's he's well over three hundred probably has something to do with it. He's learned a thing or two. Also I think Jack's old-fashioned upbringing is a little instilled in him still. It battles with his modern learning a lot."

"Morgan also is afraid of male anatomy," Linda teased.

"Oh shut up."

"Morgan, I am glad you and Jack are together," Ms. Bennett started. She flipped off her sandals and settled into the empty chair, kneading the grassy ground with her toes. Morgan looked up at her suspiciously, sensing a "but" in there. "I mean really, you are a wonderful girl and I love you as much as I love Jack and I am so glad to see him just so... happy. He's been alone for so long. However I am concerned." Morgan sighed, knowing everything that was going to come out of her mouth.

"We're aware our relationship is unorthodox."

"You're relationship shouldn't even exist," Ms. Bennett chuckled. Morgan rolled her eyes at her joke that she did not find all that funny. "No, no, Morgan, I am not telling you what to do, but have either of you thought about the consequences? Jack made have the wisdom of an adult but he reacts with the naivete of a teenager. His brain is forever set the way a fifteen year old's is. He is going to have to deal with raging hormones forever. Thank God, he doesn't have pimples, let's say that." Morgan instantly became aware of the two forming on her face and casually touched her face to hide them inconspicuously. Linda snorted as she watched her do so. "I'm just concerned. Right now, you're still the same way. You still think the way he does, and right now your relationship seems fine and perfect. And quite frankly, I am surprised it's lasted this long. Three and a half years is incredibly long for a teenage relationship. That says something about you two, especially you. However, you're human. What about when you go to college? What about when you have feelings for someone who won't have to leave in the summer, who your family can see, who has the ability to grow old with you and can father children?"

"Jack didn't tell you that!" Morgan gasped, throwing her hands over her face and sliding down in her chair. Her face was nearly purple with the intensity of her embarrassment. She wished the lawnmower that was deafening the air from across the street would grind her up right then and there. Ms. Bennett sympathetically smiled to her.

"Yes, Morgan he did. He tells me everything, I think. Nearly everything. He explained to me how the both of you want children someday and why he would not be able impregnate you."

"I think I'm going to throw up..." Morgan wheezed and leaned over the edge of her chair, expecting something to come out. Linda, however, seemed to be having the time of her life and she flailed with the movement of her laughs.

"I know this is embarrassing but please understand. Jack would not share this stuff with me if he didn't care about you and wasn't concerned, and that's why I am telling it to you. Morgan, please listen. If you want a life where you have children and can have a job and see the world and see your family, do not marry Jack."

"It's already been decided."

"What is that on your finger Morgan?"

"It's a promise ring."

"But it's not an engagement ring. There's not real promise to marry. If you were so committed and so sure you wanted him, you would not wait. You would be engaged, even if you have to wait a decade to actually get married. That tells me that you both have some doubt, and you know this isn't ideal. A human cannot be with a Guardian. I can foresee the two of you being unhappy. For a while you may be okay, but what about when you get to my age? You'll see the lines on your face, and you'll see your youth sliding away. Then you'll look at Jack, and realize he does not share your stress. He doesn't have to worry about looking old. He is always going to be young looking. He will ever understand how self-conscious you will be about your aging appearance. And that will depress you because he can't share in it. You will constantly worry about whether or not he still finds you beautiful, and what if he doesn't?"

"Jack would never-"

"And I believe it. But what if, Morgan? There's always that possibility? What if another girl believes in him past the age she should? What if he falls for her the way he did with you? And let's say he is forever faithful to you til the day he dies? I couldn't bear to let go of Maurice. It killed me, but I had to. I longed to have him back, and when we divorced, knowing he was no longer a part of my life..." she breathed deeply. "It was like he died. But he didn't. And my grief would be Jack's grief times ten. I see the way he loves you and if he still loves you that much, or more, by the time you go... I don't want to think about what he could do. What Pitch would do."

"He said he wouldn't. He promised."

"And Jack is always good on his promises, but if you do not know what is coming, if you cannot begin to fully comprehend what something means, even Jack Frost can break his promise."

"Helen, it could still work, we could still-"

"I know, I know," she said gently. "But there are too many risks involved. Too many possibilities. And you need to think about it, Morgan. Be realistic."

"Maybe I'm fed up with being realistic," Morgan cried, making Linda suddenly stare at her in a state of complete shock. "Maybe I want something that's too good to be true. Maybe I want something impossible. Maybe I want something that could never happen in history."

"That's the desire for the fairy tale romance coming through you."

"No, it's not, it's..."

"I'm just concerned about your hearts, and what could happen. I think this is way too dangerous and way too risky!"

"It's worth it, okay?!" Morgan screamed, jerking away from her seat and standing in front of her. "Everything, all of the pain that could happen. I am never going to fall out of love with Jack, and I will never love anyone else, I will never leave him, and I am going to be with him forever! Maybe my parents are right, maybe I am insane! Maybe being so involved with Jack has made me mad, but who cares! If insanity keeps me with Jack, then so be it! Lock me up, throw away the key, never let me out! I will forever love Jack and we're always going to be together." Linda rose and attempted to pull Morgan down.

"Morgan, calm down, she's just trying to..."

"No, no. I don't want to hear it, I know her intentions are good, but she doesn't understand! She's never been in love like this before..." Helen pursed her lips and tried to not look offended. Her fingers coiled around the ends of the arms, and she looked down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, but for some reason, you just don't seem to understand!"

"You're a teenager, Morgan, I get it. But let me say one more thing, all right? Have you ever stopped thinking about Jack as a Guardian?" Morgan ripped away from Linda, and the aggression that formed in her face now dropped and she filled it with questioning.

"What do you mean?" she inquired. Ms. Bennett sighed and folded her hands, her eyes searching for the right words to say.

"Have you ever stopped thinking about him as a Guardian and thought of him as someone who's dead?"

"But he's not."

"He really should be. If he wasn't a Guardian, you would have never met."

"Why aren't you defending me?" Morgan hissed at Linda, who was twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"She's a mom, and she's... got more authority and... what she says makes sense, Morgs."

"I can't believe you," Morgan snarled, and then she whipped around to Ms. Bennett once again. "It's different, okay? He's not dead, he's very much alive. He's like a different species."

"Okay, let's go with that then. Dogs and cats cannot mate, because they shouldn't. They're different species."

"I'm not saying he's that different!" Morgan cried. "It's not like dogs and cats, it's like dogs and wolves! They can-"

"But wolves can still grow up," Ms. Bennett sighed. "They can still age, they can still die. It isn't the same, Morgan, and you know that. Have your fun. But maybe you shouldn't commit to something like this."

"Why would I date someone without the intention of committing?" Morgan scoffed. "Did he tell you about the house? How he filled it with everything to meet my interests and needs?"

"He did tell me about the house..."

"How is that not commitment? How does that not show how much he cares for me and will love me forever? How? Has you told you what he's calling it?"

"No, Morgan, he did not tell-"

"The Taj Mahal!" From behind her, Morgan heard Linda suck in air through her teeth, a hopeful sign that Linda was touched by the significance of it and maybe she would be on her side again. Ms. Bennett shifted uncomfortably so Morgan knew she understood the meaning of the Taj Mahal. Maybe Jack told her about that too.

"Helen, why would you help Jack pay for all those expensive gifts for Jack and now you're against it?" Linda remarked quietly from her spot.

"I'm not against it," Ms. Bennett admitted. "I want you two to last. However, my experiences in my own life and my knowledge about how the world works tells me... this can't work, and I just... I'm scared, okay? I'm afraid of all the consequences and I can see it not going well, and I know you're naïve and I think you should be prepared that it may not work and I don't want you crushed if it doesn't."

"But sometimes things do work," Morgan said. "And even if it doesn't, you need to let me find that out. You're a mother, and so it's in your nature to shield your children from the world's cruelties, but you can't. You need to let us fall from innocence, you need to let us find out everything ourselves, the hard way. And I don't blame you, I will probably do that with my own children, should I have them, or even Lawrence. You need to let us screw up on our own. A child never learns to not touch a stove until he touches it and it burns his hand. And the memory of the pain keeps him away from it." Ms. Bennett pursed her lips again and nodded. Morgan's lips found a smile and then she crouched before the woman so very dear to her. "Only a mother who truly cared would bring something like this up. Anyone else would let me just crash without helping or warning. So thank you. It tells me you care." Ms. Bennett seemed to get the energy to laugh and pulled Morgan in for a hug, kissing her hair. She looked over at the pitcher Linda had trained and slid it from the table.

"Sugar this time?" she offered.

"Please, yes!" Morgan said. Ms. Bennett smirked knowingly and then headed back into the house. Morgan threw herself back into her chair and Linda looked around awkwardly. "Linda, this isn't Peter Pan, is it?"

"No," she said. "I know we've said there's similarities, but there's also huge differences. Peter chose not to grow up and chose not to love. If he had done that, he and Wendy would have been okay. And you seem to forget, the only person who had Wendy's kiss forever was Peter. If Peter had only remembered to go back for her every year... and Jack always comes back for you."

"So, do you think it's bad that Jack and I are together?" Linda grinned and her eyes twinkled in the bright sun.

"Never."

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**I realize the title of this chapter only makes sense if you have read the book... which you haven't you should. it's fantastic. Now I am going to go and waste my night compiling my story together. Oh, you have no idea how much I hate myself. Sleep well. I probably won't. Sigh...**


	80. The Reality of Imagination

**A HUGE THANK YOU AND STANDING OVATION TO DRAGON STAR EMPRESS! SHE SAVED MY SANITY AND SENT ME AN ENTIRE DOCUMENT WITH MY WHOLE FANFICTION ON IT SO I DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE IT ALL FROM ONLINE! She had been saving it to read later in case something happened and GAVE IT TO ME! YOU ARE FANTASTIC AND BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL AND I COULD KISS YOU! EVERYONE GIVE HER A COOKIE!**

**So another chapter is what you get, as I am able to write freely now :)**

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"We're upperclassmen!" Linda shrieked in Morgan's ear when they returned to school in September. She tightened her grip around Morgan's arm and wrung it in her enthusiasm so Morgan hissed at the pain.

"Linddaaaa," she told her dramatically.

"Oh sorry..." she apologized quickly and dropped her arms. "Just think, two more years and we're done with this place... forever. And you're probably going to get into some Ivy League school..."

"I'm not getting into an Ivy League," Morgan exasperated, shifted her bag on her shoulders. She unfolded the small schedule to once again look at the morning class she and Linda where sharing, which was eleventh grade literature. She moaned, already decided she was not going to start her mornings out well. Unless they would be studying pieces of literature that actually happened, she was going to be bored with this class all year, and Linda would probably find it exciting. "My overall GPA isn't the best, remember?"

"It's better than mine," Linda coughed. "Remember? Can't do well in anything."

"You did well in drama."

"Yeah, in things I don't have to do written work for."

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses."

"Point is, you're still getting into a university. I am going to Community College. OhmyGodMorgan!" Linda clutched her best friend tightly to her. "Whatarewegoingtodowe'regoingtodifferentcollegesan dwe'llneverseeeachother."

"Linda!" she hushed, slowly prying every fingers away from her neck. She was ready to scold her once again, but when she looked to her and saw the panicked stare of hers, she could not help but to chuckled gently and give her a real hug. "We don't have to think about it now, and we'll see each other all the time, even if I go to college in Washington."

"D.C or state?"

"State."

"Don't you dare go to college in Washington!" Linda snarled. Her eyes bulged with demanding emotions and the edges of her nostrils were threatening to fan out. Morgan cackled at her ridiculous expression before they stood outside their classroom door.

"It's not my first choice, and I probably won't even apply. I have narrowed my choice of colleges to those in the northern part of the US, especially those in the Midwest on the east coast, but really, I want to stay as close to home as possible, that would be great."

"I thought you wanted to get away from your family?" Linda remembered. Morgan shrugged.

"I want to be far enough where they won't be stopping by unexpectedly – meaning I won't be staying in Harrisburg. But I want to know if I need my mommy or daddy, I can drive up for a weekend."

"I wish I could even afford that," Linda grumbled. "The only places I am going to be able to apply are the Harrisburg Area Community Colleges, and if I don't get the one directly in Harrisburg, I am going to be hurting financially between living costs and driving."

"Linda, I have no problem giving you money. And I'm sure Jack wouldn't either," Morgan said, following her friend into the empty classroom and taking seats near the front. She plunked her backpack on the seat and began to rummage through her contents, throwing a pencil and a notebook on the desk. Linda did the same, but she looked forlornly at the simple yellow pencil compared to Morgan's thick mechanical pencil and her artistically style notebook next to her ten cent one she got at the bargain store. Her shoulders dropped with her sigh.

"But you know I will never ask."

"Point is, my dream college would be UPenn. It's right here. I could go home. It has one of the top history programs in the US."

"It's a colonial college..." Linda added half-heartedly. Morgan raised an eyebrow to show her impression.

"Linda, good for you!" she said that. Linda gave her a small smile.

"Once in a while, I do listen to you," she giggled brightly. Morgan immediately began sketching in her notebook, starting in on a picture of Benjamin Franklin, her mind sparked by talk of colleges in the Pennsylvania area.

"It's not going to happen. It's an Ivy League, and my scores will be too low and my parents will be paying for college and I have some funds, but they have their limits. It's out of the question. So I have a few ones scattered across the US I am going to apply to, but I am going to apply to quite a few here and see if I get accepted into them. Most of the ones I am looking at are around the Philadelphia area."

"You'd like that," said Linda approvingly. Morgan beamed at how well her friends knew her. Morgan looked down at her drawing, no longer noticing the lines that were forming beneath the flow of her pencil and then spun in her seat so she could face her best friend.

"Linda," she began. The black haired girl turned her attention to her, indicating that she was listening but she was also waiting for any movement from the teacher that school would be starting soon. "I want you to know that going to a community college does not label you as dumb, nor is it anything to be ashamed of. No matter what you chose, I am still going to be proud of you because you are still choosing to further your education and you still have that desire to learn. You still want to do something with your life and you are making a conscience decision to go through challenges in order to prepare for a better future. It doesn't matter if it's a two year school, or a four year school, public or private. I'm still proud of you." Linda's mouth dropped when Morgan turned back, smiling with pride to herself. Linda gasped with energy to speak, but the teacher looked at the time and the desks in the room that were almost completely filled and she began her lecture, introducing them to the class. She took a moment away from her talk and looked sideways over to the two girls seating next to each other in the front. She winked and her face was warmly glowing with a combination of her healthy skin and some kind of make-up.

"You two," she laughed, using her pen to gesture to them. The two girls sat straight up, a natural reaction when a teacher pointed them out. They glanced up at the ceiling as they ran through the things they said that may have made her angry. "You are either going to cause me a lot of trouble, or you are going to be one of the most beautiful and inspirational friendships to grace this room."

"She's quiet, I'm trouble," Morgan quickly explained. Linda shyly nodded with agreement.

"She will challenge every book we read on its logical sense and how what you refer to as symbolism is ridiculous and will not understand why people can't just tell you the facts instead of analyzing the book!" called a voice from the back row that Morgan recognized from a class of hers the previous year. Morgan giggled, knowing how too true the remark was.

"Guilty," she said apologetically and Linda giggled quietly, anxiously swaying her leg. The teacher narrowed her eyes at Morgan, but in more of a curious way rather than an accusing way.

"Logical sense?" she asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"She only likes things that are true. She's a little bit of a freak when it comes to history – I am not calling you a freak, I just mean.. freak as in... obsessed," said a boy quickly who had been in Morgan's freshman advanced History class. He had become all too familiar with Morgan's outbursts when someone argued with her on history or made fun of her about it. Morgan grinned brilliantly at him to let him know she understood.

"Only things that are true?" the teacher chuckled softly.

"Yeah, only things that really happened."

"Morgan, right?"

"Yes."

"So you like non-fiction, then?"  
"Yes. Basically only non fiction. I don't like things that are made up."

"Why?"

"Because they're... not true. Make-believe, pretend, made up... none of that is real."

"Oh, I am going to teach you a very important lesson in class," she said, swinging her pen around before them. "Just because something is fiction, doesn't mean it can't be true to you." Linda muffled a squealed, obviously a little excited for the curriculum for the class. Morgan screwed up her brow and watched their teacher pace around the room with this knowing grin on her face that was irritating Morgan for many reasons she did not understand. "There are things in this world we are taught to not believe in, things we don't think are possible, things we look at and say 'It's just a story, it's not real, it's pretend, it's just your imagination, you're seeing things...' But the truth is some of these things are hidden and we can only see them when we choose to believe in them. And when we believe in them we see the real truth, and because no one else can see them, that's when they become the most powerful!" She shoved her fist into the air in a way that was becoming a little dated for the students. Morgan furiously started taking notes, a little confused as to why she thought what this woman was saying was so important. Linda mouthed the word "wow" slowly. "I am here to tell you that imagination is the most truthful thing in the entire world. And that's why we read and study books, to let our minds go on a journey with endless journeys an endless truths. That is why some of the wisest people on earth were well read in literature – they found hundreds of truths in their lives. Never let anyone tell you that just because something is made up means it's not true! Never tell a child their imaginary friend doesn't exist, never discourage a kid from playing pretend because it's ridiculous to play something that never happened, because in their eyes it's real, and imagination was never more true than with a child. So find your inner child in my class, and let your imaginations lead you on a quest to find the greatest truth there is!" Morgan and Linda stared at their teacher in awe, flabbergasted by what she was saying. The rest of the class was also taken aback by their teacher's speech, and some thought she was just plain weird. Morgan and Linda, however, read into her words a little too much of the truth she was speaking and connected it to their lives. She retreated back to the pairing of Linda and Morgan's desk and looked down at their with a friendly intimidation. "In some corners of the world, Neverland exists so never it doesn't." Linda very nearly fell from her chair at the mention of the fictious place. She giggled when she watched them look at each other with disbelief. "Hello, class, and welcome to eleventh grade English. I will be your teacher. My name is Miss Randolff."

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**I know this chapter was shorter than the others, but with my rigorous work schedule for the next few days and my stress from trying to fix this now fixed problem (I have the whole document but I now want to fix it my liking.) also my lack of ideas between what I have typed and what is coming up, my brain's a little fried. But now we should be able to move on soon :) Good night my rosettes! :)**


	81. Actions Once Thought Inconcievable

**At work today I was organizing a pile of beef jerky, and realized the pile was put there on purpose to hide something. A DVD. In fact, in the pile of the beef jerky was ROTG. It was like a shining moment for me that I just have the ability to be drawn to the one pile to clean up that involved my favorite holiday spirits. A lot of weird things happened at work actually. On a shelf by the potting soil, someone put a man's deodorant called Old Sport on top of a copy of the Great Gatsby. If you have read it or seen the movie you know why that's funny. if you haven't just trust that it's funny and laugh. Anyway, in this chapter it gets a little emotional and tackles some mature issues.**

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_~Jack~_

Jack kept a close eye on the position of the sun, swinging his long legs impatiently from his perch on the brick wall outside of the school. He flipped his staff over in his hands and constantly looked over at the door leading to the student parking lot. The sun's positioned informed him that it was three-ten. School was due to release at three-fifteen. He wondered if maybe the students got out early, but he saw no one leave the building. Jack slowly lowered himself so he was leaning against the brick wall and tapped the edge of the wall with his staff, a fresh path of ice ferns trailing along the brick. He stroked the edge of the velvet bag hidden away in his anterior pocket, the feel of the gift reminding him of how Morgan was sure to react when she saw what it was. A week ago he still did not know what to get here for her seventeenth birthday, but when he was making his rounds in England, chilling everything in site, he spotted a advertisement introducing the new item and knew exactly what he needed to get. Locating a small child who had been reluctantly dragged their by her history adoring parents and who, thankfully, believed in Jack, he coaxed her over and asked her to buy it for him, throwing in an extra pound she got to keep. Happily she did exactly that and Jack was now the owner of a gift he was sure Morgan would love, he was just concerned on whether or not she would actually use it.

A scrambled enthusiastic chatter of hundreds of students suddenly flying through the large doors jolted him upright and he casually leaned against the wall again, scanning the faces for someone familiar. A sense of pride swelled in him when he realized he could actually recall the first names of a few of the students. He recognized Nicky, the awkward but really hilarious girl who had kindly spent three days going over a biology test with Morgan so she received a B on. He saw Dustin who gave Morgan a ride last year when it was pouring out and she had missed her bus. There was the familiar face of Robert, who played Michael in Peter Pan with Linda, and he also saw Parker, the kid who was paralyzed on his left side from the shoulder down and Morgan liked to stick a small anonymous Valentine in his locker since freshman year since he was always treated unfairly and every girl he ever expressed a desire for always turned him down, some nicer about it than others. Jack had told before he was not sure that was a good idea since it got his hopes up, but Morgan said it was worth it for the two weeks afterwards he spent happier than he was all year.

The passing light before the door caught the glimmer of the ginger tint in Morgan's hazelnut locks and a shine on Linda's ebony tresses the two passing over the threshold together. Morgan was nodding with interest to whatever Linda was conversing with her expressively.

"Okay, I get that, but there's no reason why it should be any of our business. The both of them should really just leave her alone," Morgan responded, as their voices grew louder the closer they go to Jack. Linda noticed the boy in the frost covered sweatshirt first and jerked Morgan in his direction. She accepted a hug from him in greeting, shrieking at the touch of cold on her exposed shoulders.

"This means sweater time," Linda giggled, pulling away before she got any colder. Morgan jumped forward and Jack discreetly smothered her lips in the parting of his mouth. Morgan's fingers clawed through the lazy spikes of his ice-toned hair and by the time her hands were sliding against his back, heading downwards, he twirled her away from him with paranoia Morgan would be seen making out with air. Jack rubbed the frozen bits of lip gloss from his face.

"Sorry," she said softly. Angry chanting resounded from the flowing crowd of students, two different declarations overlapping each other and a girl with glasses and dark frizzy hair leaping across the lot in a desperate attempt it seemed to get away.

"What's going on?" Jack wondered.

"Oh, this has been going on for a week," Morgan answered, while Linda just rolled her eyes so Jack was instantly filled in on its ridiculousness. "Our school has both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice groups. They're kind of affiliated with our student run political groups, but also a little separate."

"Most of the people in the groups are quiet and don't create any type of noise and only share their opinions during school coordinated events and during their after school meetings. The way it should be," Linda added with effect.

"However there are four extremists in the Pro-Life group and three extremists in the Pro-Choice group that are just being completely relentless!" Morgan snapped, sending an evil glare at the groups who were screaming at each other and trying to barricade the girl with the frizzy hair's car, but she was beginning to pull it out of the drive and jerked the car, threatening to run them over. Most jumped. Two stayed in their positions.

"Why are they suddenly making a big deal out of it? And why isn't the school doing anything about it?"

"Some just don't care," Linda sighed.

"They always do it when no one is around to see," Morgan grumbled, staring at the car that was still hesitating on whether or not to run over the two remaining protestors. "That is enough, I've had!" Morgan dropped her backpack on Jack;s bare feet who nibbled on the edge of his lip to silence his cry of anguish, even though being heard would not have mattered. Morgan slammed her feet across the pavement to where the car was waiting to leave. Linda ran after her friend, concern creating lines on her forehead. Jack honestly didn't know what else to do but follow them. He wasn't quite sure what the story was, but whatever it was, it was the perfect setup to before Morgan had one of her outbursts.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?! Let her go home!" Morgan screamed at the closest protestor.

"God damn it, stay out of this!" said the girl who was beating against the front of the car. "This doesn't concern you."

"Tabitha is not the first pregnant student at this school!" Jack looked sideways at Morgan and suddenly everything became clear to him. "Why do you decide to shove this decision down someone's throat?"

"Morgan, there are things you just don't understand, okay? Every guy you have every been interested in is dead." Jack blinked rapidly at the girl's response. "You are going to be a virgin forever, probably."

"At least I have respect for other's decision. What the hell, Stacy?" The girl named Stacy rolled her eyes and shifted hr backpack awkwardly. She pushed back her frightening blonde hair and crossed her arms with impatience. "The rest of your group, they're pretty mellow and stay back from everything. What is _wrong_ with you?!"

"They're wimps, Morgan. As I said, you stick your head behind history textbooks all day and draw pretty pictures of snowflakes and hanged men. They can't come up here and tell Toni that she's THROWING HER LIFE AWAY IF SHE HAS THAT BABY!"

"SHE'S THROWING A LIFE AWAY IF SHE KILLS IT!" screamed the other girl, Larissa, who stayed up at the front. "Toni, aborting that child is murder! If you do that, you will go to hell, do you understand? That child is there for a reason!"

"Shut up, Larissa! Think about how it's going to screw up your school career and how college is going to be hard if you have that child. Even if you put it up for adoption, what will happen while you're in school here? It will be stressful and it will be so hard to keep up. They're just cells, Toni, there's nothing wrong with getting rid of it."

"It's a life forming in her body! Toni, do not get rid of that child. There is nothing shameful about adoption-"

"Do you have any idea what the system is like, Larissa, how cruel it is, how it all depends on chances? Do you want the child to go through that?"

"What about the couples who can't have children?!" Jack looked over hopefully at Morgan and seemed very contemplatively over her response.

"For crying out loud both of you stop it!" Morgan screeched between the two of them. "You are both exactly alike!"

"What the hell Morg-"

"That is completely atr-"

"You take that back right-"

"I can't believe you thin-"

"SHUT UP!" Morgan screamed, stepping between them. "The both of you are pressuring a scared sophomore to choose the ways you believe, and you know what else? Stacy, all the Pro-Lifers already think Pro-Choicers are crazy lunatics and you're feeding that idea. Larissa, you also are making the Pro-Choicers believe Pro-Lifers are raving psychos. You are exactly alike! And you are traumatizing an already scared girl! For crying out loud, stop! Have your meetings, sign your freaking petitions, express your views, but don't pressure or scare someone into agreeing with you and doing something they otherwise never would! The both of you are disgusting! It's Toni's life, Toni's baby, fetus, whatever you want to call it! Leave her alone and let her decide."

"Exactly, Larissa, it's her choice," Stacy snidely said to her opponent.

"But you're not making it her choice when you tell her what to do! There have been women in the past who have still had very successful, fulfilling lives after having a child in high school."

"But look at the statistics!"

"How are statistics more important than life?!" Larissa shouted. Morgan rolled her eyes around and then pivoted, her fist falling into Larissa's face. A scream and another yell drew people's attention to Morgan, who now was pulling her hand back to silence Stacy with her arm. Linda flew into the middle and pulled her friend away from the commotion, ignoring the derogatory slurs that were aimed towards Morgan. She flailed against her, demanding to be put back, but Jack stood in her way and refused to let her enter again. Jack held Morgan firmly against the car.

"Morgan, you cannot hit people!"

"You have no idea what the hell they've been doing and the torture Toni's been suffering all week-"

"And you want to suffer!"

"Damn it, Jack, just let me go!"

"No, I will not let you get written up again! What if this happens next year? You have to stop sometime and it's going to have to be soon! Your next birthday you're going to be eighteen and this stuff goes on your permanent record! And what if gets to the point where someone decides to call the cops for assault? Do you understand what that would mean for you?"

"Okay, I'm calm!"

"I don't believe you!" Morgan slowly her arms so she no longer struggled against the barricade of his body. She huffed and then looked into his eyes reflecting the wings of the morpho butterfly.

"I'm calm." He nodded, believing her now, and Morgan pushed away his arm. She rounded the back of Toni's vehicle and ripped open the driver door. Toni's oval lenses magnified the red on the rims of her eyes and her hair seemed to get even frizzier with the stress she was experiencing. Her fingers at the wheel were shaking incessantly and her chest gave evidence of her heavy breathing. "Toni, I'm going to take you home now. Linda will drive your car home." Wordlessly, Toni agreed and swiftly escaped from her seat belt. Morgan motioned for Linda and instructed her to follow Morgan to Toni's house and Morgan would take her home, as they two of them rode together. Linda took Toni's keys and the terrified girl got into Morgan's front seat. Jack lounged in the back seat of Morgan's Honda Civic, quizzically analyzing Toni in wondering what her story was.

"Thank you," said Toni, in a shrill small voice. "I don't know if I agree with your methods, but thank you for standing up for me."

"Why are they so... barbaric in what they're doing?"

"Because what you did definitely wasn't barbaric," coughed Jack from where he lay in the back. Morgan looked up in the mirror, the image of her eyes only forcing Jack into a position of obedience.

"Sorry."

"You mean you don't know how the whole school found out?" Toni asked, her voice carrying a weight of surprise. Morgan shook her head. "You know who the father is, right?"

"Roger."

"He's..."

"An ass."

"Exactly. He told the whole school I was a whore and that I was pregnant and I date raped Stacy's boyfriend and that's not even true but Stacy believes it because she has hated me forever and you know my father is a minister. Well, Larissa goes to my church..."

"Now everything is making sense..." Morgan sighed, turning her wheel so the car was now on a busier street.

"Basically they all have personal vendettas against me, and they're already giving their own groups bad names, the both of them."

"Do your parents know?"

"Yes..." Toni almost cried. "And that's another thing that's stressing me out. They're both devout Christians so they're against abortion. The minute I told them... they told me to get one."

"Why?"

"The church doesn't know. And they would rather be hypocrites than shamed." Morgan's mouth dropped at the horrendous knowledge and she turned her eyes away from the road so Jack had to lean over and flip the wheel back. He pushed Morgan's face so she was looking at the road once again.

"That's disgusting."

"I know..."

"Toni, be honest... what do you want to do?"

"I... I don't know... I mean, how I was raised, I would feel horrible if I... but I'm screwed any way I choose. If I keep it, I could have the most wonderful child, and it could be what I need in my life, but I might also screw up my whole future. If I give it up for adoption I could be dooming it to a life of suffering. If I get rid of it I could be getting right of an important element of this world. Not to mention anyway I choose, I could be shamed. And then my father made me sit down and watch birthing videos and gave me a lecture on abstinence and ugh... I can't believe this."

"No offense, Toni, but when I found out..."

"I know, everyone expects you to do it before I do!" Jack and Morgan both glared at her with bewilderment. "Sorry... but... I don't know Roger and I... he... I didn't want to but... I guess I..."

"Toni, were you raped?" Morgan quietly said, turning into another corner. Her eyes popped as if she had never thought of it that way before. Thin layers of moisture overtook the red in her eyes. She tossed her frizzes away from her face. Her head slowly spun til she was looking at Morgan.

"I... don't know... I mean maybe... I didn't tell him no... I said I wasn't too sure about it but he just shushed me and... I just... let him."

"Toni... that is sexual assault and you have every right to report him."

"I can't. I love him."

"How can you love someone like that?" Jack and Morgan said to her at the same time. He looked down at the girl in the driver seat and smirked in amusement that they were able to do that, and then quickly changed his expression to a somber one when he remembered what they were doing. Toni gestured to a house on the end of the cul de sac. Morgan whipped around the corner and gestured out the window for Linda to pull the car into the driveway. Morgan turned off the car and Toni fumbled with her purse before pushing open the door. Jack rushed to help open the car and hold it, even though he was not seen. Morgan helped Toni get out of the car and brushed the few strands of hair out of her face.

"Linda and I... we carpool every morning and after school," she started. "If you want a ride..."

"No, I'm okay..." Toni sniffled, and smiled through it.

"Whatever you decide. It's your choice Toni. You can't let anyone make that decision for you. Screw your parents. If you need help I am more than willing to give you some mon-"

"No, Morgan, don't... please. Don't... I don't deserve it after how I treated you in middle school and how self-righteous I was."

"Everyone was a terrible wreck in middle school," Morgan giggled. "It's okay."

"No, its not, because I still made fun of you last year. When I had no reason to, because I was the one repeating science. I don't even understand why you did that when I called you a know it all and psychotic because you talked the air and called it Jack." Morgan looked over at the air called Jack beside her. He puffed his chest with pride.

"I love history."

"Okay, Morgan, you realize you just said the most obvious thing in the entire world."

"Let me finish; history teaches me what the horrible things human beings do to each other lead to, and I don't want to experience any of those horrible effects. It also tells me the amazing feats people can perform when they fight for what's right, even if it's giving a classmate a ride home to avoid the angry mob. History teaches me what's right and what's wrong, and even though we may never be friends, helping you is the right thing to do." Toni lunged forwards and squeezed Morgan tightly, her tears falling into her shoulder.

"I don't know what to do Morgan!"

"How far along are you?"

"Seven weeks."

"You have a little bit of time so... think on it, okay?" Morgan squeezed Toni's hand and then got back into her own car, which Linda was slipping into. The despaired but hopeful young girl waved slowly at the exiting vehicle and Linda waved back at her.

"Morgan?" Jack started.

"I already know what you are going to ask Jack, and the answer is no."

"... I am not a child."

"Jack, we have to let Toni make this decision, and even if she does give it up for adoption, what reasoning am I going to give my parents? 'Hi mom, so I want this child because my invisible boyfriend Jack wants a child but I will never be able to get pregnant because he is an ice spirit so everything inside his-"

"I get it," said Jack. "It wouldn't work..." Morgan reached behind her and clutched Jack's hand in a comforting way.

"I know you are concerned about Toni, want to help her out, and want a child but the timing is not right. Okay, Jack?"

"I know," he sighed. "I just thought it was... never mind."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Snowflake."

"So about the Great Gatsby..." Linda began, continuing on a conversation they had in English that day. Morgan giggled at the sudden and awkward change of topic, a laugh emitting from Linda as well. Jack chuckled with them and then felt the gift pressing into his stomach, reminding him of what Morgan really meant to him and how she was so deserving of everything she would receive in life. She may have had a temper, but there was so much in her heart that was so good and willing to reach out to others, including those who may have never reached out to her. He brushed his lips against the hand still clutching his and caught the glint of her eyes in her mirror.

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**Toni is an important character to Morgan's personality, but don't get too attached to her because she isn't going to be a big character. Also I wanted to get across how most people that fall in either Pro Choice or Pro Life categories are pretty calm, but BOTH groups have some voices that are loud, annoying, obnoxious that just need to shut up. I hope I captured that all right.**


	82. In Her Presence

**A little private time with Morgan and Jack. I feel I owe ya a good chapter.**

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Morgan had stopped at Linda's house to drop her off, and then made her way home where she kicked off her shoes, shrugged off her coat and flung her backpack into her bedroom. Jack looked around the entrance of the house and felt disturbed by something that seemed to be missing from the house, but he wasn't quite clear on what it was.

"Too silent?" she asked.

"Yeah... it's strange..." Morgan nodded and performed the fridge dance where she opened it, closed it, and only opened it again five minutes later as if hoping something would magically appear.

"I guess by now I'm used to it..." she sighed and let the fridge door drift to its close once again. She turned towards her right and stretched her ankles, her fingers pulling at the round knob above her head. "Why does dad insist on..." She grumbled while she played with the small handle, and tilted her leg as if it would give her some angle to work better from, but it did no good. Jack, who was usually so keen to help her, was distracted by the emphasis her reaching was putting around her waist and along her backside. When Morgan realized he was not coming to help her, she peaked over her shoulder and spied him cocking his head with intense interest. "Hey!"

"What?" he immediately said, tearing away from whatever fantasy was playing in his head. Morgan scoffed and flicked at the knob, the cupboard finally opening.

"Never mind, it's not necessary. You may continue staring at my rear."

"Why thank you. I shall do exactly that." Morgan rolled her eyes and flung a round of shortbread at him from the package she had successfully pulled from the depths of the cupboard. Jack flinched when the cookie bounced from his chest and swiveled on the floor.

"You are such a human boy sometimes."

"And I'm going to be like this forever."

"Dear Lord in heaven help us all..." she sighed and nibbled on one cookie, taking two with her. She nodded to the bedrooms upstairs. "Mom's turning Peter's old room into a nursery for Lawrence, and whatever other kids they may have later on. Plus whatever children all of us have. I'm not sure Peter is ever going to have kids, he hates them. And Bradley keeps saying he's never having kids, but he loves Lawrence so I don't know what's going on with him. He's actually been really mean lately and refuses to talk to anyone."

"He's fourteen it happens," Jack said, shrugging with his response. "Peter moved out? Did he finally decide to go to college?"

"No, he went and found himself a girlfriend who wanted to move to Philadelphia so they moved their this summer. They've been together six months."

"That's a really long time for Peter. Isn't your mother going to flip out when they break up and he begs to come home?" Jack smirked, expecting the worse. Which Morgan did too.

"She's hoping it will teach him a lesson. The problem with Peter is that he's not even trying. All he wants to do is own motorcycles, ride them, and sell them... his dream is own a shop and work on them. He won't go to school because he thinks it's a waste of time, says he already knows what he wants to do with his life and already knows everything about it." Outside, there was the sound of steady rumbling and then a car horn honking loudly. There was some childish chatter and then the relaxing of brakes as a large vehicle sped off. Morgan nibbled on her last cookie while the two of them watched the door squeak against the frame and Bradley popped in, blonde hair hanging in straight bangs in front of his face. The coloring of his eyes dilated when he spotted Jack in their kitchen, which Jack found a little strange considering how he was used to him being around by now.

"Hey, Brad," Morgan greeted. "I got dad's secret stash of cookies, do you want some?"

"No..." Brad sighed ad shoved his hands in his pockets.

"How was school."

"Fine."

"What did you get on your history test?"

"A B." Morgan slumped where she stood and rolled her eyes.

"Brad! We studied really hard for that!"

"I'm not good at history."

"But when we studied you knew every answer from the material."

"I guess I don't do well on tests."

"I don't-"

"Morgan, just leave him alone," said Jack. "A B is good, Brad. Good job! I'm sure deep down when your sister realizes that no everyone has a knack for history..." he looked up knowingly at her, and she turned away with a scoff. "She is very proud of you."

"Whatever," said Brad, in a tone that was incredibly standoffish. Jack furrowed his brow at his unexpected tone and the boy just walked away. "I'm going to play computer games."

"Only an hour and then you work on your homework!"

"You're not my parent!" he yelled, clamoring up the steps.

"Why have you been so rude the past three months!"

"Why have you been so annoying the past three years?! Some people really hate hearing about your lovey dovey relationship with Jack! We get it, he's wonderful, you're happy, and you're going to get married some day!"

"I have never talked to you about our relationship!" Morgan screamed across the house. Jack moaned in distress and fidgeted with his staff in his hand. He touched the surface of the table so lines and curls of frost weaved their designs on the wood. "Maybe in passing, but I only talked to you about history and your dumb spaceships and submarines!"

"They're not dumb! Now why don't you two go make out on your bed or something! Or more than that! Whatever you do when I try to be by myself!" The walls around his door frame shuddering with the loud smack of the door meeting with it. Morgan stomped her foot and dragged her feet over to the table, where she let her forehead fall to Jack's chest. She huffed and realized she could see her breath against the crystals of his blue sweatshirt. She also realized she could see a subtle, oddly shaped lump rising from the folds of his frontal pocket.

"Is there something in your pocket or are you getting fat?" she said, lift her head to give him a devilish grin.

"Oh! I forgot! It's your belated birthday present!" He whipped a royal purple velvet drawstring bag from his pocket and dangled it in front of her eyes. She jumped for it but he pulled it out of her reach. Her bottom lip protruded magnificently in her pout. "Not yet. First off it's probably... frozen. Second... maybe I want some time with my girlfriend first." The vibrancy of his blue eyes shone with a plead making them irresistible to the core below Morgan's belly button so she felt a need to attend his every request. She rolled her eyes again, but pulled him along upstairs and closed the door very slowly. Jack placed the purple bag on her desk and the minute Morgan closed the gap between the hall and her room, Jack spun her around and carefully pinned her against the wall. Morgan greedily met his lips with heated passion pulling him to her. There was a lay of heat between Morgan and the icy touch of her lover which she swore she could see melting the frost that coated Jack's body. His fingers lightly ticked her jawline and then traced down her neck and ending respectfully against her clavicle. They detoured around her breasts and navigated to the top layer of her clothing where Morgan nodded her approval in removing it. It rested on the floor where Jack let it fall and her teeth chattered at the sudden exposure on her arms and neck to the chill. His fingertips gnawed at the hem of her undershirt, lust itching at him but he was only ready to proceed when Morgan was, and the look she was giving him right now told him she wasn't, so instead he poured all of his fiery desire for her into his kiss.

Her lips rounded around his, every bit of frost quickly being licked away from the heat her body was producing in response to his touch. With every stroke of his, every caress, and every gentle grip, there was a strange sensation of heat battling against the cold. Her body was filling up with raging flames licking away the shivering ice that trailed along her clothes. In a single movement, Morgan had removed the powder blue sweatshirt of his so he was left in his peasant rags that she took a moment to admire and breath in their ancient scent, masked by the aroma of stale icicles. The heavy kissing was soon one sided and Jack felt the slack, immediately knowing the cause of it.

"Morgan, you can admire the ancient craftsmanship on my clothes another time," he moaned from his lips' position on the skin between her jaw and neck. "Please pay attention to me now. He fingers snapped back up to his face so his face was now completely in her control. She dared in swinging her hips and Jack caught her legs around his waist, keeping her upright against the wall. She giggled in a way that both triggered Jack's fond memory of her childish innocence and awakened a sudden urge in him. She squealed with delight with he spun her around the room and landed on the bed with her, the frayed and dirty toy rabbit falling onto the floor with their impact. Jack hovered over her and lapped up the taste of her skin with his various kisses along her neck, shoulders, cheeks, and her lips. When he pulled back to analyze every feature of perfection in her face, she caught him looked with interest down at his chest again and he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, are you making out with me or my tunic?" he said, snapping just a little. Her face turned to the color of her lips.

"Sorry, I..." Her eyes flickered with brilliance and she slid off his vest and undid the ties on his tunic, placing it with his vest on the ground. Jack lunged forward again, wrapping her into the chilly embrace against his smooth, ice-bitten chest. Morgan flipped him over so he was now on his back and pleasured him with the sensation of her lips pushing into his chest.

"Morgan... I think..." he breathed heavily. She lifted her head up, the subtle curls falling onto her face in a delicate, sensual motion. He turned his head against the pillow gave her a look of confused elation. "Somehow, I can feel this strange... ugh, it like conflicts with my skin..."

"Jack, are you saying you feel warm?"

"Yes," he responded in complete surprise. He mingled his fingers with hers. She shifted on the bed so she was now laying beside him rather than on top. Her cheek rested against his sharp shoulder. "I don't know why or how, but, and I guess I noticed it before but never this slowly... I feel strangely... warm... and my skin only grows warmer the more you touch me. It's as my body, my skin is being awakened, but it's not actually there... like it's under the skin and trying to get out."

"I kind of feel that too, I mean it's like it's inside, but not at the same time. Like my skin was to sort of merge with yours."

"Do you still feel cold when I touch you?" Morgan nodded.

"I got to be honest Jack, I kind of freeze whenever we make out. And I am not using a blanket because it's not the same thing. I want to feel your skin against mine. But I promise I only freeze for the time. Afterwards, it's goes away, and my skin seems to restore to its normal temperature. I mean it drops a little bit the nights you stay by my side consecutively. But then you go see your family and everything is okay again. I think how I feel about you and what you do too me keeps my temperature up though. It's the battle of what you physically do to me and what you do emotionally." She opened her lips a little so the front of her teeth showed in an endearing manner. Jack looked up at the popcorn bits of the ceiling and closed his eyes in contemplation.

"So... what do you think will happen when we actually do-"

"I think my body will be way too supercharged to drop dangerously low Jack. You worry too much, you're so protective. Can I have my gift now?" He chuckled lowly and then flipped up from the bed. Morgan took a moment to admire his shirtless physique. He took the small bag from its crowd of art supplies and then joined Morgan on the bed again, cradling her affectionately. He handed it to her and she pulled at the strings, removed a cylindrical bottle that contained a transparent liquid. She pursed her lips in thought and examined the elegant script on the front in gold lettering.

"'Elizabeth'..." she read. "Hey this is a print of her signature."

"Yes it is..."

"This is perfume?" Morgan moved her wrist to open the top. Jack slammed his hands down on hers to prevent her from opening it.

"Before you open it... I want to explain what this really is..."

"It's perfume called Elizabeth. Probably a name chosen because she was beautiful and powerful and independent and it's a marketing thing to get women to wear it." But Jack's grin stretched wider and Morgan frowned at his reaction. "I'm wrong?"

"Completely." Morgan looked at the small glass vial. "Okay, I honestly don't even know if you wear perfume. You don't like jewelry unless it has some sort of historical significance. You don't like clothes unless they reflect historical trends. The same goes with shoes. Basically you would love to shop in an incredibly vintage mall, but you complain every time Linda drags you to the one in town. However, I know you wear make-up, and the most boring tones on the planet according to Linda, but I like how natural you keep it."

"If I wore make-up the way it was historically worn, I would have so many medical problems between the blood, the catgut, and the mercury."

"Well, I am very glad for it. Anyway, I know you sometimes put on body spray, although Linda says that's not the same thing as perfume."

"Well this says Eau de Toilette which isn't exactly perfume..."

"I... don't want to even understand, just let me finish. I bought this in London. I actually didn't know what I was getting you until I saw this advertised." he breathed in deeply and let it out in a smile. "I know something about history you don't know."

"Considering you lived through many parts of history there are probably plenty things never written down."

"No," he chuckled. "I mean I know something concerning Queen Elizabeth, who I wasn't alive for, that you don't know." Morgan's pupils dilated with rich interest. Under his grasp, he felt her tense with excitement. "There was a book discovered in the Royal Horticultural Society's library somewhere in London. It was a book about perfume. And there was a recipe written inside it." Morgan looked at the fancy script on the bottle that seemed like a recipe, called for musk, rose-water, Damask-water, and sugar. "Yes, that recipe. It was the recipe used to make Queen Elizabeth I's personal perfume." Her fingers curled around it possessively and her curious eyes became filled with ecstatic disbelief. Her eyes once again scanned over the gold lettering that said "Elizabeth I" and then her eyes popped back up to Jack, who's grin was breaking into a chuckle as he realized she realized what she was holding.

"Iamholdingaconcotionofahistoricalperfume," she sputtered.

"I didn't understand that, but I'll just say yes."

"It'sa400yearoldrecipe."

"Yes, love, it is."

"Anditwasworn. By. Queen. Bess. My Elizabeth..." she soon became wistful and looking at the bottle a way similar to how she looked at Jack, stroking it. "Jack oh my God, this is up there with the Taj Mahal gift oh my God this amazing I have a close to real production of Elizabeth's scent. Her scent Jack. I can smell like her!"

"Getting creepy..."

"Oh, now I have to..." she removed the lid on the bottle and inhaled so deeply, Jack considered taking it away from her for fear she would damage her brain. Her eyes rolled back and her eyelids fluttered as if she was having some sort of seizure. "Oh my God, it's like she's right here next to me! The light scent of roses is heavenly. I have never felt this close to her..."

"Okay.." Jack taunted her with reaching for the bottle. She hid it behind her back and then giggled, drowning him in grateful kisses.

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**This perfume exists guys! I'm not making this stuff up! The only website currently carrying it is called Historic Royal Palaces and it's pretty new. Just google image search "Elizabeth I eau de toilette" and it will be the very first image. You'll get a lot of pictures of Elizabeth Arden stuff too but ifyou just go by my description of the bottle (including the bag) you'll find it easily. I am personally very curious to know what it smells like, but I don't like musky smells nor do I like the smell of roses so I don't think I would be too fond of it. But it smells like history and Liz the First wore it and that's all that matters to Morgan. I really wish it wasn't so late. I am so close to typing the arc I have been wanting to give you guys but I also have a life... anyway, I hope you liked this chapter :) Goodnight!**

Also don't be afraid to find me on Tumblr and Skype! I would love to chat with you guys! on Tumblr, I am RoseOfPhantom and on skype I am roseofphantom2010.


	83. Knowledge with Growing Up

**Here I offer you the reason for Bradley's elusiveness and his quietness.**

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_~Jack~_

When winter was well settling in, Jack was to return to his duties as the winter spirit, zooming around the globe and creating scattered snowstorms where the temperature was ripe for it. He dropped heaps of snow on Norway, blew a blizzard through Iowa, Russians could not get out of their door, Europe thought the world was ending, and he mischievously threatened a few of the southern bits of the world with unexpected snowfall. He draped the world in ice and decorated it with frost. As always happened, people were enraged at the weather and having to take extra time out of their days to fight against what they considered to be evils. However the children always saw winter for what it really was and it wasn't long before they were slipping happily in their ice skates and creative people emerged from the snow. There were angelic impressions in the white ground and Jack delayed his time to heading back home because he just couldn't resist jumping in on a snowball fight. A third of the time, and that was a really good statistic that he was happy with – he was actually surprised it was that much in just a few years – he was spotted. Children would recognize him and would knowingly engage in all out battle with him. Boys and girls of young ages pummeled him and were pummeled with the rounded objects of the white element and sometimes he was asked to stay longer. But, as always, all his fun eventually had to end and when he was finished wreaking glorious havoc on the winter of the world, he found his way home, in Burgess where his family was awaiting him. Jamie was talking animatedly over the phone with Pippa, sharing the information he was receiving on the TV about the newest observations discovered about the Mothman.

"No, I know you think it's strange but this is big!" he could be heard saying from the other room. "How many bridges has he been seen at, always the same description... No, I am not gullible, I just have a lot of faith... well... thanks Pippa but... Yes I am blushing but not so loud... I know they can't hear you but it's... yes of course I think you're cute too... gorgeous actually..." Ms. Bennett suppressed a pleased giggle from where she was seated on the floor, cleaning out the fridge. Jack looked over at her, the healthy glow of pink illuminating her face. Her smile broke so her the front of her teeth could be seen and everything so brilliant about her face lost its light the moment she pulled something blue and fuzzy from the back of the fridge.

"That is disgusting!" she moaned, flipping the package into the garbage. "I don't even... are those supposed to be grapes? Or what maybe its cake... I can't – you know what, I don't care. You think a baker would clean out her fridge more... it's nearly as bad as the bottom of my purse."

"Helen, nothing is as much of a mess as your purse," Jack joked. She glared playfully at him from where she stood. Jack straightened his spin in his chair at the kitchen table, attempting to appear more aggressive than he really was.

"I hear Morgan has a disaster on her desk of art supplies," she said.

"But Morgan does not have melted candy bars and gum sticking to the bottom." Helen whistled out a sigh and her physical movements told Jack she agreed with him and felt defeated. Sophie was seated near Jack, her legs swinging so she continued to kick at his legs. She tapped the nub of her writing utensil against the open notebook and kept glancing over at open booklet.

"I don't know," the fidgeting blonde stated casually. She dragged the ceramic plate towards her and made to take a cookie from it. Jack tapped his fingers on the edge of the plate so it was covered in icicle ferns and its cool sensation bit at Sophie when she tried to take one. "Jack!"

"No, Sophie. Homework first."

"It's too hard. Why do we even need to do long division, we have calculators now!"

"It's an important tool. You know, I remember I used to help Morgan with her long division."

"Now you just help her get her clothes off." Jack's eyes snapped open at her response and he kept his lips pressed in a startled expression. A butter tub fell from Ms. Bennetts hand and rolled in a spiral across the kitchen floor. Sophie turned her head and looked a little guilty, sure she said something wrong but was a little confused about what it would be. "What?"

"Where did you hear that?" Ms. Bennett said, standing up

"At school. Some boys were making fun of me of me and my friend George and said that we must like each other. So they said we should help each other take our clothes off. They said couples do that, but George and I got mad at him instead because we don't like each other like that. We're just friends." Ms. Bennett sighed and made a strenuous noise as she stood up.

"Do you know why, Sophie?"

"Not really."

"Jack why don't you come back and help Sophie later? I think I should have a talk with her..." Jack had already abandoned his chair before Ms. Bennett finished her sentence. It was so much as to what the talk was about that made him feel so awkward, but it was the knowledge that it was his little Sophie, his innocent little girl, was now old enough to the point she was about to reach one of the biggest steps in growing up and learn about things that were going to open up new information blocked to her before by lack of knowing. So he took off to see his other favorite girl whom he had gone a good while without seeing due to his whitewashing of the world in snow.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgan pushed the window wide open when she caught the glimmer of his silhouette against the orange and purples of the setting sun. Jack jumped inside and snuck a kiss away from Morgan who was curled up on her body and gawking at a half written document on her laptop. He propped himself beside her and punctured her shoulder with the protrusion of his chin, looking at what she was busying herself with.

"You always take an entire evening writing an essay."

"It wouldn't take so long if Miss Randolff just let me do an essay on how the roaring twenties was an effect on the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy," Morgan snarled backspacing a few sentences. "Instead it has to be on how the book depicts the American Dream. I hate abstract ideas, that's all literature is, I swear. The thing about cold, hard facts is that they are cold, hard facts. They are set in stone and written-"

"Yes, love, history is better than every other subject, I've heard this tale before... Geez, why is it everyone is doing their homework tonight?"

"It's Sunday. On Friday we all put off our work and wait til basically the last hour to get it done. That's how students operate," Morgan explained as if it were obvious. "And that stupid green light, damn it, who the hell cares? I look at a green light and I don't think 'hmm, that probably symbolizes something' I think 'Oh look, a green light.'"

"Maybe you should take a break..." he prompted, moving her fingers away from the keyboard.

"Mom sent me to my room and I'm not allowed to leave until it's done." There was timid clatter against the door and it was an unusual kind of knock so Morgan skeptically invited in whoever initiated it. The door gave a tired whine as it drifted open and Brad peered over the corner of the door.

"Brad?" Morgan coughed out her face marred by her unsuspecting bewilderment. He nodded slowly, his head lowered humbly. He cleared his throat and Brad seemed to be battling with himself to look up. There was no evidence of crying but his eyes did not look normal. They had an emotional glossiness to them but no redness and no tear streaks.

"I was really hoping to find Jack here. I kinda need a guy to talk to and I don't really want to speak with dad. And, um... Morgan I know you did that thing for that girl at your school and I thought maybe.. well, you would erm... be okay." Her youngest brother, who had been so cranky the past few months and had fallen off her good list for some time was suddenly showing a new side of himself. He seemed incredibly vulnerable, and he kept peering over his shoulder. His actions told Morgan he was incredibly anxious and whatever it was that was making him anxious had also turned him into a terrified child again, but he was also Bradley and refused to show his real emotions so he was battling terribly to keep them quiet. Morgan pushed aside her laptop and dangled her feet over the edge of the bed.

"Brad... what's wrong?" she quickly asked, sensing there was something off about his behavior. "You're not doing drugs, are you?"

"No! No, of course not, I wouldn't even know where to get them!" he bellowed, a shadow of his normal state appearing for a bit as he defensively growled his answer. He returned to his nervous fidgeting and the water in his eyes searched for a lick of compassion in Morgan. "I just... don't know who else to talk to... and I know I have been horrible to you lately but I just... I got so scared and I mean... mom's a little crazy about certain things."

"You think?" Jack guffawed with sarcasm. Bradley looked past his sister and his gentle eyes sparkled in Jack's presence. He tore his gaze away and looked back at Morgan.

"Morgan... um, I don't know... how do I..."

"For crying out loud, Bradley just say it or I'm going to go back to my laptop and-"

"I like boys, Morgan!" he screamed, her annoyance forcing it out of him and then he used the palms of his hands to cover his eyes so he would not see her expression. Her first instinct was to look over at Jack, who seemed frozen, nearly literally, in his perch on Morgan's bed. She unleashed a long winded sigh and then marched over to her bookshelf, pulling off one of the biggest ones. Bradley dared to look through his fingers and he dropped his sadness to the floor when he saw her opening the large book. When someone in the family was talking about something Morgan didn't like to hear, she usually dived into one of her historical pieces from her small library. He moaned helplessly and dragged his feet to the door.

"I was really hoping you would be the one person to understand, but I guess I was wrong..." Brad's voice cracked as his weeping began. He placed his hand on the doorknob. Jack became mobile again and looked over Morgan's book. He smiled to himself when he discovered what she was doing and glided over to the door, placing a hand over it so Brad could not leave.

"Look, Jack, you're from a time of puritans, I understand if your attitude towards me is hostile," Brad hopelessly remarked to him. "Just let me out."

"Brad, please come back," Morgan quietly said to him.

"Are you going to lecture me?" he asked with a tone not unlike a child who did not understand what he did wrong. Morgan smiled and giggled.

"Of course not silly, and it seems to me a testament of how little we know each other than you would have no idea how I would react to this kind of news. Come over here, I want to show you something." With more suspicious curiosity than real fear, he padded over to her and Jack decided to join them, the three creating and awkward circle with the book that must have weighed several pounds. She flipped near the beginning of the book where there was text and a rough painting of a wide eyed man on a horse. "This is Alexander the Great. Do you know who he is?"

"Not really."

"He was king of a region in Ancient Greece known as Macedon. At a young age, he created a huge empire and was undefeated in battle. He is known in history as one of the greatest, most successful commanders. And there is strong evidence he was bisexual. And you know who Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci are?"

"Of course, they were artists."

"Michelangelo was gay. So was Leonardo. And do you know who James Baldwin is?"

"No...?"

"Nobody does." Morgan jumped from her bed and pulled a thinner book off her shelf, and flipped it to a section in the back about authors and their contributions to society. She tapped at the picture of an elderly man with dark skin. "He was a writer, and he is most associated with his book _Giovanni's Room_, a novel about a character's search for acceptance in society. It is considering probably the first LGBT book to receive such good feedback and it actually helped some people, not just with their own sexualities, but also some others in thinking about their own views."

"He was also gay?"

"Yep. And you know what else?" Brad waited patiently. "It's hard to say, there's not concrete evidence, but there is some that William Shakespeare was bisexual."

"... The William Shakespeare." Morgan grinned proudly.

"Yes, Brad, there's only one."

"So why are you tell me this?"

"I realize in our day in age you probably are well aware you are not alone in your struggles and there are other people out there just like you. The world is changing, Brad, and so are people's views about homosexuality. However, what I wanted to show you through this is how being gay doesn't make you different from anyone else. It doesn't mean you can't be you, nor does it mean you can't go far in your life. There are some great, fantastic people who have made some huge contributions to society who were not straight. And people love them, Brad. They love the things they did, they value what they did with their life." Bradley's lips parted into an infectious grin and he fell forwards to take Morgan into a hug.

"I really really really thought you would think I was weird!" he told her happily.

"Why would I ever think that?!"

"Just because..." he shrugged and Morgan completed the thought in her head. Because society is twisted and abusive and manipulative.

"Never, I'm the weird one, remember?"

"I wasn't expecting this at all..." he admitted. "I was expecting some sort of... inquisition."

"Why would I question you?"

"I dunno say stuff like 'How do you know?' and what not..." he muttered. Morgan shook her head slowly and hugged her brother again.

"If you know, you know," Jack offered to the conversation, a small bit of warmth welling in his chest at the sight of Morgan connecting with her brother. "I know I love Morgan because I just do. Some things don't have an explanation, they just are."

"I don't want you to be afraid to come to me for anything," Morgan whispered.

"In his defense, you can be hard to approach," Jack said. She jerked her eyes up towards him, challenging him to continue speaking. "I just mean, uh... like when you're immersed in history or drawing... you get very focused and testy when interrupted."

"If you tell me its important, I won't," Morgan corrected, looking at Brad once again. "There are things in life more important than history. Like love and family. Always, they will take precedent." She kissed the top of his head.

"Okay, Morgan. Hugging me is fine. But no kissing," he snapped. She stepped back and let her hands fly into the air defensively. His shoulders slumped and he became interested in the floor again. "What do I say to everyone else? To mom, to dad, to Aubrey, Todd, Peter... to my friends... What if one of them hates me..."  
"I don't know how anyone is going to react, Brad," Morgan responded truthfully. "Honestly I am a little concerned about mom. Peter too. Todd will probably be okay. Aubrey definitely will. She doesn't judge anyone. However, I can tell you nobody in this family is going to hate you. We may have our problems." Bradley faked a cough.

"Mom!" he said between the cough and Morgan smiled in her amusement.

"Not just her," Jack continued, displaying an example of a united front with Morgan. "I've been here for almost eight years and I can tell you, you guys are crazy." Bradley and Morgan chuckled in unison at Jack's sadly true remark. "But I can sense a strong bond of love between all of you. This house seems like it was built with it. I don't think your parents would have had five children if they weren't so fastened by love and wanted to give more love."

"But Brad, it's up to you. Entirely up to you. You decide if and when you want to tell them. I am not going to say anything without your permission. This is all you."

"If you two don't make it, I am going die a thousand times over," Brad told them candidly. "The chemistry you two have... sometimes you almost seem like parents." Morgan blushed and caught Jack looked at her with a fond pride.

"I love you, Brad," she laughed. "Always will. No matter what."

"Elizabeth the first was an idiot."

"Now I don't."

"Yeah right," he laughed, and placed his hand back on the doorknob. "I love you too. I will never admit to saying that."

"Let me do my homework you goof." Bradley looked at the ceiling innocently and purposely flipped a wooden frame that clattered to the floor. Morgan raised an eyebrow to hide the sparkle of giddy energy in her eyes.

"Jack."

"Yes, dear," he responded obediently and chased Bradley out of her room. Jack called after him with enthusiastic threats and Brad laughed through his yelps of terror. A final yell was silenced by a soft thud and Morgan snickered when Brad expressed his animosity for snow. The day slipped away into night scored by the playful sounds of Jack bonding with her little brother.

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**I thought this was a cute chapter. This was one of my ideas I had since the initial conception of the story that bright and shining morning at the bus stop. This is where Morgan and Brad grow closer, and where the depth of Morgan and Jack's relationship is really seen through someone else's eyes. I like the chapter although I think my writing is a little detached. As always, reviews, however critical they may be, are welcome! And don't be afraid to find me on tumblr, same name, and locate me on Skype roseofphantom2010. Laters, my rosettes!**


	84. All Work, No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy

**So I have a little bit of fun in this chapter and it actually fits a lot more than I originally intended it too! I am very proud. ALSO I LOVE THIS CHAPTER TITLE I AM PROUD OF THAT TOO  
Domestic!Jack :)  
**

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Another blip of a musical tone popped up on a Morgan's laptop. She stirred from her resting position atop Jack's bare chest, stirring over and hiding beneath the covers. Jack sighed and propped himself up on his shoulders, caressing the tips of her sun kissed brown locks. The screech of Mrs. Kenter sounded from down the steps and Morgan pulled the covers completely over herself.

"Why is everything insisting on being noisy today?" she moaned. "I just want to sleep forever..." At her profession of her exhaustion, Jack leaned over her buried body and rested his lips close to her ear.

"What's your temperature?" he asked in a low tone of concern. He flipped over in the bed and grabbed the skinny box from her bedside table before she could give a response.

"You always ask me this after you've spent any length of time with me," Morgan sighed.

"You just said you were tired."

"Because I am an overstressed teenager who needs to get up at six for school and then comes home with piles of homework. I sleep when I can. And then there's you Mr. Let's-Make-Out-Heavily-Until-Morgan-Collapses."

"You never protest."

"Because I am also starved of affection during the summer months and I have to make up for lost time..."

"Maybe it's all a part of my plan..." Jack smirked devilishly and the tips of his fingers lifted the hem of Morgan's several layers and grazed her skin playfully. She reacted in a violent shudder to the feel of his icy touch against her heated skin.

"JACKSON!" she shrilly cried. He took a moment to revel in her offended shock and then cradled her, working around her protesting flails.

"I'm only teasing," he chuckled. "You know I never would. Okay, now humor me and take your temperature." He brandished the box that had not left her room for several weeks now. She gave her opinion on the manner by rolling her eyes at the ugly box. "Please please please please please please-"

"FINE!" she gave in and ripped it from his hands, spilling out the electronic stick. She slipped a plastic cover over the pointier end and plunged it into her mouth, waiting for the beeping. Jack kept his eyes on it, watching the numbers speedily run through and then began to slow down, finally ending its beep on 97.9. She cast him an annoyance glance and popped the thermometer back into its box.

"It said 97.9."

"That's not that big of a deal," she scoffed at him.

"It's supposed to be 98.6."

"A degree or two of difference isn't that big of a deal. Don't start worrying until it gets below 95. The body sometimes just does that. And that's only average anyway. I've just spent the last few nights cuddling with someone who's cold blooded, of course it's going to be a little lower! Stop being so protective!" Mrs. Kenter could be heard, yelling at an octave even angrier than it was before. Another musical chime went off on Morgan's computer. She screamed words that Jack was pretty sure did not belong to any language in existence and fought with her blankets til she she rolled out of bed, half by choice.

"Check your frickin' email already, customers are waiting..." she barked at him and ripped away the blankets from the bed, wrapping them around herself. With the blanket hiding her feet, she seemed to float towards the door and then peeked out of it. "What, mom?!"

"Can you take this list and go to the store for me?!"

"I knew that's all I was going to be to you when I got my license!"

"Please, Morgan? I'm swamped with this massive order that got lost at work and I need to go in and fix it."

"Why can't Carl fix it?!"

"Apparently he has hypothermia." Morgan narrowed her eyes at Jack, who was mouthing that he knew nothing about that.

"You owe me!"

"An iced lemonade and a six pack of white chocolate Kit Kats?"

"With a DVD about the Ottoman Turks!"

"The what?!"

"The Ottoman Turks!"

"What are... never mind! We'll be here for hours! Just... I am leaving three hundred dollars on the table for groceries!" Jack had left the bed and took slipped on the pair of tight fitting leather gloves Morgan found for him so he could use the computer without fear of freezing it. Morgan dropped her blanket and flung it towards her bed, ignoring it as every morning her mother didn't tell her to make her bed. She tossed the stuffed animals on her bed and then decided to just kick a few stray art supplies under her bed.

"Coming with or staying here?" she asked him, while he perused his newest requests. Morgan looked over his shoulder and threw her head back with her laughter. "Who would ever have thought Jack Frost would be using technology? You're so _human._"

"Now if I only could get everything else that goes with being human."

"That Lisa is getting really persistent..." Morgan noticed.

"Yeah, she wants a sculpture of two doves cradling each other." She gagged to show what she thought of that idea. Jack nodded. "I know. I have other requests that are due before hers are, but she demands to have it soon."

"Welcome to the business world, babe."

"Most people are understanding. It's nice that there aren't enough people who actually trust me because I'm so secretive so I only get a dozen or so of these a month."

"How many weddings do you have?"

"In January I have five weddings so far, probably soon to come. Right now I have nine Christmas party sculptures, two New Year's sculptures and three wedding sculptures."

"Busy month."

"That's what happens with Christmas. I'll set them aside and start on them when you go back to school. I can get them all done this week if I really wanted to." He clicked out of the email screen and it minimized to the beautiful formatted blue, silver, and white web page with the heading "Guardian Snowangels: Sculptures by Jackson Bennett." His emails even had an official signature, and Morgan could respond to the emails that also had her own official signature. "Morgan Frost" was what it said, to hide away her real identity just in case anyone made the connection. She teased him about it, wondering if it was supposed to be some sort of subliminal message to try and encourage her too get married soon. His charming smile made him easy to believe, despite what she told herself.

Jack closed out of the browser and turned towards the angel behind him, her eyes falling seductively over his pale skin that had the most subtle sheen of frost's crystal glimmer. His eyes bored into her hungrily and they kept shifting downwards and then back up again, his ancient manners of a gentleman fighting with his natural urges of being forever a hormonal teenager. Morgan dropped her fingers to his shoulders, running her tips along the sting of his icy arms. He touched her waist in a delicate motion with his hands and held her close to him. He lifted her wrist and pressed small kisses along the inside of her arm. The sensation tugged at something in Morgan's chest and drifted down to her abdomen, pulling her closer to Jack. He stood up and pressed her body, layered to fight the cold, to his bare chested one and lowered his face to hers, only to have the moment severed by the childish tune on Morgan's phone playing "I am Henry the eighth I am!" Jack drifted away, slight offense written on his face. Her eyes gave her apology and she answered it, rolling her eyes at her phone telling her it was her mother.

"What?" she said.

"Hello to you too."

"Hello mom."

"Have you left yet?"

"...No."

"Please go! There are really good deals and I don't want-"

"Yes, mom, buh bye!" Morgan ignored her mother's voice yelling at her and talked her phone away.

"I'll wait outside. Let me know when you're dressed." She looked at him graciously for not making some childish joke about wanting to stay inside and watched. Like a good boyfriend, he did wait for her – the entire forty-three minutes it took her to shower, dress, and put on the smallest bit of makeup. When Morgan did finally appear downstairs, Jack looked at her as if he had been waiting several centuries, but he was quickly reprimanded by a playful punch. She swiped the money and the list off the counter, huffing at the useless things on the list and then plunged it into her vintage purse, squeezing shut the metal clasp and slinging the beaded pouch over her shoulder.

"Brad!" she yelled up the steps.

"Whaaaattt?" he said back, yelling over some alternative music that was playing from his room.

"I'm going to the grocery store, do you want something?"

"Can I get a cream soda?"

"You bet!"

"You're the best sis!"

"I love you!"

"... Whatever you say!" She stifled a giggle and then waltzed out the door, finding Jack had already allowed himself in the passenger seat, propping his bare feet on the dashboard. Morgan chewed on the inside of her lip, hoping he could read the agitation on her face without having to yell at him. Jack read it very clearly, but didn't seem to care. He reclined even more more positioned his arms behind his head.

"You are evil." She pulled down the shifter and spun her head, checking her mirrors and looking out the back window while she let the car coast out of the driveway. "Jackson Overland, if you ice my wheels again, I will not hesitate to punch you in the face."

"That's domestic abuse."

"Not if I break up with you first." Her teeth glistened through her mischievous smile. Something caught Jack's attention so he was distracted by what she said to him. He turned towards her and leaned into her shoulder, a gentle huffing sound telling Morgan he was sniffing her. Nervously, her throat tightened with the worry he would not like the gift he gave her. Instead, he brandished a whimsical smirk and pivoted his body in her direction. "Elizabeth, when did you get here?" She giggled and Jack brought himself closer again, this time his lips nipping at the edge of her ear. "How would you like to be rid of the title Virgin Queen?"

"Jack!" she guffawed, the apple of her cheeks brightening to hues of rogue. He kissed her cheek, and quickly stole back to his seat, afraid of doing anything more lest she get distracted from driving. He gripped her hand firmly, with the promise of staying silent so she could keep her eyes on the road.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I will throw you in this cart if you do not stop playing with the toys," Morgan warned at the super center. The problem with bringing Jack with was that this was not only a grocery store, but also had many other departments – home, outdoors, sporting goods, games, toys, jewelry, and apparel, and Jack had never actually been in one before. His curiosity was at an ultimate high, taking in more objects than he had ever seen in one place. He was currently playing with some type of launching toy where he would pull a string and the car would launch off down the aisle. Jack rushed to collect the toy car and placed the item back on its proper placement on the end cap. He followed Morgan along, down the frozen food section and grabbed a pail of ice cream, setting it in her cart. She stared at the bucket and then at him. He shrugged.

"I like ice cream."

"And I like you, but that may change after this." Morgan removed the ice cream from the cart and placed it back in it's slot.

"This is fun. We're going to do this a lot when we're married, right?"

"Assuming I don't murder you first!" Morgan growled, with a trace of a light chuckle.

"I'm already dead," he reminded light heartedly, but it was not light hearted for Morgan. It only reminded her of the difficult future that lay before them and she stopped the care, staring at the frontal cage of the cart. Jack realized she was not pushing the cart along and retreated to get her moving again. "Hey, Morgs, sweetie, I'm sorry I know it probably..."

"It's... I'm okay," she said, clearing her throat. She lifted her head in a manner to give the appearance of confidence and pushed the cart along. Morgan looked down at the list again and moaned, realizing at the bottom she was to pick up her prescription. "Mother..."

"What?" he said.

"She wants me to get my medicine that I don't even need... fine, whatever, I'll just get it and not take it as always. It's a freaking waste of money is what it is. We have to pass by the ladies' underwear department to get to the pharmacy though."

"Okay... I think I probably would have discovered that for myself but thanks for telling me?" he remarked with a question laced with sarcasm.

"I just mean..." she took a breath. "Christmas is nearly here. They currently have the more... ahem. Intimate undergarments on display. Don't be getting any ideas."

"Then let's walk by really slowly..."

"Jack! Isn't it enough you got to see me run in gym class?"

"You're not in gym anymore. I got to have something."

"Put icicles in your eyes."

"You make life so boring sometimes."

"How can the Queen be boring?" Morgan cackled playfully, causing a few people to stare at her.

"Two words. Virgin Queen."

"... I will hurt you."

"Nope. Nope you won't." Morgan pushed the cart a little faster, passing by the ladies intimate apparel very quickly and never looking back to see if Jack was spending a little too much time hanging around it. She kept on going and reached the front desk of the pharmacy, the fifth person in line. When Jack quickly became bored, he abandoned Morgan to look over some the scary and hard to pronounce names. He ventured down the few aisles, surprised at all the things people needed to take tablets for. Reaching a wall filled with pills and items used for more private means, he walked closer to get a better understanding of what was necessary for humans to avoid having a child. A customer walked back and reached for something on the wall, his arm going right through Jack's middle ad catching him off guard so he teetered a little and took a moment to regain his balance.

"Agh, are the vents on? It's a little cold right here..." he said. He looked at the customer who spoke and was holding the small blue box ad holding the hand of a fairly attractive woman. Jack wondered what reasons they would have for not wanting a kid. He kept telling himself it was their choice and they probably had good reasons, but he could not shake being a little angry that they had the ability to and were preventing one, while he desperately wanted one, and Morgan was willing some day, but he couldn't. Part of him wanted to knock over the shelf of vitamins, but he knew better and knew they were doing absolutely nothing wrong. It still hurt him a little to know the world was just not fair about some things. When he returned to Morgan's side, she was just receiving the small white bag and was heading back to the grocery side of the supermarket. She spotted his fallen expression and her heart jumped with the quick realization something might be wrong.

"Jack?" she prompted. He plastered on a fake grin and took her hand tenderly.

"Oh, I just... realized that grocery shopping is a little more work than fun, that's all. Not a good place for the Guardian of Fun," he answered carefully.

"Well get used to it because when we're married, I'm still human and I still need to eat."

"I love you." Morgan's eyes widened with his spontaneous declaration, but her lips tingled into a grin and she looked at him fondly.

"I love you too."

"Next time we go shopping, let's get one of those kid carts with the fire engine on the back of it and I can ride in it and pretend like I'm chasing a fire." Morgan sighed and threw a loaf of bread into the cart.

"I am in love with a child..."

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**I may have come up with this chapter when I was at work, which is as a supermarket. Anyway, that's all tonight! :) As always, reviews, however critical they may be, are welcome! And don't be afraid to find me on tumblr, same name, and locate me on Skype roseofphantom2010. Laters, my rosettes!**


	85. Give and Take

**I got a chapter up before work! Yay me! Also this is the last chapter before I start to enter everything I wanted to type about I am so excited and I am excited to find out what you guys think!  
**

* * *

Christmas had had its time and went, and the New Year rolled in. School was back in session and many of the kids had ecstatic news to share about their breaks and things they did and saw. Linda, who had spent a week at her aunt's in New Jersey, had not been able to share everything that happened until Morgan picked her up for school and she was still having the conversation about it with her at lunch.

"So we spent a half hour looking for Lana, but she ended up being buried under all that paper," Linda said, finishing her tale about how she hated her cousin's tiny poodle.

"And how long did you spend watching my Netflix?" Morgan asked. Linda licked the yogurt off her spoon greedily.

"Too long for my family, not long enough to meet the capacity of my feelings," Linda admitted, dangling her spoon from her fingers. Jack rolled his eyes and slipped his arm from Morgan's waist to take a fruit snack from Linda's lunch bag and pop it into his mouth. She patiently blinked several times, waiting for Jack to give some sort of response. He smiled whimsically and then crossed his arms while he waited for her to say something.

"I happen to like fruit snacks very much."

"And?"

"You stole mine."

"Do you want it back?" He pretended to cough it up.

"It's probably an icicle in your frozen stomach by now. I like my fruit snacks to not be frozen. I will stab your hand with my spoon if you steal my food again." Jack slowly dropped his hands below the table. The frizzy haired girl slowly made her way to their table, a bulge protruding from the lower part of her middle. They had heard Toni was not getting an abortion through the victorious response of the Pro-Lifers and some of the Pro-Choicers had offered up their congratulatory remarks, but of course Stacy was not happy and had started several other rumors about things Toni most likely did not do.

"Hey, Toni," Morgan greeted and Jack shifted over to the next seat once he was aware that Toni was going to take the spot next to Morgan and he groaned unhappily. Sometimes not being seen was a huge problem and he needed to work around it.

"Hey."

"I wanted to come over and let you know that... I decided not to put the baby up for adoption."

"You're keeping it?" Linda said. A small grin found Toni's face.

"I am."

"What did your parents do?" Morgan asked. Jack listened intently to her.

"They're um... not happy. They weren't happy when I made the decision to have it either. In fact... they're kicking me out. I have to be out by the end of the month."

"That's horrible!" Linda gasped. "That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard!"

"I know. I have vowed to never ever do that to my child."

"Where are you going?" Morgan said.

"My cousin has an extra room. She said I can live with her until I graduate from high school and have a place of my own. It will be big enough to have a small child there until then. She's sorting things out with her landlord right now and it seems like it will be okay. I'm going to try and get a part-time job to help out."

"Why did you decide to keep it?" Jack asked, forgetting she couldn't hear him. When her face was blank, he looked over to Morgan and she repeated his question.

"I don't really know it's just... I seemed to just one day stop thinking about what I was going to do about school, how I was going to schedule an appointment, how I was going to tell my friends what I was doing and then I started walking past the toy section and stuff that I think the kid would like and I looked and clothes and I started getting excited about the possibility of keeping this child... and just know there would be someone I could protect and take care of and watch over... someone who would love me... I wanted that so badly. Maybe it will even help with my depression. And I filed a report against Roger."

"Good for you!" Linda chimed, quietly applauding her.

"Maybe sometime I will meet a good man who will be a good father to it."

"You will," Morgan laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know you will." Toni beamed shyly and gave her a careful hug.

"Thanks... not even my own friends have really been this supportive... I just wanted to let you know and... I was wondering if I ever need anything, if I could..."

"Of course," Morgan answered. "Anything you need." She ripped a piece off her napkin and took up her pencil sitting atop her notebook and wrote down nine numbers. She pushed over the note to her and Toni tucked it away.

"Thanks, guys." She slowly walked away from the table, heading out of the cafeteria entrance. When she was out of sight, Jack pulled Morgan's purse off her shoulder and opened the clasp, fishing around for something inside it.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Looking for my wallet."

"Why?"

"Never you mind." Jack pushed aside the candy wrappers and the mp3 players and a few of the most embarrassing items in her purse and removed the simple black leather wallet that Morgan kept on hand for him. It was a little weathered from the occurrences of frostbite it received but its price tag had proved to be worth it, holding together firmly despite how beaten up it looked. "Can you make a quick envelope?"

"Jack what are you doing?"

"That girl is going to need a little help until she can find a job. I am just giving her a little bit."

"How are you...?"

"I know where her locker is, I catch her at it sometimes." Jack removed several bill from his wallet, his sculpture business proving to be pretty lucrative, and Morgan handed over the skinny envelope she had quickly crafted from a sheet of notebook paper. He shoved the money into it and kissed organ quickly before taking off down the hall and ran right through the students making their way to class. He ran up two flights of stairs and stopped in front of the ugly cream colored lockers. He verified the number of Toni's locker and struggled shoving the gift through the slots but was successful in the end. He left a frosted impression of a heart on her locker and then jogged back downstairs to join the girls, the pride of his generosity warming his cheeks.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brad had come to the decision to let his parents know, but the entire week building up to the day of his reveal had left him in a jumpy state. Every time one of his parents called out to him, he would respond in a very quick and anxious way, and they were left worrying what was going on with him. Jack promised to be there so he spent his time at the Bennetts, created a simple, small snowfall and then appeared at Jack's window early that morning so he wouldn't be anxious about anymore than he already was. Morgan had corralled her parents in the kitchen, engaging them both in a conversation about her latest scores in science which was much more interesting to her parents than it was to her. Jack found Brad sitting at his bed hands clasped and eyes closed, his bottom lip twitching whether because he was saying something or because he was nervous, Jack didn't know.

"Brad?" He yelped and his eyes snapped over to where Jack was standing, leaning against the wall calmly. "Were you... praying?"

"I don't know, I was doing something. Maybe. I'm not sure there is a God, but mom believes in Him so maybe... I just needed something to... ask for guidance. I don't know how this is going to go down."

"Kid," Jack started as he squeezed him tightly. "No matter what happens, Morgan and I are here for you, okay?"

"I know. It's nice to know I at least have you. Thanks, Jack." He slipped off the edge of his bed and then flexed his fingers. "Can we get this over with?" Jack smirked kindly and kept his firm hand on his shoulder the whole way downstairs, his ears catching the tail end of the most boring conversation Morgan ever had with her parents.

"... telling me that my grasp on the circulatory system is firm, but my understanding of the liver is a little vague, although I am not sure anyone really understand its usage beyond anything to do with alcohol-"

"Morgan," Jack addressed and she looked over at her brother and Jack, who's color was lost in his fear. She smiled at him and encouraged him with her eyes.

"Mom, Dad, I need to talk with you." Morgan removed herself from leaning against the table and slid a chair over to him. He took up the spot and she took his hand in both of hers, Jack's hand still on his shoulder. Bradley shut his eyes for a second and focused on the touch and encouragement the two of them were giving him. "I'm gay, okay?"

"You are... but..." Mr. Kenter stammered. "Have you ever, I mean..."

"I have dated anyone, haven't kissed anyone, haven't done anything with anyone, Dad. I just know. I see boys at school I think are cute and I have a hard time connecting on an emotional deep level with girls that would be suitable for a relationship. I can't imagine myself with a girl. Ever. Morgan says that when you know, you just know."

"But how long?" Brad rolled his eyes. Jack tightened his firm grip.

"You're born that way, Dad."

"No, I'm sorry, son, I am. I mean how long have you know for sure?"

"A year maybe? I got suspicious when everyone started seeing girls and I couldn't see them that way. And I questioned it and wondered what that meant. Then the way my friends talked about girls was the way I saw guys. When I realized that, that was when I knew." he shrugged, staring at his feet dangling in front of the floor. He cast his eyes down, waiting for some argument.

"But you're not..." Mrs. Kenter started.

"Not what?"

"You don't act like a girl." Brad moaned and rolled his eyes.

"Mom, not everyone who's gay is effeminate!" Morgan snapped. Her parents looked up at her.

"And Morgan knows?" Brad nodded.

"But no one else. I figured Morgan would be the best to tell since she's kind of... a controversy." Morgan laughed but her parents shook their head.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Brad..." Mrs. Kenter said. "I wasn't expecting this. I honestly wasn't."

"But do you hate me?"

"Never!" Mr. Kenter responded with defense. "Brad, this doesn't change how we feel about you. You just are going to have to be patient with us, that's all. We have raised four straight children and know very people who are gay, only one of them really well. We were also brought up in a culture that wasn't very accepting."

"Especially me," Mrs. Kenter added. "Incredibly fiercely Catholic parents. I was told to steer away of that stuff and I hate to say it, but for the better part of my life I did."

"So you're okay with it?" Brad asked with hope bringing the light of color back into his complexion.

"Of course we are!" cried Mrs. Kenter, embracing her son. "As long as you are you and you don't try to be anyone else but yourself! That doesn't mean we're not going to slip up or assume something stupid or not know how to handle something. So just be patient."

"You are still our son," Mr. Kenter said. "And will be forever." Brad turned into a wild ball of energy, leaping from his chair an jumping into his parents arms. The three of them cried together and Bradley could be heard laughing. Mr. Kenter looked up to his daughter who was looking on them adoringly. "That's why you jabbered about about a subject you hate! You were keeping us around"

"And it killed me! Oh, it was so boring!" Morgan groaned. "But all of it really happened."

"Morgan, I'm proud of you too, for being there for your brother," said Mrs. Kenter hugging her daughter. "I know we don't get along sometimes, but I am always proud of what you do."

"Thanks Mom, I love you too." Jack decided he did not like to be excluded and inched his way into the circle, the Kenters only reacting a little to the slight presence of cold. Brad was the first to pull away from them, telling them he needed to start on some homework. Glowing brighter than they had seen him in years, he strutted back up to his room. Jack pulled Morgan along into her room and took her in his embrace romantically, rubbing his lips against her ear.

"I am also very proud of you," he said lowly. "See what I mean? Your family is crazy, but there's a definite strong presence of love absent in a lot of families these days."

"Maybe I myself am a little prejudiced against my mother sometimes," Morgan admitted and kissed him tenderly. "And you know, I'm proud of you too. Toni told me she found 500 dollars in her locker and she's in a daze about who gave it to her. She knows I don't like and Linda... well, it's pretty clear she doesn't have that kind of money. I know you were giving her money but I didn't know how much."

"Did the landlord clear it, letting them live there?"

"Yes he did. She's family and underage."

"I'm glad, Morgan."

"And she found out she's having a girl."

"That's wonderful. Really wonderful."

"You know what Jack?"

"Yes, love?"

"Things seem to be working out for everyone around here... gives me hope for us too."

"Things will work out for us, Morgan. I promise they will."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~North~_

After Christmas ended, North usually decreased his usage on the Globe Cam significantly. However, when he tuned in to the world more frequently in the fall, he kept falling on the Kenter household and always Jack was there. His relationship with Morgan was going strong and it settled uncomfortably in North. The loved each other deeply and he hated how strong their bond was, because it meant their inevitable separation would only hurt more. Both Jack and Morgan were very dear to him and he hated that they would experience so much pain. They had been together so long, he was starting to second guess whether or not they would actually break up and decided that maybe he needed to hold another meeting.

"Crikey, North, hasn't Aurora broken ye- ah, blimey, you're watching on Morgan and Jack again? Isn't that Cupid's job?" At the mention of his name, the dashing love spirit floated down on a cloud and gave his debonaire smile to the approaching Guardians; Bunny had hopped in before him, Sandy was flying his biplane fashioned out of his Dreamsand and Tooth was buzzing into the shop with Baby Tooth on her shoulder.

"Did someone call me?" he asked.

"Cupid! I am glad you could make it. I know you are not Guardian, but I call you because this is a love matter."

"Oh, North, is this on the situation involving Morgack?" Bunnymund blinked wordlessly and Sandy stared at him with disgust.

"Oh, you have given them a pairing name?!" Tooth screeched, the miniature version of her singing angrily at Cupid.

"I think it says lovely," Cupid said in his defense.

"Why haven't ya done anything to break them up?" Bunny interjected. "Ya know this can't last! It shouldn't last! It will only cause problems in the future!"

"Let them have their fun, it will fizzle out!"

"Exactly the problem," North said. "I do not think it will do the fizzling. Look at them. I am thinking their love is too much and too strong. I am beginning to think Jack was right when he said their love was true and they would be together forever."

"Then why would we break them up?" Tooth wondered. "If it's true love, then maybe we should just-"

"Are there a few kangaroos loose in yer top paddock?!" Bunny interrupted and making Tooth draw herself back from the group with embarrassment Sandy looked between the two of them and Cupid analyzed his nails with interest. "Sure, it made fun for them, but Jack is forever, Tooth, and after Morgan's gone, who knows what the bloody hell could happen to him? We can't just let one of our own damage himself this way!" Sandy displayed an image of a heart, and then Jack smiling. "But he will only be happy as long as Morgan is alive. When she dies..."

"Then you deal with it," Cupid sighed. "I don't understand. I get yelled at all the time for relationships failing, and I get yelled at when they work."

"This is yer fault, isn't it Cupid?"

"I honestly had absolutely nothing to do with this, it happened all on its own."

"And I believe you had nothing to do with Evan and Linda."

"Okay, so I may have neglected them but that doesn't mean-"

"We are getting off the track," North said, turning the conversation back to its origin. "Problem is what we do about it?" The group stared at the cam, watching Morgan and Jack sit on her bed and laugh wildly about something. Their expressions were pained, neither one of them wanting to be get involved or do anything that would hurt them, but afriad of what would happen if they didn't.

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**Okay I need to get to work. I hope you guys liked this chapter and I can't wait to get work on my newest portion of the story! I work tomorrow and then I have a few days off which perfect because I want to dedicate a lot of time to it! As always, reviews, however critical they may be, are welcome! And don't be afraid to find me on tumblr, same name, and locate me on Skype roseofphantom2010. Laters, my rosettes!**


	86. A Occasion to Dress For

**I had a very lovely chat with one of my readers tonight :) Please, nobody be shy! It's fine. Come and talk to me sometime.**

**And today I saw human!Jack again at work! AND HE CUT HIS HAIR. HIS BEAUTIFUL PERFECT JACK HAIR AND HE CUT IT. I ran up to him and asked him why and he said "It was getting too long." I told him he should grow out again and then needed to go clock in because I was late.**

**Are you guys ready to have some fun for a few chapters? I am. This was fun to type.  
**

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The high school stirred and buzzed when the first posters for prom went up. Every one hundred feet was a poster that had a mob of people surrounding it. Juniors and seniors of the school were discussing who they wanted to ask and who they wished would ask them. Girls were suddenly imaging what they would wear and guys were coming up with pranks. In the first two weeks, it seemed half the school had dates, and never did one person approach Morgan or Linda, even though Linda made it very clear she was trying very hard to be asked. Every day, she wore a new accessory, a different shade of lipstick, her hair styled differently, and clothes that challenged both her parents' opinions and the school's dress code. She was trying really hard in the hopes someone would ask her, and Morgan found it a little ostentatious. It became a game where Morgan would try to guess what she would look like that day and it was always worse than she imagined. When Linda entered the car in fishnets under a blue skirt with a heart shaped t-shirt, lipstick way too dark for her, and eyelashes about three inches long, she kept the car in park and twisted her body towards Linda.

"This has got to stop," she said. "I know you want to be asked, but this is not how you go about being asked."

"I'm just trying to look..."

"Linda, if a guy asks you it's because of how you dress and not you. You want to be asked for you. And no other reason." Morgan slowly let the care slide out of the parking lot. Linda tightened her lips and then ripped off the ridiculous eyelashes, chucking them into Morgan's trashcan. She smeared away the burgundy on her lips and used Morgan's mirror to clean up her face.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Me? I'm not going," Morgan told her plainly.

"What but you have to! It's prom! It's like a rite of passage for us!"

"Linda, who would I ask, Jack? He's not even going to be here, prom is the first weekend in may. I wouldn't feel right going with anyone else. I'm sure Jack would be fine with it if I wanted. Prom is a big deal for our age and he wouldn't be able to be around and he would understand as long as we were just going as friends, but I would feel weird. So I'm not going. Besides that all that hassle and money and dressing up, I just can't even imagine. It's not my thing. And the dresses these days, I mean really. You know how I feel about modern fashion, and the drama of prom. And the dancing. I hate dancing. Have you looked at the theme? A Visage of Victorian. Really. They wouldn't know Victorian if Queen Victoria came and hit them over the head. I realize they are trying to go for a romantic theme and the Victorian era was the explosion of the Romantic movement, but if you really want romantic you should go for the Taj Mahal."

"Nothing says romantic like a tomb," Linda said, relaxing against the head rest.

"You know what I mean."

"I know, I know."

Entering the school, the chaos had not changed and everything they heard in the halls was prom related, whether it be dresses, corsages, pranks, music predictions, or secret conversations about renting rooms for the night. The two girls weaved between the enthusiastic crowds, trying to avoid as much as they possibly could about the upcoming night. They parted ways temporarily as they each headed off to their lockers and then to homeroom. A senior stepped up to Linda, blonde hall chopped short, and nervously twiddled his fingers, struggling to get out his question.

"Linda..." She looked up and her cheeks tingled with shy joy at what she thought was happening. "Um, I was wondering if you would go to prom with me?" Linda's mouth formed into a yes, ready to respond eagerly, but suspicion stopped her. She wasn't even sure of this boy's name and did not understand why he would ask someone he did not. She glanced down the hall, which the boy seemed very firm in preventing her from doing so, stepping in the way of her sight. She eventually pushed the boy aside and saw a group of boys huddled together and snickering, watching everything happening at the end of the hall. Linda slammed her locked shut and tossed her hair aside.

"No," she said confidently and stalked away from him. The boys at the end of the hall fell and cackled with elated shock. The boy who asked her stuttered out some noises and then caught her arm, turning her around.

"No, you need to say yes," he said. "We don't actually have to go, you know. It was only a bet. Just say yes, and I can get my money ad-"

"You don't get it!" she said. "There are some people here who would kill to be asked, and you are just using their emotions for your own emotions. I was ready to say yes, but I have learned something from very good friends of mine. I deserve to be asked because of who I am, not what I look like and definitely not to fulfill some bet. I deserve better than that. I am worth more than a means to an end. If you really wanted to go to prom with me you lost your chance the minute you agree to asking me for money. I want to go to prom but not with some garbage like you!" Linda gurgled in a fashion that was not lady like and spat whatever she had pulled out of her lungs onto his shape. She scurried down the hallway, completely bypassing the doorway into her homeroom and ran down the steps and into a classroom one floor down.

Morgan watched Linda drop herself into the desk in front of hers, her desperate action shoving Morgan's desk into her stomach so her eyes were popping from the pain and the surprise of seeing Linda there.

"All I want is to dress up and have a fun time," Linda said. "That's all I want. It's the closest thing I will ever to get to a fairytale ball or whatever. It's all I want. I don't need a date to have fun."

"Linda, what happened?" Morgan slowly asking, sensing there was something behind this.

"We'll discuss that later," she said. "I just want to have the best time of my life but that's not possible without my best friend. So it's not a guy I need, it's you. I will never ever make you do anything you don't want to do so I will just ask you this one time and if you don't want to we will just stay up all night watching crappy videos and eating all of the popcorn in the house. Please, please Morgan, let's go to prom! Without boys, just us. Let's have a wild and crazy time!" Morgan shook her head, a twitch of a smirk trying to expand on her face.

"Linda, you could have asked me the day they put up the posters and I would have said yes. You just need to ask," she told her with obviousness lining her tone. Linda curled her eyebrows toward confusion and she drew back in her dumbfounded state.

"Say again?" she said. "What about all those things you said about how ridiculous it is and how you don't want to?"

"Oh I still think those things. And if anyone else asked me I would have said no. That doesn't mean I would have said no to you."

"But-"

"This is the closest thing to your dreamworld available, Lin," said Morgan, clicking her pen against her open notebook. "Of course I am going to overlook my own desires for your happiness."

"You are amazing and wonderful and I love you. We are going to have so much fun." Linda fell onto her friend, choking her in a hug til she gasped for air.

"Ooo... kaaayyyy..." she rasped.

"We are going to have so much fun!" Linda squealed, bouncing in the seat in front of her. Morgan scribbled against the page, forming an image of Lewis and Clark on the Mississippi.

"I don't doubt that Linda. I honestly don't." the bell rang to let the students know they should be heading to homeroom and Linda tore away from her friends, telling her a quick goodbye. She stepped outside of the door and there was Jack, leaning against the crook of his staff expectantly. She rolled her eyes away from his knowing look and pretended to not notice him looking at her. She walked up the stairs and he zoomed in front of her, blocking her from reaching the top step.

"Okay, you were right," Linda finally caved in saying. "All I had to do was ask."

"I told you so," he sang mockingly and swung around his staff arrogantly. "Morgan would do anything to make you happy. Even suffer through prom. And you know what else?"

"What?"

"I think she secretly wanted to go. Morgan likes to hide that she's a little bit girly sometimes. She has a reputation to protect but I see it sometimes. It's just hidden in her love of history."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If Morgan was given an array of period costumes and jewelry, she would spend forever deciding which one would be best and be admiring herself in the mirror. Morgan hates modernized items, but things that have had their usage and reflect something once represented through the course of the making of the world. She has her own kind of fairytale, her own kind of fantasy, and it involves gentlemen and ladies dancing the Minuette with big hairstyles and elaborate fashion. She likes the idea of a ballroom with people in fancy dress and décor, but hates how it is filled with the effect of the era."

"Are you telling that if Morgan could be dressed up in period clothing-"

"She might go to prom without reluctance."

"But, Jack... that can't be found here. And I don't even know how I am going to afford my dress or my hair or my-"

"Did you not listen to a word I said?" The second bell rang, freezing Linda in place at the top of the steps. "You want the true prom experience? I am told girls enjoy shopping together for dresses."

"Well, yes, but that's not something Morgan would really like-"

"Morgan likes things that have had their usage." Linda's brain turned over the words he had spoken and her face illuminated when she discovered what he had been telling her.

"Pawn shops! Thrift stores! Many of them sell prom dresses now, and some of them might have some really old ones! And they're cheap, I could afford them! And Morgan, she hates shopping unless it's secondhand shops because she loves the 'Mystery History' everything holds! Oh Jack, you are wonderful in every way!"

"I know," he laughed with his ego getting in the way.

"What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know nobody can see you, but as the only person among us with any sense in fashion, you cannot expect to show up as a surprise date dressed in britches and a blue sweatshirt that we've seen every single day." Jack let out a hearty laugh, trying hard not to take offense to her remark. He looked at her mysteriously and puffed out his chest subconsciously.

"Already working on that. Seems a couple of the Yetis are good with a thread and needle. Making doll clothes and such. I've spoken to them and they are fitting me with something... that would be worthy of Prince Albert. Casual wear, not ceremonial."

"... That means nothing to me," Linda told him blankly. He sighed and took a moment to think.

"Something worthy of Mr. Darcy," he told her, finally settling on a piece of literature he knew was well known to have a man who was well sought after and something Linda definitely would be familiar with. She let out a barely audible squeak and then enveloped Jack in hug, daring to take a moment to kiss his cheek.

"Save a dance with me?"

"Of course, Linda," he chuckled, carefully pulling her away from him.

"Oh, and you're not allowed to go dress shopping with us."

"Wouldn't dream of it. I'll let you girls have your fun." The bell trilled, telling Linda she had missed homeroom but she decided she didn't care. She skipped down the steps merrily and Jack watched her go, amused by how enchanted she was with the whole concept of prom. He had to admit, he was a little excited too. He had never done anything like this and it seemed like a very human thing to be involved in. Something that might make Morgan feel comfortable and like she was involved in a normal relationship and something that might make Jack feel alive again. According to what Ms. Bennett said about prom, everyone was too involved in themselves and their partner at prom to notice anyone else so he would be okay dancing with Morgan, and when Linda first brought up the idea about getting Morgan to go and Jack surprising her, she seemed to agree. He felt a little too impatient waiting for the next few weeks to pass on, thoughts of what the decorations would be like, how everyone would be dressed, and most of all, giddy with what Morgan would look like that evening. He looked out the window, decided he wanted to cast another spiral of snow before he let the snow settle down to allow spring and ventured outside, channeling his emotions to create a wonderland of white.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Why didn't you tell me right then and there?" Morgan asked as they picked through the several racks of dresses as their largest thrift store. "I would have punched him in the face."

"That's exactly what I was afraid of," Linda said, finally revealing the story about the boy who had asked her to prom. "But it made me realize at that moment I am not the girl I used to be. Two years ago I would have said yes no matter what. But I respect myself too much to accept that and I told him no, straight up. You and Jack have helped me realize I am an important part of this world and and deserve better treatment." Morgan's eyes welled and she turned her friends, who was sifting through dresses and holding one up before realizing she didn't like it. She slipped it back on the rack before she realized Morgan was looking at her with emotion in her eyes. Morgan could feel her chest booming with her heart trying to soar out into the world and her limps becoming soft with the words Linda spoke.

"Linda, you have no idea how much it means to hear that..." she mumbled to her. Linda could not fight back the happiness that was pulling at the edges of her lips. She kept her smiling face aimed towards the rack of various gowns, all colored brilliantly. Morgan pushed through them, not a single one catching her attention on the kind of thing she would like to wear. "This dress is like just a sheet with strings how can people wear that? Where's the fun in the dress, where's the embellishment? At least this one has a pretty butterfly on the shoulder..."

"What about this?" Linda slipped off a red dress with puffed sleeves and a baggy middle. Morgan cringed at the sight of it and then pushed it out of her face.

"Historical, Linda, vintage. Not 80s disaster. I know I have little fashion sense, but it's not so bad I would be willing to wear that _thing_."

"Oh thank God, you're not completely unhinged," Linda breathed in immense relief. She pushed aside a few more gowns and retrieved a tea length dress, peach colored with a white sash around the middle. It had thick straights and was heart shaped at the top. "Isn't this like that rockabilly fifties style?" Morgan looked up and took the dress from her, examining the shape of it and finding it not too terrible.

"Peach is a bit of strange color on me but it's not too bad. If nothing else, I think it will suit my needs nicely. Thank you." She slung the dress over her shoulder and then removed an aquamarine dress with a dip in the neckline and bedazzled across the front. There was a slit in the dress, beginning with the beaded starburst in the waist. She passed it over to Linda, who placed it along her collection she was building. She seemed to be focused on a particular style – A-line, with a slit along the side and heart shaped. Morgan supposed she was trying to make up for the slender frame she hated so much. A shriek form Linda startled her and she ripped a hunter's green wad of fabric from the mess of elegance.

"OhmyGoditsinmysizeIreallyhopeitlooksgoodthisisper feeeeeecccctt!": Linda cradled the dress in its plastic and put it on top of the pile. Morgan glanced at price tag and gave her a thumbs up, indicated it was within Linda's budget. She yelped and scuffed against the floor in her excitement, making for the fitting rooms. Morgan decided that maybe the prom dresses was not the best place to look and instead meandered over to the women's evening gowns, which usually held more of an older look to them. She found that their designs were a bit more to her liking, although none of them really prom appropriate – until she saw the purple one, hanging there with such old-fashioned beauty, Morgan could not understand how it had not been plucked before. Her fingers trembled as she touched the fabric, which had a very silky feel beneath her fingers and her mind raced with who could have possibly worn it what occasion. She wondered if maybe someone's great grandmother had run to meet a boy in that dress and whether or not she had been caught or maybe they got away and started a family. Then she imagined that maybe it had been worn for an important party, possibly an engagement one. Maybe all of it was unknown and someone had just found it in their attic, and it had in fact been worn by a first lady. All possibilities of what the dress could have first been introduced to the world in collided in Morgan mind and she hugged it, praying to whoever would listen that it could be hers, somehow. It was too perfect to belong to anyone else. It lacked enough ruffles and drops that it would fit in well with a modern prom, but its pickups and its classic aristocratic style held enough of a graceful formality to it that Morgan would be more than happy to be seen in it, and might even draw some positive attention at the dance. It was a vibrant aubergine, a shade in the family of her favorite color and checking the price told her it was only ten dollars more than the one Linda fell in love with. Everything was too perfect and she was terrified to see the size. When she discovered it was two sizes bigger, she decided she didn't care. It could be altered easily and it was a corset back anyway She scooped up the dress and tossed the rockabilly one aside, knowing she could never be seen in that when she had a perfect one readily available.

"Did you find one?" Linda said, peeking from over the top of the dressing room door. Morgan held it up for her to see, struggling to hide the way her body was twitching at reaction to her find. Linda's eyes bugged at the perfection in her hands and she could only let out a mere whisper of how impressed she was, and even found it a little beautiful.

"Oh my God Morgan. Just... oh my God."

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**I have personally gone to prom three times. Twice was with a date. Both of those times sucked. The time it was fun was when I attended with my friends, so I wanted to give Morgan and Linda that (even though Jack is a secret date but it doesn't really count...). And what that boy did to Linda was HORRIBLE. I have actually had that happen except I threw something at him. Don't do that people. It's not a nice thing. And thrift stores, if you can get beyond the "used" factor are some of the greatest things ever. Morgan and Linda's searching, especially Morgan's, is exactly how I felt when I found my wedding dress. I have a unique taste that isn't exactly modern but isn't exactly vintage either so it's hard to meet what I want but I found the most perfect dress and I fell in love with it the minute I saw it at a thrift store. It cost me sixty American dollars and it is beautiful and it's a ball gown and I feel like a combination of a Disney princess and Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera. Except it has a button back and that's annoying so I am getting a corset back. Anyway, I'll work on another tomorrow. Reviews are nice. Finding me on tumblr (roseofphantom) is nice. Skype (roseofphantom2010) is nice too. Love you guys. Until tomorrow!**


	87. Enchanted Pumpkin

**I hope a chapter about description and preparation before the prom is okay. I was having a little fun with it and relieving the chaos of when I got ready for my own prom. I hope you enjoy it.**

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For the fifth time, a pin stuck into Morgan's skin and she shifted in response to the pricking. The seamstress flicked her eyelids up at Morgan, a warning glance to stop moving so much. Morgan positioned her arms across her chest so they showed her displeasure at how she was being treated. She looked over at her mother hopefully, but she gave her the same look as the seamstress. Morgan growled tiredly and stared at the lighting over her head.

"This is a really interesting dress. It fits the Victorian theme really well," said the seamstress, trying her best to sound friendly.

"That's what I said!" replied Mrs. Kenter with a joyful musical tone. When Morgan said she was going to prom, her mother was all over it and had jumped at every chance possible to get involved somehow. "I still think maybe you should have found something a bit more like everyone else..." Morgan snapped as if she were an alligator. "But it's still beautiful."

"I like it because it's not like everyone else and it's old fashioned," said Morgan. "Linda is like everyone else." Mrs. Kenter sighed and stood up to examine the work on the gown from the front. With the pins pulled in to tighten around the waist, it now seemed to fit around Morgan's figure nicely.

"It reminds me of something from Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast..."

"No, it reminds you of Victorian aristocracy," Morgan sharply said. "I do not want to associated with a fairytale."

"Most girls would."

"Not me, Mom. Not me."

"Prom with Aubrey was so much easier... who are you going to dance with?"

"I don't know, Linda?" Morgan scoffed, giving her mother a knowing look.

"I mean as far as boys."

"How the hell do I know?! I probably won't even dance with any boys!"

"Morgan, you're not a lesbian, are you?"

"No, why does everyone think that?!"

"It's okay if you are."

"I know it is, but I'm not!" Morgan said. "I know this thing with Brad has you struggling to learn more and so it's probably on your mind all the time, but I am going to prom to help Linda have a good time and that is all. We're not a couple, and Jack is not something I made up because it's easier for me to be thought of as crazy than a lesbian. If I was, I wouldn't care what anyone else thought because I never do. But I'm not. I'm trying my best to enjoy my experience with prom and you are _ruining_ it. Aubrey was easier because she likes the same stuff as you. I _don't_ and you want to control every aspect of my life and get me to be like you. I am not like you and I will never be like you. I'm not like anyone in this family, but I guess if there's someone I'm like it's probably Aunt Patricia, whom I know you hate because she's a 'psycho'."

"I don't hate Patricia. She's just hard to get along with."

"Dad does!"

"Well, she's your father's sister."

"They also happen to be really close." The seamstress jabbed Morgan again, this time it seemed intentionally to get them to stop talking. "And if you poke me one more time I will bleed all over your carpet and not apologize."

"Manners, Morgan."

"She's the one prodding me!"

"It happens, she's not trying to."

"You're finished!" the seamstress shouted, a breath of air escaping from her with the final outcome. Morgan examined the way it fitted against her in the mirror and decided she loved the way it sat on her waist and spread out across her chest. She disappeared in the fitting room to quickly change and left the dress to be altered. She took a moment to examine the injuries she received and decided they did not look as bad as the felt. She was about to step outside when she heard the two of them talking about her in very hushed tones. She stayed very still to listen to them.

"I am her mother, you have no right in tell me what to do."

"I'm not telling you what to do, I am just saying that is a very unique girl in there. There is nothing wrong with being a little different. I can see the tension of you too, and she's argumentative, which is difficult in teenagers, but I can also see where she gets it from. She has your beauty and your temper and maybe other things I don't know. But her enthusiasm does not lie in the same things it does with you. You should encourage her to be different. You should rejoice in her choice of dress. It's beautiful, even if it's not so modern. I don't know the details, Christina, but it sounds like you don't approve of a relationship she's in?"

"He doesn't even exist, she's making it all up."

"Maybe you just never see him because she knows you don't approve."

"You're right, you _don't_ know the details."

"Well, maybe that's why she's going with her friend, because she sees no other way to go. And it sounds like she has an excellent friendship."

"I thought her friendship with Linda would encourage her to be like everyone else."

"Why do you want her to be like everyone else? Have you seen what this 'everyone else' is doing in the world today? Morgan could be doing drugs, she could be pregnant, she could be skipping class, she could be drinking, she could be running out into the streets with guns. Being like everyone else is not something you want to be in this world."

"I just want her to be liked."

"And that's not wrong, as a mother you should want that, but you don't get to be well-liked through clothes and shoes and whether or not your fashion sense fits with the times." When her mother grew quiet, Morgan popped out of the fitting room and made a boisterous comment about being ready to leave. She apologized to the seamstress quickly for being so fidgety and received a genuine grin and a wish to have fun at her prom. She followed her mother to the car and once again realized how strange it was not to have a wheel in front of her.

"Do you want to go to an antique shop to look for jewelry?" Mrs. Kenter reluctantly asked her. Morgan shifted towards her and reclined against the window.

"And not the mall?"

"A dress like that probably should not have modern jewelry. And I know you like antique jewelry."

"But you said-"

"It grew on me." Morgan knew she was lying but decided not to push it. She nodded and her mother pulled out of the driveway, heading down the lesser traveled road for the lesser frequented shops.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aubrey had flown up with Ryan and Lawrence because she wished to visit her family, but Morgan knew and was touched by the real reason which was because she wanted to help her only sister prepare for prom. Morgan let her have her fun, especially since she didn't know how to do half the stuff she knew. So Aubrey was hard at work in the kitchen, styling both Linda and Morgan's hair. Linda wanted loose curls with braids pulled up behind her head so the bottom half of her hair hung down her back, and with her hair that hadn't been cut in a few years, it looked beautiful. Aubrey was glad to oblige Morgan with a classic and traditional hairstyle that fit many pictures of aristocratic women, with curls piled on top of the head and a few loose ones hanging off to the side.

"Now, Morgan asked me to bring this for you. And you can keep it. I wore this for my prom and haven't used it since, but it's still in very good condition." Aubrey picked up a small box and nestled a pointed tiara of curling rhinestones onto Linda's hair. Her noise of delight caught her throat and she kicked her legs excitedly hat having such a lavish accessory on her head. Deciding things were moving much too slowly for her liking, Morgan put in her ear buds and started an audiobook about the history and tradition of masked balls, a perfect way to get her in the mood for the event they were to attend. Aubrey started on their makeup, cat eyes and green highlights of eyeshadow with a touch of pink lipstick for Linda and Morgan, who requested as little as possible received darkly lined lids with pinks and browns across them and bright red lipstick. As first, Morgan was against it, but Aubrey said she was trying to create an authentic old-fashioned look and she obeyed.

Linda, who was panicking about things still needing to be done, took a look at the clock and skated across the floor in a fury, fumbling through her jewelry to put it on. While Linda put in her emerald three gem drop earrings, the gems centered between circles of crystals, Morgan draped a crystal necklace with alternating gem leaves around her neck. Linda demanded she put on her jewelry right then lest they be late and Morgan allowed herself to be jostled about. Linda nearly ripped her ears out putting in the vintage pieces. They were bursts of hematite centered with amethyst and three small circles of the purple stone dropped from them. Morgan was started to feel violently abused when she was choked with the twisted chain of her necklace, a purple drop falling from the middle of it. Finally, Linda carefully settled a gemstone headpiece around her forehead. It was similar to a style worn in the 20s by the flappers of the era, but more elaborate in style and lacking a feather. And it was picked out by Linda, who had chosen it not just based on its vintage appeal to Morgan, but also for the burst of a snowflake in the middle of it. A look in the mirror shocked Morgan, noticing how her face had changed from a regular average modern day girl to something like a duchess of the 19th century. Now energized by her own beauty, Morgan requested they slip into their dresses right then and Linda saw no reason to argue.

The dress Linda had was the one she cooed over at the thrift store and it did fit the style she had been looking at. It was straight in its color of hunter's green and a clean slit ran up to the middle of the thigh, just low enough to correspond to the dress code of the school. The neckline was heart shaped and ending just before Linda's small line of cleavage. The heart was contoured with rhinestones of silver and green and the bodice had lines to create a corseted look on the dress. The waist was pulled in the same rhinestones weaving in four lines to the center of the lower abdomen. Linda's favorite part about it was how it's subtle sexiness gave her a fuller figure and she pranced around in it as if she were a celebrity on the red carpet.

Morgan's perfect dress of eggplant hue had an under skirt that peaked through the pick ups of of black. The edging and accents on the dress were also black and so was the ruffled fabric that wrapped around the shoulders to give it a an off-the-shoulder collar. A purple rose was centered in the middle of the chest and Linda tied up the back, quickly fastened it so there was a guarantee it would not come loose. Morgan twirled in it, modeling the dress for everyone who would look at her and her mother crushed her in an emotional hug and blubbering on how her daughter was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Aubrey huffed but then laughed and also joined in on hugging Morgan, and then Linda. Brad scuffled down the steps and his jaw dropped at the two ladies in the living room.

"You two look gorgeous," he said, his eyes watching the twirling before him. Morgan ripped him from the steps and waltzed clumsily through the room. Brad emitted chuckles from how ridiculous she was being in her over dramatic dance. "When I go to prom, I have absolutely no idea how my date is going to look as good as you."

"He'll probably be more comfortable than I am. There are so many rules to wearing dresses..." Morgan muttered.

"You're uncomfortable?!" Linda guffawed. "You have a neckline that covers your breasts completely and you're wearing leggings! Everyone where I go everyone gets a shot of my left leg and if I lean too much... hello boobies!"

"I thought that's what you wanted!"

"It is. And it is sexy." Linda winked.

"If it helps, if I liked girls I would be all over you right now," Brad told her with a smirk.

"Aw, that's so sweet! Morgan, you're brother is an angel," Linda cooed, spinning Brad around the room and pecking his cheek.

"That's disgusting," said Morgan. "Any member of my family and you... no. No no."

"Someday Todd and I. Someday."

"NO."

"Then we would be sisters."

"Oh in that case NO."

"Girls come on! Pictures, we want pictures!" Linda and Morgan put on their shoes, Linda's a low heel with several straps of gold cream wrapped around her feet and Morgan's black heels with the tongue sticking up and buckles, like the shoes of old. They were then dragged throughout various placements of the house, in various poses with people constantly being exchanged. Linda finally got her camera back from Aubrey and hid it away in her purse. Finally, after all the preparation and the stress they underwent, the prom was to start in several minutes and Aubrey offered to drive them to the ballroom where it was taking place. Brad stopped Linda outside the vehicle ad pulled her aside.

"Did you hear from Jack this morning?" she whispered.

"Yes. He said at quarter after 8 to get Morgan over to the side entrance by the drinking fountains. He said that it's near the large mirror that was placed there." Linda nodded. Jack had arrived that morning and somehow it had not clicked in Morgan's had the temperature was a little cooler than originally predicted, which worked out well for them. He had inspected the area earlier and their elaborate plan to surprise Morgan was working perfectly. Linda kissed Brad on top of the head and then stepped into the car.

"What was that about?"

"He loves you and wants you to have a good time, but he didn't want to tell you himself because brothers." Morgan smiled and waved out the window, screaming her affections for her little brother as the vehicles sped down the road. Linda slyly looked out her window, finding herself very clever and talented in that particular moment.

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**When my friend and I went to prom and got ready together, it was violent chaos from how much we were trying to rush to get ready and attempt to help the other dress and it is the most dangerous, most hysterical thing ever experienced. Tonight I will work on the dance itself, and that is chapter I have been waiting forever to write. I'm so excited to finally be able to. :3 Reviews are nice. Finding me on tumblr (roseofphantom) is nice. Skype (roseofphantom2010) is nice too. Love you my rosettes.**


	88. Surrender to the Waltz

**I LOVED WRITING THIS CHAPTER. Here they are at the dance, finally. A scene I have been waiting to write for a very long time. I think it's beautiful, and it's hard for me to admit my writing is beautiful.**

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_~Jack~_

When he arrived at the ballroom a little past eight, streams of students all dressed in tuxes and luxurious gowns flowed in through the doors, many of them laughing and clinging to each other. There were a few outfits that made him wonder whether or not they would actually be allowed in and he felt a little embarrassed seeing as much skin as he did on a few of the girls. He slipped inside the doors when it propped open and drifted through pairs of couples entering dance floor. The glossy wood floor reflected the painted gold structures of plastic, formed to imitate elaborate décor of a Victorian palace. Prints of famous paintings hung on the wall and red velvet curtains were pulled back from cheap looking mirrors, their borders formed to look antique, but it was clear they were not. A rather impressive looking chandelier that was really made of beads and aluminum was lighted by the battery operated candles, when reality the lights probably did very little and it was the real lighting of the place. Lights similar to the ones put up around Christmas to imitate icicles were strung across the border of the ceiling, and plastic gold statues also surrounded the place. On one end of the ballroom was a large black block where the DJ stood, flashing a plethora of colors over the faces of the expanding crowd. Right now there was some nostalgic fast beat playing and many of the students were well into the music, moving their hims and their arms enthusiastic. Several older people stood around, people Jack assumed were teachers and chaperones making sure the students were behaving. On the other end of the ballroom were several round tables with white tablecloths. They each had a bowl of chocolates and off to one side of the hall was a banquet table, lined with refreshments and hors d'oeuvres. The two walls facing each other the long way had large mirrors on them, reflecting the dancing partners so there looked to be about five hundred more students.

Jack found his way towards the large mirror and escaped through the small opening that lead to a pair of doors near a drinking fountain. The doors were to lead out into the hall and if Brad gave them the message, Linda would know to take Morgan over to where he was. Jack wheezed at the feel off the ascot rubbing against his throat and loosened it a little, but was concerned about loosening too much. It had been a while since the last time he had changed his clothes and the feel of the tight fitting suit was nearly suffocating him. He was used to being able to move around, but this restricted him a little. He hoped he had the effect he was trying for. When he showed up at Tooth's to show it off, she practically fainted and he hoped that was a good sign.

The only reason he recognized the girls was because Morgan was wearing the most different dress he had ever seen, and she looked the most beautiful out of every lovely lady that was in the room. He raised his eyes a little at Linda's green piece that showed off a little more of her legs and chest than he had any desire to know about, but his eyes quickly fell back on his darling in deep purple, the folds of her Victorian inspired vintage gown swaying as she walked and the black fabric falling sensually from her shoulders. Jack's hand froze a bit to the plastic boxes he was holding from the perspiration he was emitting. He did understand why he was suddenly feeling a little weak and nervous. But when Morgan looked around and her curls swung against her made up face, he leaned in the wall hidden by the shadows and used his crook for support. She looked like someone from another time altogether, and it was difficult to take in air, even though he didn't actually need to breath. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will the quaking and the roaring of his heart beating, sure that someone could hear it running. He cursed himself for being so hormonal and laughed about the things Morgan had the power to do to him.

"Why are you going to the drinking fountain?" Morgan complained. "There's a punch table right there! If you're thirsty why not just... oh my God, would you look at that?!" Linda whipped her head around in a panic.

"Whatwhatwhat?!" she asked.

"Look at the horrible job they did on this mirror! If they're going to hang up a fake mirror the least they could do is not make the reflection so warped. I look like a hunchback!"

"And a lovely one. Now come on!" Linda jerked her arm forwards towards the space practically enclosed completely where no one would see them.

"I can't believe I paid sixty dollars for this, this is all plastic and it's not even -" Everything wrong about the room vanished from Morgan's mind and her complaints were forgotten instantaneously. Jack stepped out of his corner in the darkness and looked out from under the hanging bits of his frost colored hair. Laced black boots lead into slim fit black trousers, exposing the slenderness in his legs. A double breasted waistcoat the same shade of purple as Morgan's dressed surrounded his middle, micro designs of snowflakes embroidered into the fabric. A white high stand collar peeped from under a burgundy ascot. A frost coated regency tailcoat was pulled over the rest of the outfit, brass buttons on either side of it. Jack set the two plastic boxes down and walked with confidence to Morgan, who seemed to not be able to do anything but stare at him. He smirked at her loveliness and pressed a simple kiss to her cheek, but she made no movement towards him.

"Linda, I'm afraid we may have surprised her a but too much, her heart has completely stopped." Morgan's eyes shifted to her friend and then back at Jack.

"You left," she whispered.

"And then I came back."

"But you... Linda knew?"

"Since the posters first went up," Linda giggled. "Jack actually had this planned a very long time."

"When you asked..."

"I was trying to get you to go because Jack wanted to go with you. That was the real reason, Morgs."

"But you could have just..."

"And missed this precious face?" he chuckled lowly, caressing her chin with his knuckle. "Never, Morgan." Linda smugly took a few steps back, giving them a little bit of privacy. Morgan slung her arms around his neck, greedily lapping up his kisses and colliding into his lips. "Hey, hey... the heavy stuff isn't supposed to happen til afterwards."

"I can't help... this outfit..." she panted in between her desperate attempts to get as much out of his mouth that she possibly could. "This is the most... God, Jack... have you any idea..."

"Yeah, I'm getting the idea... seeing you in that dress is – Morgan, ow – doing much the same to me..."

"Well, you can take it off later then..." Jack ripped away from her quickly and studied her face for her answer. Her flush and timid eyes told him that she was serious. He shook his head no.

"How about we think about that for a while. Let our hormones calm down a bit. And maybe you'll be so tired-"

"You're dressed like you're Prince Albert stepped out of a portrait when he spends down time with Victoria. I will not be too tired!" Jack was mentally booming with victory, proud that he nailed every single thing he knew Morgan would say and react.

"Let's wait," he said and Morgan's heart swelled that he was trying to maintain his gentlemanly respect and chivalry, which only gave her more desire for him in every way possible. When she leaned in again, he pushed her back and he crouched down for one of the plastic boxes. He opened one and held removed a artfully decorated flower in front of her. Then, he dropped to one knee and held out the corsage, attached to a bracelet of pearls. Purple ribbon and white tulle fabric had been knotted together in a bow and dusted with blue glitter The edges of fern leaves shot out of the bed of fabric and flowers. Buds of snowdrop flowers surrounded the central flower; a rose but not the average rose. It was a rose composed of petals that were different colors. On the outsides of the petals, they were white, but the insides of the petals were a dark red. Looking deep into the center of the rose, Morgan saw alternating colors of red and white. Her eyes grew three times larger when she looked down at the corsage he was holding for her, bringing her face closer to it.

"Is that..." she breathed, finding it difficult to finish the sentence.

"No," he answered quickly. "It's called an osiria rose. The Tudor rose doesn't exist."

"I thought not," she said sadly.

"But what is the Tudor rose?" he said. "It's a symbol right? The Tudor rose is a rose that is red and white. That's all it is."

"Well, yes," said Morgan. "And it represents a union."

"This must be a Tudor rose then," he said. "It's a rose. It's red and white. And it represents a union. Now Morgan Paige Kenter... will you be my prom date?" Morgan's eyes well and she held out her hand, allowing Jack to slip on the decorated bracelet.

"You come in here dressed like that with a Tudor rose? Who would I be if I said no?" she laughed and Jack stood up, kidding her tenderly.

"Morgan, take a good look at the corsage again." She looked at the alternating patterns of red and white on the flower. "The Tudor rose does not exist. Should not exist. And yet, here it is. Because it is a flower that looks like it and represents the same thing. It doesn't exist, but it's still here."

"We shouldn't be. We shouldn't exist, and yet we do," Morgan concluded, finally realizing the truth significance of the corsage. "I guess a little imagination, thought, and truth can make something that was once pretend become a reality. It makes the impossible possible."

"That's what fairy tales are about," Linda interrupted. "Dreams and wishes that no one ever dreamed possible becoming reality. That's what prom is. For one night, we are all kings, queens, princes, princesses. We are all lost in the realm of fantasy. All of this stuff may be fake Morgan. We may be dressed differently and have personas different from our day faces. But then we put a little imagination into it and it becomes real for one night. Because we believe in love. We believe in beauty. We believe in romance. We believe in fun. We believe in life. Even if it's just for one night, it becomes real."

"Imagination isn't fake," Morgan whispered, looking at the rose. "It makes things real."

"Exactly!" Linda cawed, throwing her hands in the air.

"This is not an osiria rose," she said, looking at it closer. "This is a Tudor rose."

"Yes it is," said Jack, brushing his lips against her forehead. "And you look as beautiful as your beloved Tudor." Morgan glowed brighter than the light near her head. She hugged Jack and then hugged Linda. Jack picked up the second box and opened it.

"Don't you dare think I forgot you."

"What? How did you order it without me knowing?" Linda said. "When we ordered them I was with you the whole time! When we picked them up you didn't leave!"

"But Bradley wasn't," he chuckled.

"Oh, the sneak."

"I told him what I wanted and gave him the money and he ordered it for me." He revealed a green ribbon with a large black tulle bow glistening with sparkles and whiskers of white rhinestones protruding from the bow. A stargazer flower was centered and surrounded by buttercups, all with green leaves symmetrically lined around the cluster.

"Jack!" she awed and let her slip it on her hand. "Can I have your boyfriend? Please please please please?"

"No..." Morgan giggled and cut between them. "I want to dance."

"Wait. You actually want to dance?"

"Why not? With a little imagination, I might like it."

"Very well," said Jack and he bowed low as if he were a gentleman of an era gone by. Morgan curtsied to him and he took her hand and her waist. The two of them leaped out into the middle of the floor, the rest of the crowd so engrossed in their own lives to notice Morgan was dancing with no one. Linda removed her camera and snapped a few pictures of the couple happily skipping along to the most modern of music – but Morgan decided that didn't matter. Jack swept her around and swung her in time to the beat and dipped her low and high, snagging kisses when he could. He released Morgan and then scooped Linda up. Morgan clapped and snickered at the fun the two of them were having, flowing with the movement. A slower song started and Jack took Morgan up again. They slowly turned in a gentle circle, Morgan's fingers interlaced across his neck.

"You and Linda are little sneaks," she accused with a grin, resting her head on his shoulder.

"She's very clever."

"I know."

"I love you both more than anything in the world..."

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"Kind of," she giggled. "But say it again."

"You look beautiful, Morgan. A visage worthy of Elizabeth."

"That's just the perfume."

"No, Morgan." He kissed her. "No human, spirit, or Guardian has ever looked the way you do now. And none one of them will ever measure up to your beauty. In your appearance, in your heart, and in your soul. And that is no imagination." Morgan nestled into him, inhaling the scent of stale ice and freshly fallen snow. She nipped at his neck making him chuckle and the two drifted apart when the song ended. The music picked up again to a faster paced, but still pretty mellow type of song and he and Linda spun in a slow circle. Morgan sat off to the side when Parker, the paralyzed boy asked her for a dance. She agreed happily and twirled with him for one song. As the night wore on and Jack kept switching between the two girls, trying to balance his dancing although it was a little more intimate with Morgan. As they did so, when one of them was sitting out, requests from boys started to come in. Four boys asked Linda for a quick dance and five asked Morgan for a dance. They responded positively with every one of these requests and none of them were rude, none of them tried anything on them, and every single one of them was respectful. When Morgan played tag team with Linda, finding herself surprisingly having a lot of fun, another boy stepped up to them. Linda was about to accept Jack's hand, but the boy blocked them. Linda ducked her head and looked at her feet nervously.

"Evan," she breathed. "Hi."

"Hey Linda," he greeted, still giving her that award winning smile that melted her heart with ease. "I was wondering if... maybe you wanted to share one dance?" Linda looked over to Morgan, asking her what to do. Her face remained blank and she fingered with the edge of the tablecloth. She looked over to Jack who shrugged. The choice was up to her.

"No," she answered. "I'm having fun with Morgan, and I would rather not ruin that with stirred up memories and end the night as a possible rebound."

"I understand," he said, and gestured towards. "Have a good night, Linda. It was good to see you... and you look gorgeous."

"Thank you." Evan walked away with an air of grace and Linda blew off the stress, jumping back into Jack's arms for another fast paced dance.

"Excuse me, Morgan," a liquid voice greeted while Morgan watched the two of them laugh and sway together with the thumping beat. "Might I trouble you for a dance?"

"Of course-" Morgan started, answering before she had the chance to look on the face of man offering. The shadows formed into a along, draping black figure and he presented his charming smile to her as he pulled her to her feet. Morgan was too shocked to yell out to Linda or Jack. The impossible nature of the man dancing with her rendered her speechless and for a moment she let him pull her across the floor with his siren of a gaze looking down at her. "Long time, no see, Pitch."

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**ASDFGHJKLKIUYTREW! What did you guys think? Any predictions?**

**The osiria rose is real. And GORGEOUS. Google it.**  
**I made up all the corsages**

**The Tudor Rose comes from the War of the Roses, a period in time that I find really fascinating but I never get my facts straight on it because it takes longer to explain than the plot to Les Mis. The House of Plantagenet had two branches of families who were fighting over the throne. I don't really remember why and researching this is taking longer than I anticipated it to to explain it to you, but there was debate over who was the rightful heir so there was a series of dynastic battles and arguing for thirty years, although there were still problems before and after this time. The fighting went on between the House of York who's heraldry was the white rose and the House of Lancaster who's heraldry was the red rose. it is also likely I got the roses mixed up and it is the other way around. Someone who knows this better than I please correct me if I am wrong. Henry Tudor VII, a Lancastrian, defeated Richard III who was a Yorkist and married a Yorkist. So it ended with a defeat and a marriage of the two sides. Therefore, as a symbol, the two roses were combined into what is known as the Tudor Rose. Researching flowers famous in history gave me nothing, and this was the only one I knew of because my history class in England was amazing and it's depicted on EVERY HISTORIC SITE IN ENGLAND I SWEAR. It is also pretty.**

**I was researching to see if they had ever made a hybrid Tudor rose in planting and they never did, and it made me sad because that was what I wanted on Morgan's corsage. And then I discovered the osiria rose. And it is GORGEOUS and PERFECT and looks like the Tudor Rose. So yeah. That's a very brief history of the War of the Roses. I forgot almost all of it because the unit was so lengthy and there was so much stuff to remember but I enjoyed learning about it. If you're interested look it up because I will not be able to remember hardly anything from that class.**

**As always Reviews are nice. Finding me on tumblr (roseofphantom) is nice. Skype (roseofphantom2010) is nice too.**

**And I'm sorry not sorry that I made the Pitch come back.**


	89. The Dark Waltz

**I FINALLY SAW THE GREAT GATSBY TODAY! And guess what? Do you remember the chapter where Linda, Jack, and Morgan all go to the cinema? Do you remember what Morgan got for concessions? Sno Caps and slushie. And that is exactly what I ordered. :) And it cost an arm and a leg to do it. Man I really need to learn to sneak in snacks to the cinema. I truly loved writing this chapter. I really did. **

**I have a little bit of request of you guys, and I hope it doesn't reveal too much of what's happening, but with the arc I am forming, I need to be doing lots of research, because I actually am very fuzzy on many details of history and I am horrendous at Geography. I fulfilled everything to get a minor in British Studies, and part of that is saying that I have an fairly extensive knowledge in the geography of the British Isles but that is so not true. SO NOT TRUE. There are some places I have actually been to I couldn't place on a map. I could get close but that's about it. I can't correctly place Keswick or Conventry or Ironbridge or Inverness or Aberdeen or Swansea or Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch (I AM NOT KIDDING THAT IS A REAL PLACE IN WALES. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO SAY IT OR WHERE IT IS BUT IT IS IN MY MEMORY FOREVER. AND YES I HAD TO LOOK UP THE SPELLING SO DON'T BE IMPRESSED). Basically what I am asking is - if you know of places that have a significant amount of history in western Europe, please tell me about them. I might not use all of them but I do need a lot, so just know that. I am pretty good on stuff from England, just know that, fairly good on things in Paris (but anything else about France is welcome), a little help in Scotland is welcome, pretty well versed in things in Ireland and Northern Ireland (but I may need reminding, it's been a while since I was there and I was only there two weeks), a lot of help in Wales is welcome (I honestly may not even use Wales, I don't know it depends on how much I have and I would prefer to use stuff I know well since I give you more accurate descriptions), some stuff on Germany and basically as much as you can offer on things across Western Europe. Here we go, entering the heat of the action.  
**

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"I must say, it is lovely to see you again," he softly muttered in a tickle against her ear. Morgan twitched and turned away from the seduction of his voice and glanced over to Jack and Linda, who were completely lost in some joke or shared memory that produced laughter, attention focused on one another near the crowd so they did not yet notice Pitch with Morgan. She hoped they wouldn't. If Jack noticed him, he would show no mercy. So she discreetly waltzed him away toward the other side of the crowd, hidden by shadow and clusters of people. Pitch released a muted laugh from the depths of his chest and kept his lips close to Morgan's ear, trying his best to lure her to his motives. "Trying to hide from your dearest Jack, are we?"

"Tell me what you want and leave," she snarled.

"I just wanted to check in on you, see how you were doing."

"As you can see I am having the time of my life," she grunted, exposing her teeth threateningly.

"Ah, yes, and I am very pleased to see that, love," Pitch cooed, creating the sensation of microscopic bugs wriggling up Morgan's spine and her neck. She shifted her shoulders to shake away the sensation. "But it's only temporary, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"This won't last. Your greatest desire is also your greatest fear." Morgan knew anything to do with fear could not be hidden from the master of nightmares and she involuntarily whipped her head around to the V's between the couples, her sights landing on her love and her friend sashaying whimsically. "So, it is true then."

"The great thing about fears is that they can be overcome," Morgan defended with a snap. She turned back to Pitch's charming smile of darkness.

"How, Morgan? How are you going to overcome this? You are going to die. You know that. You can't possibly spend eternity with Jack. It's impossible."

"I can spend the rest of my life with him."

"But then what happens? You two love each other deeply. I would have to be blind not to see that, but for how long? When you die, will Jack replace you?"

"That's his business. When I die I am no longer his." A flick of some other kind of fear passed along in Morgan's eyes and Pitch could see it very clearly moving along.

"No, there's other kinds of fears. They're all jumbled together, but all connected. You're afraid Jack will no longer love you. You're afraid of not being able to spend the rest of your life with him. You're afraid of him leaving you when you get full of wrinkles. Yes, it's true you're a beauty now..." Morgan smacked away the hand readying to stroke her face. "And I am sure that will stay true for many more years... but forty? Fifty? Jack spies some other child growing up into another intelligent and attractive young woman, and he decides he doesn't want you..."

"Stop it," Morgan voiced, attempting to spin out and away from him but the shadow simply gripped her closer. The faces of the exuberant students blurred into shadows and darkness. She looked around desperately and felt the infection of fear settling in, and suddenly she felt as if she could not see Jack anymore. She nervously looked around and found herself in nothing but darkness, a subtle light highlighting where the two of them stood, and all she could do was dance with the darkness. He twirled her and she tried to rip away, but he pulled her back. She was caught in his embrace and the fear only trickled in faster. "He promised me... and he always keeps his promises..."

"Oh, I know... it was true in the moment he made it. But its truth could change, Morgan."

"Goddamn it, what do you want?"

"Such harsh words from such a lovely mouth."

"You are disgusting."

"That hurts, Morgan. That really hurts." Morgan looked back again to see only blackness. "Morgan, did you ever doubt that I cared about you." She opened her mouth while her brow turned inward. "Think about it very carefully. In the deep pits of your soul, do you doubt that I ever cared about you in anyway to any degree?" Morgan pursed her lips and her eyes analyzed the floor carefully.

"No," she said.

"Brilliant," he hissed. "That is really wonderful, because it's true, Morgan. I do care for you. Maybe I told a lie and pretended I cared for you more than I actually did."

"I hate lies."

"I know, and I'm sorry, that as terrible of me... but I care about you enough to know that you and Jack... if anything ever happened, I could never forgive myself. Especially when I could do something about it." Morgan's ears pricked up and for just a brief moment any suspicion for him was replaced with curiosity. It quickly dissipated, but it was enough to let Pitch know she was intrigued and desired to learn more. He turned his eyes with a concern too wretched for Morgan not too feel for. "Morgan... I've been keeping an eye on you through your fears and... I do care for you. You gave me a chance when no one else would. You saw the real me, and I know I hurt you but give me another chance. If you do that... I can immortalize you."

"Immortalize? That can't happen..." Morgan whispered. "That's something in fairy tales, in stories, and -"

"In Guardians. In spirits. And me. Unfortunately there's only one way I can do it."

"There... is..." Morgan recited, trying follow his thoughts.

"There's something you don't know about us, something nobody knows because spirits rarely fall in love and it never happens with humans. Jack would never do it, because he doesn't know about it. North is probably the only one who knows but he would never suggest it." Intrigue of what Pitch was talking about soon pushed away any part of her fear. If there was a way to be with Jack forever, she was willing to take it, but Pitch was being so cryptic. He was being very suspenseful in his information. Her silence was encouraging and his sly grin gave well to snippets of his secret. "You know I could never love you the way I love Jack."

"And I could definitely never love you," she snorted.

"But that doesn't matter. All I need is one day with you from sunset to sunset. Just one day as united souls-"

"United?!" Morgan exclaimed, ripping her hands away but still remaining in the circle that surrounded them. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?! No, no, Pitch! That's... no! Never!"

"Just for twenty-four hours, Morgan. And then you can be with Jack, like you want."

"You hate Jack, why would you do this?!"

"Because I care for you. I care more about you than I hate Jack."

"How do I know this isn't a lie?! Another one of your tricks?!"

"Morgan, listen," he said, reaching for her again. She turned her back to him, not wanting to hear anything else he said. He sighed and dropped his hands. "I understand your reaction. I have hurt you far too much. But I have learned my lesson..."

"How do you even know this will work?"

"I don't. There are stories I heard at the beginning, after I was conquered by the Fearlings..." Morgan refused to look at him. "But it might. It may be the only way. These stories are ancient, we don't know how much truth there is to them, but if they are... it may help. And if I help you with this, all I ask is that you get people to believe in me and see me for who I really am. Do you know the stories the human world regards as Mythology?"

"A little."

"There are some things that we are pretty sure are true. There are some things we are pretty sure are false, and there are other things we are unsure about. The stories have been told so often and changed a little each time and some of the people are completely different than from what they actually are. You know what time does to stories."

"What are talking about?!" Morgan demanded of him, finally facing him.

"I'm talking about Hades, Morgan."

"Hades is-"

"Fictional, yes, he is. But the stories surrounding him are derived from a character who I confess I have worked with a time or two," he admitted, a trace of guilt manipulating his face. "I'm not proud of the things I have done, but he is a character who is often portrayed on TV to explain to children how some people... leave this world."

"The Angel of Death?" Morgan guessed, and he chuckled.

"A mother who was raised Catholic, of course that would be what you know. No, Morgan. I am talking about the Grim Reaper."

"... the Grim Reaper exists."

"Yes, Morgan, he does."

"He takes everyone who does."

"The afterlife is a complicated thing, Morgan. He doesn't take everyone. The ones that are too far gone to go to a place of paradise, the ones who have made horrible choices in their lives, he helps... ferry them, I guess to their place of passing. He exists in nearly all forms on religions, just by different names."

"... are you telling me, that this Grim Reaper is also Hades and the Devil."

"Well, sort of. Everyone has mixed everyone up. He takes people away to their next life, he isn't in charge of them."

"Okay, but what does he have to do with anything?" Morgan said.

"How good is your mythology?"

"Not very good," she told him. "You know how I am with things that aren't real."

"Maybe you should look up on Hades and his love life."

"What does that mean? What does any of this mean?"

"Morgan?" came the warbled voice from somewhere in the distance. The blackness was fading from her the further she distanced herself. She groped at the air around her for the voice that belonged to Jack. "Morgan!" It was growing more frantic.

"I'll let you study up on it. Read it and get back to me. Enjoy your prom."

"Morgan!" screamed Linda and Morgan was ripped from the blackness and the lights and sparkle of the ballroom appeared once again. Linda was clutching Morgan's waist and holding her against the wall. Jack had discovered Pitch and was slinging his staff at him. Pitch dodged his attacks and threw balls of shadow and darkness to defeat his daggers of icicles. Students looked around to see glistening black shards of ice appearing from seemingly out of nowhere and then advancing towards the main doors. They backed away and there were murmurs about the place being haunted. The boogeyman and the frost boy ventured out the doors and the girls chased after them. In the hall, Pitch launched Jack at the wall and he crashed against a display of trophies. The glass frosted over and shattered under his weight. Jack collapsed to the floor but pushed himself back up again, charging for the prince of nightmares. His staff caught Pitch and slung him against the ground, holding the threatening tool to his throat.

"I will freeze your head off!" he snarled.

"Jack, I wasn't here to hurt Morgan."

"Like hell you were!"

"Jack, stop it!" Morgan shouted. "You're ruining the place, you're making the people in there panic!"

"They can't see you, save it for later!" Linda added. Morgan pulled at his arm and he gently waved her away. She kept grabbing at him and he simply prodded Pitch again.

"Get. Out. Of. Here."

"Please, Pitch, go!" Morgan wept. He nodded and then smirked. He scrambled to his feet and slicked back his mess of black hair.

"Once you find out, Morgan, just open your closet. I can sense you through your fear." He bowed in a gentlemanly fashion and stalked off, exiting in shadow through a janitor's closet. Jack and Linda turned to Morgan, who was glaring at her feet.

"Morgan, what is he talking about? Find out what?" he asked. Morgan's eyebrows curled with worry and she looked up at the two of them.

"I have no clue," she admitted.

"What did he say?" Linda asked, looking at the janitor's closet where he just disappeared.

"I don't know I..." Morgan sighed. "I didn't quite understand, I mean... he said something about my fear and there's a way I could be with you forever and he said people don't even know if it's true or not and a union with him for a day and then the Grim Reaper exists I guess, but he only carries the bad souls to... I don't know, whatever Hell is I guess, if it exists, and that the stories of the Devil and Hades are actually based around the Grim Reaper and to understand what he was talking about all I would have to is look to mythology but I don't understand that at all and I guess now I have to read and he didn't really explain it, I have no idea what he was talking about." Linda's eyes widened as she took in Morgan's words. "Jack, do you know what I am talking about?"

"Sort of, I mean... I didn't think the Grim Reaper existed. If he does, he's the oldest of all of the spirits, but if he does that means everything I have heard of him is true. He is bound by the rules of the Man in the Moon to stick below ground, deeper than Pitch's lair and only come up when he is to deliver a soul for their punishment of the crimes they committed in life," he answered.

"Who are these people?" Morgan asked. "What kind of people would be-"

"Do you really think the people responsible for genocide would be granted a wonderful afterlife?"

"... I guess I never thought of the afterlife beyond Guardians."

"I never did either I guess. None of us have ever seen him."

"He wants a decision from me and then he's going to come back for me."

"There is no way I am going to let that happen."

"He says it will make me immortal and then I can be with you Jack."

"All lies, Morgan. Whatever it is. Any methods to purposely make yourself immortal cannot be ones without some sort of terrible price." As the two of them talked, Linda just kept staring, her mouth open and her eyes huge. Something had opened in her mind to leave her in such a horrified expression and she kept staring at the space between the couple who very gently argued over trusting Pitch.

"But if I can be with you forever..." she said.

"No, Morgan. It's not right. Whatever it is, there's a reason the other Guardians and I don't know of it. We're not supposed to know."

"Isn't it worth finding out?"

"No, Morgan," Linda interrupted, finally finding the voice to speak. She gripped Morgan's shoulder and looked at her with a petrifying stare, breathing heavily from whatever had prompted her to say that. "It isn't. Because I know what Pitch is talking about."

"What?"

"If you hadn't slept through the Mythology unit in English last year, you would have understood everything he was talking about. He's talking love. Union. Forever in eternity. Hades. A mortal soul becoming immortal." Blank stares. "Seriously, nothing? You have no idea what I am talking about? How can you not?! Morgan, in all your time learning about history you never once looked up the stories the ancient Greeks and Romans believed in so well."

"I didn't really care, they were untrue!" Morgan defended.

"But it would have helped you understand history more and gave you a greater knowledge of how they lived and prayed according to those stories," Linda informed with panicked irritation. "And you, Jack? Come on! I am talking about the story of Persephone and Hades!"

"Nobody believes that, Linda," Jack told her casually.

"And nobody believed in you for three hundred years," she snapped.

"Linda!" Morgan warned. She ignored her and just watched Jack nod at the painful memories.

"I don't get what this has to do with any of this," Jack said.

"And I don't know the story," Morgan said.

"God, normally I'm the stupid one... well I do," Linda said. "And it seems to me that maybe we better take a look at it. But also, from what I understand, that man is the Boogeyman and if he's back for Morgan, that means she is in danger. Which means the Guardians need to be alerted. They're still under their protection, right?"

"We protect all children and everyone who keeps believing," Jack said, a charming smile illuminating his face so Morgan blushed.

"Well then." Linda wrapped her arms tightly around Jack's arms. "I think we need to get to the North Pole, get the Guardians together, and I need tell you guys a story."

* * *

**I hope that doesn't get a little strange for you. I am not trying to say that in the world of the Guardians that there's a God and Heaven and Devil and Hell, nor am I saying they don't. Just like our world where some people believe, others don't, and some people aren't sure, I'm letting you decide. Nor am I saying that the mythological creatures THEMSELVES exist, but mythology is really ancient stories so I do believe, at least in the world Dreamworks and Joyce imagined, that it is entirely possible that ALL creatures of folklore could exist, and that includes mythology, and since they are so ancient it is possible the stories could have gotten skewed and changed through the years and they could form other creatures that other religions believe in. Plus, mythology is supposed to be about as old as Pitch and with Hades being tales from the Grim Reaper, I think it is possible that the stories could be so fabricated that, if the Guardians and other spirits never see them, it's possible they could not believe in them too. I think the Grim Reaper falls right in line with stories told as a kid. At least I was told of him. I was raised in a Christian home, so my beliefs about the Grim Reaper were quickly dashed along with the Boogeyman, but I also paired them in the same categories. Plus, I think there are more horrible things kids and adults have to deal with than fear, so I think there should be more evil spirits that the Guardians and good spirits help to protect. I know there's the Monkey King in the books and I know who he is but I don't know what he does or what he's like because I have never read the books and I don't want to ruin what he's like so he won't be making an appearance, or any of the Only Book characters, except maybe in cameos if I decide to and in talking. In my mind, adults have spirits protect them too (which is where Cupid falls in), at least in the Guardianverse, but death affects everyone in all ages, in all ways so everyone knows the Grim Reaper.**

**To me, the Grim Reaper is a dark, foreboding figure and I didn't think it right to have him lead good, wonderful people into their afterlife or whatever you believe in. So he's only there to deliver the eternal sentence to those who are drenched in blood. I am talking people like Hitler, really. People who's hearts I don't believe can be changed no matter what. I believe 98% of the world have good in their hearts, but there are some people in history that are just terrible and done so many things that I do not know how they can have any source of good. And those are the ones that the Grim Reaper is responsible for. That is a nothing reason he is never seen. He only appears to those people in their moment in death, and he comes up very rarely.**

**I hope what I said makes sense. Most of you probably know what I am talking about but still may be a little fuzzy on the exact details of what I am happening. It's not like... Morgan isn't giving her soul to the Grim Reaper or anything, I can tell you that.**

**As always Reviews are nice. Finding me on tumblr (roseofphantom) is nice. Skype (roseofphantom2010) is nice too.**


	90. Hades and Persephone

**So guys remember how when Jack was human there was still winter? I kinda explain it in here a little. Also I hope nobody is so dedicated to Greek Myths and Fairy Tales that they don't like I intentionally changed them. Just as our knowledge about folklore is incredibly different in the Guardians in ROTG, I applied the same principle to this chapter. I know the original stories, but I made things connect. Hope you like what I did.**

* * *

There was still another hour left of the prom, but they abandoned the dance after Pitch disappeared. Jack was already taking Morgan into his arms to carry them to the North Pole but she fought against him, knowing she would not make the journey without some sort of gear to protect her from the northern temperatures.

"We can't go like this!" Linda said.

"Linda, I don't think it's really a big deal if you turn up in a prom dress," Jack snapped.

"No she means we have no jackets," Morgan said. "We'll freeze!"

"Especially me. I have so much skin exposed right now." Jack groaned and slipped Morgan's purse off her shoulder and dived into it, shifting items around until he pulled out the wallet and slapped a two hundred dollar bill into Morgan's hands."

"Is there anything still open right now?" he asked. "And is there anything still carrying winter stuff?"

"Well, yeah... there's a twenty four hour shop on 2nd that still has a few winter items on clearance right now."

"Okay," he said and ripped the two of them through the air, following Morgan's directions. Morgan ran into the shop while Linda and Jack waited. He asked Linda for the time every two seconds until Morgan finally appeared two minutes later with two coats, both brown with sets of black gloves, grey scarves, black hats, and white boots, all sized appropriately for Morgan and Linda.

"You couldn't get anything that went together well?" she teased.

"I just grabbed the first things I saw in our sizes out of what was left, I wasn't too concerned about matching. Oh, here." Morgan tossed over a pair of leggings to prevent Linda's exposed legs from frostbite and Jack turned while she slid them on behind the building. When the both of them were bundled up, then Linda climbed onto Jack's back and Morgan curled herself into his grasp. She had barely had a decent grip before he was already shooting off into the air. Linda kept her eyes down against Jack's back to avoid looking into the drop below them that would kill them instantaneously if they fell and Jack could not catch them. Morgan was accustomed to Jack's gliding against the trails of the wind and he commanded it to help sail them in the direction of the North Pole, galloping on the gales across Canada. Morgan kept her gaze in front of them, gripping tighter when she finally spotted the snowy edging of the land mass at the top of the globe. Jack beat heavily against the large doors which were casually opened by a brown Yeti, who gave Jack a curious look. Then he looked down at the girls in their outfits of outerwear to protect against the chill and fancy dresses.

"Werka?" said the Yeti with confusion.

"Amanda, I don't have time for this," he said. "Look, I need to talk to North right now. It's very important."

"Ruurtyl shoga mirkmur?" asked the Yeti in a suspicious voice.

"Pitch." The Yeti immediately stepped back and allowed them through. Red capped elves were scurrying about, losing control of the battery operating toys they were driving and swinging on Christmas trees. The Yetis were carefully putting together toys based off the ice models North had constructed for them. They were always as busy as the next day it seemed. The Yeti who greeted them thundered against the pathway that lead around the large globe that was lit up as much as the Christmas trees. Morgan pointed at the two bright lights at the North Pole, standing next to each other.

"Jack!" the booming voice bellowed from behind him. They turned to see the portly man in red and Linda pushed Jack and Morgan aside. "And Morgan. And Linda...?"

"Hi, North," said Linda, taking a look at the shelves of books that helped make up some of the walls in the workshop. "Do you have a book of Greek Myths?"

"... that is very strange question, Linda, and very strange reason to come here, and very strange time. Could you not find these stories at home?"

"It may be too dangerous for Morgan to be at home right now," Jack said.

"How is it dangerous?"

"Pitch," Morgan whispered and North's eyes popped at her respond. The rosy red of his cheeks that he was so known for drained and his shoulders dropped with his exhaustion. He was already pounding over to the lever at the console in front of the globe, lowering it til the globe lit up with flowing glows of emerald and magenta.

"What is Greek Myth? And what does it have to do with Pitch?" he asked.

"We'll explain everything," Jack said. "Apparently the story is important." North raced towards the back of the shop while they anxiously stood around in waiting. In his absence, a golden sand biplane zoomed in and he saw Jack with Linda and Morgan. He narrowed his eyes at them as they stood there and rolled his eyes at them. A gentle buzz announced the appearance of Tooth who had only smiled at them and gave Morgan a gentle hug. Then she introduced herself to Linda and looked very pleased to be around them. Bunny popped out of a hole in ground and unleashed an enraged cry.

"It's always you!" he yelled. "Why is it, mate, whenever that bloody thing is pulled, it's always you?!"

"I found book! I found Greek and Roman, maybe you need both? Jason! Gregory! Bring table!" Two yetis scurried off and appeared moments later with a decently sized table of a simple wood, setting it down in front of the group. North carefully rested two ancient books with cracking leather covers on surface. Linda was ready to rip into them, but Morgan stopped her wrist from violently opening them.

"Wait," she said. "Remember that these... they look really old. And the lettering is handwritten."

"Morgan."

"I'm just saying... be careful. History is precious." A roll of her eyes transitioned into a nod and she slowed her hand in flipping the pages, ending on the tales of Hades and Persephone, of Pluto and Proserpina.

"The first thing you need to know is that, as all Greek and Roman mythology is, the two are different. The both have the same general story but there are things that are different. In the Roman version, I personally think they romanticize Pluto."

"What the bloody hell is she going on about?" Bunny remarked when he discovered they were there to listen to a story.

"Pitch is what I am going on about," she briefly explained.

"Ah, crikey, not again..."

"But even within the Roman and Greek versions, they change. There are multiple versions of each one. If the story is true, how do we know which one is the right one?"

"Pitch made it seem like none of the stories were right on the true documentation," Morgan added. Linda nodded.

"That may be true, especially if it is the Grim Reaper."

"That is what this is about?" North whispered, his face wrinkling into a slight bout of rage. "The story, it is fiction. It is no true. There is no Grim Reaper. He is fairytale."

"Pitch has been around longer than you have North," Jack politely but bluntly told him. "He might know more."

"It is ridiculous. This is just story."

"Linda, go on," urged Jack and she nodded.

"The Roman version seems to romanticize it more, whereas the Greek version seems a little more violent, but as I said there are multiple versions. All of them have the same story, though. Hades lusts for a woman. Lusts, loves, it depends on the version you read and how you interpret it. And the woman he sees is Persephone. He takes her against her will to his world, and he marries her, even though she is against it. She becomes his Queen of the Underworld. Her mother, Demeter, or Ceres, was very upset when she was gone. Persephone could return from the Underworld as long as she didn't eat any food from there. Well, whether Hades encouraged her or she did it out of her own will, she ate pomegranate seeds because she was starving, and therefore could never completely come back. Eventually there was a compromise established, that she would spend half of her life in the world and the other half with her mother. When she was with Hades, Demeter mourned the world was cold and dark. And that was how we got winter and spring and the changing of the season." Sandman made a face and then the sand above his head formed a picture of a snowflake and Jack's head. Except that's ridiculous because Jack controls winter.

"As I say, it is just story, now what is up with Pitch?" asked North.

"Wait a minute," Tooth offered. "In one of the Roman versions, didn't Cupid shoot Pluto with an arrow?" Linda closed both of the books and nodded.

"Pluto asked him too," she said.

"Then maybe he will know!" Tooth said, spiraling around in a circle that showed off her glistening rainbow wings. "Maybe he was there when this all happened..." Sandman put his hands together and clapped, paying a compliment to the Tooth Fairy for her intelligence. He moved his hands around and formed a plane again, taking off with a picture to let them know he was going to find Cupid.

"Okay, Morgan, tell us what happened that made you think this story had something do with Pitch?" Bunny said, now finally trying to get to the point of all this. Morgan took a deep breath and wiped away a fearful tear from her eye.

"He came to my prom and took me away when Jack and Linda were off dancing," she started. "He fed me these... lies, I'm sure they were, about how he still cared for me and he wanted to help me and he couldn't bear to see me and Jack not be able to spend out lives together... like you're supposed to."

"Yeah, whatever," Bunnymund scoffed, obviously not believing a word of it either. "What else?"

"He said he had a way where he could immortalize me, but it would require a union with him. Just for twenty four hours and then he would release me to Jack forever." Linda fanned herself and then unzipped her jacket, removing her gloves and her hat before she slid off her coat. "He said by this way... I would forever be like Jack. In return, he would want me to get children to believe in him and see him as a good person."

"That is the biggest load of waffle I have ever heard!" Bunny shook one of his boomerangs expressively as he spoke.

"He said I needed to look at the story of Hades and Persephone to understand."

"And I do," said Linda.

"You do?"

"By Persephone eating the fruit of the underworld and marrying Hades, she became Queen of the Underworld. I think Pitch is suggesting you marry him for 24 hours and someone that will make you like him. Forever immortal, but forever in darkness."

"That's disgusting!" Tooth coughed out.

"There's no way that can even be true," said Bunny.

"I'm in charge of winter, so we already know that's not true..."

"Jack..." North started. "That has not always been true."

"... what do you mean?"

"There has always been winter, and there has always been spirit to take care of it."

"Take care of it how?"

"There was Snow Queen, but she was not as benevolent as you."

"Oh more stories, just what we need!" Bunny exasperated. A trail of golden sand appeared out the window again and Sandy soon flew in, followed by a man of such impossible beauty flying on the wind. He smiled devilishly and Morgan felt Linda's presence warm instantly at the site of him.

"No..." she warned her but her spirits seemed to lift when Cupid entered the room. She felt a pull in his direction and her warning was not convincing. She wanted to go to him and stare at him all day. The freezing touch of Jack's hand on her reminded her she was in a relationship and that probably was not the greatest ideas. Then Cupid grinned so the idea did not seem so bad again and she simply wanted to touch the skin on his face, imaging how it must feel under her touch.

"Morgan, you have grown... in so many ways."

"Cupid," Jack snarled.

"Oh, I know, I know, hands off," he chuckled and Jack twitched uncomfortably. His eyes fell to Linda, who was hopping her excitement was having so much trouble being contained. "Ah, but this one isn't? Oh, Linda, I remember you, you remarkably wonderful beauty." Linda pushed her lips together and an enthusiastic squeak released through the tiny gaps of the closure of her mouth. His fingers stroked her hair and positioned it behind her hears. She paced in place.

"Cupid, knock it off!"

"Just give me a few moments with Linda..."

"Cupid E. Valentino, if you do not drop your hands from that girl this instant, I will give you 28 quarters for all the teeth you will soon be missing!" Tooth barked when she flew in front of his face. He fearfully touched the perfect rows of illuminated pearls in his mouth and stepped back obediently. Morgan hesitated, overwhelmed but his presence but once again explained the scene that occurred at the dance. A wave of remorse took over his usual mirthful and seductive grin and the aura he usually carried faded. Morgan did not feel so compelled to go to him and Linda stopped twitching beside her.

"I am afraid the Grim Reaper exists." North swore in Russian while all the others gasped and showed their reactions through surprised interjections. "The story has some things wrong however. Grim was a murderer in his formally life, and he was corrupted by the Fearlings as Pitch was, but his love for bloodlust altered him into the man who passes the lives on of those who did exactly what he did, but he missed the touch of a woman. He was also someone who had desires like anyone else and missed the touch of a woman. He asked to be shot, and despite what I told him, that it would never be the same because it would only work if she loved him as well and that was impossible, I did it... because I was less responsible then than I am now, and he was a little terrifying. Her name was Penelope, not Persephone, and she was gorgeous. He possessed her and in that time, arranged marriages were commonplace. It was also a time of extreme superstition and her whole family believed in the Grim Reaper and he was used to teach kids lessons growing up. When he appeared to her, she could see him, but he took on the persona of a gentleman. Penelope was not willing, but it didn't matter because he fooled her parents and they were married. And when they were whisked away, she quickly found out who he was. Her soul was given to darkness."

"I'm still confused," Jack said. Cupid pursed his lips and continued.

"It wasn't pomegranate seeds, it was the sunset to the sunset. The thing about it is the union has to be consensual, and the union was only so because her parents allowed it. But she wasn't. That's where the compromise comes in. For six months out of the year, she was allowed to be as a human because that part of her soul was unwilling, but for the other six months she was a spirit and her darkness and depression consumed her til she turned cold and when she walked the earth, it snowed and there was ice everywhere. Eventually, it ruined her, the division of her soul and she kept trying to find some company. So she kidnapped people. Her heart became corrupted and the world grew colder."

"The Snow Queen," North agreed and Cupid nodded.

"You have got to be kidding me, that's true too?!" Morgan said.

"She's not around anymore," Cupid continued. "Her soul became too corrupt and she asked the only one who would destroy her. She asked Pitch. And that was when Jack appeared. We needed a spirit of winter."

"That cannot be true," Jack said, but it was very clear that he believed it.

"It's unclear what exactly corrupted her. The union itself. The division of the soul. Being united with the Grim Reaper, or that she was unwilling. But something happened. A marriage between a human and a benevolent spirit, you will grow old and die. The Man in the Moon refuses to take anyone who hasn't died first. They will live as a human. But with a dark spirit, if you commit yourself to one... well, the Fearlings have different rules. Being intimate with a dark spirit means to be corrupted by one so your soul is taken. You become immortal. You are given a chance of 24 hours to get out of there, but once past that... you are corrupted. Morgan, if you married Jack, you would be happy and content, but also human. People would see you. If you married a dark spirit, your heart would be darkened. But you would be immortal. You could be with Jack forever. And who knows, maybe if you were around Jack your heart would be prevented from changing. But nobody really knows because a marriage because the only human/spirit union that has ever happened was the one with Grim and Penelope."

"It's not going to happen," Jack said as Morgan bowed her head and put her hands behind her back. "Morgan's going to tell him no."

"She's too smart for that," Linda said, her eyes still dreamily on Cupid but her mind completely on the situation. "Morgan knows better."

"Pitch is going to come back for her answer and she's going to tell him no."

"Yes," Morgan nodded, her voice cracking a little. "I am going to tell him no, when he comes back."

"Hold on, do you really think he's going to take kindly to that? You really think it's going to be that easy? Mate, this is Pitch we're talking about!" said Bunny. "He's attached to Morgan in some way, and if he wants to be believed in gain he will persuade her and convince her to agree!"

"I'll just have to stick around and make sure he doesn't!" Jack said adamantly, clutching the twisted bark of his staff. "I've taken him before, I can do it again. I'll keep watch in Morgan's room. I'll stay all summer if I have to."

"You seriously cannot be around her all the time! She has to finish school, she has other things to do-"

"I will. Just watch me."

"I keep watch on Globe Cam," North offered. "Bunny. Tooth. You take rounds in watching her house for activity. Sandy, you hover around at night. And Cupid..." North stomped towards the man of handsome stature and he straightened his back to an obedient pose. North's threatening finger was stabbing him tin the nose. He wrinkled it under his touch in annoyance. "You keep eye on Morgan's heart. Do not let it feel anything in anyway for Pitch. Steer her away."

"I don't have complete control over hearts, you know."

"But you can encourage and discourage. If you ignore duties, I make sure Man in Moon decides he has no need of you anymore." Cupid's eyes bulged at his murderous threat.

"Yes, sir!"

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**Of course Pitch isn't just going to take no for an answer. Do you really think I would build up to something like this for the answer to simply be no and then he leaves? ;)**

As always Reviews are nice. Finding me on tumblr (roseofphantom) is nice. Skype (roseofphantom2010) is nice too.


	91. Fleeing From Fear

**Last one tonight. I really have nothing else to say except... oh boy.**

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"Brad, what are you doing?" Morgan mumbled under the folds of her blanket. The blackness of night had finally tamed her enough to fall asleep a week later after the prom. Jack had pulled his legs into his chest, seated at her desk where several of her art supplies had been pushed to the floor to make room for her laptop. He was wearing his leather gloves and scrolling through messages on his email, clicking through requests. Her little brother had snuck in when Morgan had just slipped away to sleep, but the noise broke her deep concentration and now she was watching him shove a blanket through the skinny gap under the door.

"Jack told me what happened with Pitch," he responded. "He appears through the shadows right? If I block everything off in your closet and under your bed he can't get through." Morgan twisted her body so she looked at Jack, who's full attention was on the computer.

"Really?" she scoffed. "This isn't about Brad, Jack, he doesn't need to know."

"He asked me," he said in a monotone.

"You've been acting really paranoid lately. And you've been reading about Hades and that stupid story about the Snow Queen," Brad said. "Since when do you read fairy tales?"

"Since I found out they're true," Morgan rolled her eyes.

"I know that now, but I didn't before. So I asked."

"It's none of your business." Morgan rolled back over and surrendered to the solace sleep was going to give her. "Maybe he won't even come."

"You know it's only a manner of time, Morgan," Jack said. Brad started to shift the boxes under Morgan's bed and was throwing more blankets down to cover up the gaps. The girl shot up and looked down at her brother trying to barricade her bed.

"Oh my God, seriously, Brad, stop!" she snarled. "It's fine. Even if he does come here, I'll just tell him no."

"That's not going to be enough," Jack said. "The thing he wants most is to be believed in and to be feared." Morgan nibbled on the edges of her nails, the constant reminder of that message and what could happen if she agreed to his proposal opening her heart to terror. She was horrified that he really would keep coming back and would do something drastic. However, she knew focusing on that fear would only draw him in bear and if she didn't push it away, he could only keep coming back. So she tried to ignore it.

"Just let me sleep!" she demanded. "I have three weeks left of school and I am dying under a mountain of studying and I have to fill out college applications!" Jack looked at the few papers off to the side of the laptop that were addressed to various colleges and waiting to be filled out.

"This one is asking for Guardian information. Well, I'm a Guardian so I guess I could-"

"Jackson Frost, you touch that paper and I will throw you in the fireplace." Jack retracted his fingers from the top of the stack. Morgan collapsed back onto her mattress and sighed at the ceiling, loving how simple it was compared to her crazy life. Brad left the room and they could hear slamming downstairs. Jack abandoned the chair for a second to peer out the door and down the step, seeing Brad block all the closets in the house and bury clothes in the cracks of them.

"What is he doing...?" Morgan moaned.

"Blocking all of Pitch's possible entrances."

"Ugh!"

"He's doing it because he's concerned."

"He's being a scaredy cat."

"Cats are fighters."

"I just can't believe that about... the Snow Queen. Hades and Persephone. I mean, I could believe anything now. All of the fairy tales I hated because they weren't true. Did a pumpkin really turn into a carriage? Are there really dwarves who lived with a girl with hair black as night and skin as white as snow and lips read as blood? Did a girl love a beast so much she broke the spell and he turned into a human? Are there mermaids and did one fall in love with a human?"

"I really hope not."

"Well, would it be bad? Aren't they love stories?"

"Ugghhh, weeeellll. If they are real they would be closest to the originals, and nearly all of them are morbid and grim and someone dies. Sometimes the main character. The little mermaid dies and turns into sea foam. Those were the ones I learned."

"... Even the fairy tales aren't real fairy tales. Geez, childhood is a lie."

"And fear is the only real truth," echoed a smooth voice that glided across the room. A shadow built in size and then took form of the menacing man standing before the bed. "Oh, look, Jack, you've finally made it into bed with her. Bravo." Jack leapt onto the mattress and readied his staff, stepping in front of Morgan protectively. "Jack, come on now, there's no need for that. I'm not here to hurt Morgan."

"I don't believe that for a second. You want to marry her and turn her into a dark spirit. You know that's basically murder?"

"It's not murder, Jack," he chuckled, his laughing moving in a liquid motion. Morgan's bones chilled at the seductive nature of his voice and she recoiled when she remembered how she had once been so drawn to it. "I am offering a chance for her to be happy. And you."

"Do you remember Penelope?"

"She didn't love Grim," he sighed and rested comfortably in the chair at the desk. "Really, Jack, the whole situation was a mess. She was not willing and that tore her in two."

"How do you know that for sure? Besides I would never ever take away Morgan's future. I would never make her choose to be immortal."

"But you don't control her life, Jack. She is in charge of her own life."

"Let's say she did. She could just as easily go back on her promise and never have anyone believe in you." A malicious smiled carved its way onto Pitch's face.

"If she doesn't, not only can she never be with you but she is to serve me."

"How would she serve you?"

"The compromise, Jack, with Penelope. She was stuck. Half way in the dark world and half way out. It was made through an oath. She couldn't run away and never return. She had to make a solemn oath and the oath would pull her back into the world and she was anchored there, never being able to leave for another six months. If she didn't make the oath she would forever be with him, never being able to see her family in the world above. It was an oath that tied her. She gladly agreed to the oath because it meant for six months out of the year she got to see her family, compared to the zero months she would have had otherwise. But even that was stressful on her, poor darling. I really didn't want to do it."

"So you would make Morgan take this... oath."

"If she agrees to all of it, all she need to is get children to believe in me and she can be with you for eternity and everyone is happy. You, her, Morgan... but if she agrees to become immortal and doesn't tell children about me... I will restrain her to the depths of my world and she can never see you. Wedding vows are an oath you know. The deepest kind. And written and recited from the black sand I use to create my Nightmares, it will mind her. A promise can be deadly if broken, Jack. Very deadly. It so good you always keep yours. She will never be able to leave."

"And you'll hurt her." Pitch frowned, offended by the statement. His silver gold eyes glistened and he pressed a hand to his chest to show tenderness.

"Jack. I would never harm Morgan. She is dear to me, I could never do anything. I like to believe that if she did disobey me, I would be offering a... punishment, like any other parent. Discipline. But I know Morgan would grow to know I would treat her kindly. I would offer very everything she ever wanted."

"Except Jack," Morgan chimed in.

"Yes, my dear, I'm afraid that would be off limits," he told sympathetically.

"What if I don't agree to anything. Stay human."

"Not only would you be restricted to having such a short time with Jack..." Pitch glided towards Morgan and scowled, the darkness expanding across the room. "I can always sense your fear... and I can always make it grow. I can track your fear and use it to create nightmares. And the thing about being an adult? Your stresses and your fears only get worse... I can make all your fears come true." He parted his lips to allow a subtle chuckle to come out, and his spindly fingers stroked her jaw and Jack whipped his staff to break him away from her. "Now that you understand everything, I will let you decide. I am sure you will come to the right decision. I will come for you later. And don't you dare think I won't be able to find you. Fear is easy to track. Oh, and uh... you brother. Admirable as it is, I can still sneak in through the neighbor's closets." He drew back and bowed loudly, ducking back into the shadows and vanishing.

"Did I hear Pitch?!" Brad screamed, scampering across the hallway. He slid into Morgan's room, holding Peter's old hockey stick, but the room only contained the nightly darkness. He looked into the corners and then up at Jack, who still retained his defensive stance in front of Morgan.

"He was here..." Jack said lowly to the innocent shadows.

"But how?! I blocked everything?!"

"The Boogeyman always finds a way in..." Morgan whispered, perspiration wetting the ends of her hair so they clung to the sides of her face. Her fingers trembled against her knees, where she clutched herself tightly. Jack lowered himself back to the bed and cradled Morgan, who burst into fearful tears the minute he touched her. Her rocked her and whispered to her that everything was going to be fine, hoping they were going to be true.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Morgan's going to kill me when she finds out I'm not really sick," Linda said, standing at Morgan's bed with several travel cases open. "Jack, this is the last day of school..."

"Which is exactly why it's our last chance to get everything packed up."

"You made me lie to my best friend!"

"If it protects her, who cares?"

"This idea is ridiculous! How can Brad and I be expected to hide where she is the entire summer?!" she scolded at him fiercely.

"She accepted a summer counselor job at a camp. To teach kids history. Or something. It got lost in the mail and if she didn't arrive by a certain day she would lose the opportunity. If it involves history, they'll believe she just up and left," he thought, folding articles of clothing into her suitcase.

"That just sounds stupid," she scoffed, picking up the objects in Morgan's room she wouldn't want to be without. Brad entered the room and shoved a purple cosmetic bag into the travel case.

"That's all her bathroom supplies."

"... she fit everything in that little bag?" Linda curiously questioned. Brad nodded and began to collect some of her most important art supplies. "Soap, shampoo, conditioner, a razor, shaving cream, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and deodorant, and a brush... is that all she uses in her bathroom routine?"

"Do you need anything else?" Brad wondered, filling the front pocket of the case. Jack turned and reached into another drawer of hers containing pants and threw a few things into the bag.

"This is mad..." Linda said. "I am strongly against it."

"If it protects Morgan, I'm all for it," Brad said.

"Why thought? Why would it protect her?"

"Pitch said he can track through fear. That's how he locates people. The best way to combat fear is to get Morgan around something she loves, something she thrives on and that makes her excited. So I'm spending the summer taking her to see historic sites while the other Guardians and, hopefully, Cupid, work on fighting Pitch."

"And she can't do that here? She has to go to Europe?" Jack stopped packing and sighed, turning towards his conflicted friend.

"The history here is not that old. The oldest you could find is about five hundred years. I'm probably the most ancient thing Morgan has ever seen. She's never even left the country except for Canada."

"She hated that trip," Linda giggled, reflecting on the complaints she got when Morgan got off the plane a couple of years ago and she met her at the airport.

"The older it is, the more fascinating she will find it. Plus, Morgan's favorite history is European History." Jack slammed the case closed and zipped it up tight. He produced a backpack from under her bed and began throwing a few things in it he knew she would want. Bradley passed over her pocket sized book about European History and her mp3 player. Linda took her laptop and slid it into the largest pouch.

"Well, a summer with you, spending every night with you in hotel rooms, seeing as much history as possible... I don't see how she can't be happy." Jack smirked proudly at her. "I'm just so worried..."

"Don't be. Pitch tracks fear so I am purposely not telling you where we're going to be and when, so you don't get too scared about something happening to her in certain cities. I don't even know, I'm just going to do spur of the moment," Jack explained.

"What are you doing about money?"

"Once I know where I am going to be, I am going to put up notices on the website when I am in the cities. I know there are lots of people around the world who are upset I never do events in the summer, but I can do it now. When Morgan is lost in some museum or something, I'll slip away for a moment to drop off the sculpture."

"When's your plane?"

"We fly to New York at 7:20. Then we get a connecting flight to... somewhere in Europe," Jack told her cryptically. She lowered her eyes at the packed bag and sadness sagged her shoulders. Jack pressed his icy hand into her arm that caused her to jump a little, but her watery eyes looked up at him and he could read every worry and thought into her eyes. Worries about Pitch. Worries about Morgan's family. Worries about the terrible things that could happen to her abroad. "I won't let anything happen to her."

"I love her, Jack," she sobbed before Jack pressed her to his middle, stroking the smoothness of her hair.

"I know, Linda, I know. I won't let anything happen to her, I promise."

"Damn it, why can't he just let everyone be?!"

"He's the Boogeyman, Linda. I'm convinced he gets aroused by fear and misery."

"Well if it wasn't for that velvet voice of his, he would be easy to ignore," Brad scoffed, chucking the closed backpack onto her bed. He ran to her desk and opened the middle drawer, pulling out navy blue booklet and tossing it over to the backpack.

"Why aren't you guys just flying, like we do when we go to the North Pole?" Linda asked. "Why do you have to take a plane?"

"For starters, I can't carry all this and Morgan," he teased, gestured to the mess of the packing. "Second, Morgan would never allow me to bring her into a country to visit illegally. She would rattle off all of the histories of the people who got caught sneaking into countries and ugh... I can't deal with that. That's worse than an argument."

"While we're supposed to lie to her parents about her counseling at a camp that doesn't exist," Linda said. "You do what will happen if they find out Morgan's missing?" Jack swallowed harshly and then sheepishly laughed.

"Honestly Linda, I'm more concerned about what Morgan will do to me if she finds out this is all a huge lie and it's not just a spontaneous romantic adventure I've been planning for months."

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**... And lying is the thing Morgan hates the most.**

**As always Reviews are nice. Finding me on tumblr (roseofphantom) is nice. Skype (roseofphantom2010) is nice too.**


	92. The Beginning of Distraction

**And so it begins!**

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When Morgan had come home after school, Jack had already dropped Linda off at home and Morgan's suitcase and carry on were lined against the wall of her bedroom. She called out to Brad who was in his room, quietly working on his homework and coughed horribly. Jack listened to their muffled conversation through the wall, Morgan trying to get Brad to take cough medicine but he argued with her about it. Eventually, he let her bring him some ginger ale and then entered her room where Jack was waiting for her. She looked at her room, noticing it seemed a little cleaner and certain patches on her desk and the top of her dresser looked emptier than it had been when she left. Her eyes then fell to the bags that were packed and her brow raised with suspicious curiosity.

"Confession time. Brad and Linda are not really sick," he smirked to her. Morgan rolled her eyes.

"I figured Brad would be lying, it's strange to have both Linda and Brad on the last day of school. But Linda never lies to me..."

"I thought maybe you would be okay with lying if there was a surprise attached to the end of it," he said, rising from his seat and circling his arms around her. Now she looked a little amused and waited for him to explain what was going on. "My ice sculpture business has been booming. I've been doing more weddings, I've been putting away money, and since I stayed in the area and put it up on my website that I was available, a lot more customers have ordered from me."

"Oh?" she giggled warmly, placing her hands against his chest. "What does that mean, Mr. Frost?"

"What have you always wanted to do, Morgan?"

"See the world and all of its histories."

"Well, I don't know if we can do all, and we certainly can't see all of the world," he chuckled softly, bringing her fingertips to his lips. "But we can go to your most eagerly studied continent."

"We're going to Europe?!" she squealed and he nodded. Morgan jumped up and he spun her around, her excitable laughter filling him with his own series of chuckles that was hard to contain in her happiness. "But why now, why...?"

"I figured with everything going on, with all the stress of college applications weighing you, you could use a break."

"So Linda and Brad stayed home to help you pack," Morgan laughed, and then it was overcome with concern. "But my parents!"

"Linda and Brad are taking care of it."

"How?"

"You've accepted a summer job at a camp teaching kids history, but it's far away and you were late in receiving the letter so you needed to go immediately."

"... I don't like lying."

"We could stay home, I guess." Morgan chewed on the edge of her lip. She looked back at the cases and her head swam with all of the things she had dreamed about seeing, but there was always something coming up. Her parents had money, but never enough money to take the whole family on a transatlantic trip before and now that the possibility was screwing into her mind, it was very hard to get it out.

"No," she said. "I guess it's okay. If it's a history camp, they'll believe it. But, we're not taking the wind..." Jack ripped out an envelope and Morgan picked into it to see two plane tickets. She curled her brow at seeing two of them.

"Jack, are you aware that you're invisible and purchasing a plane ticket for yourself is really pointless?"

"Helen has a credit card linked to frequent flier miles because the kids fly to see their dad every summer. With every international flight, she gets one free. So it's not like I spent any extra money, and this way I get a spot next to you. As far as they're concerned, Jackson Bennett is not turning up." He smiled in way that said he was very proud of himself.

"So the Bennetts know?" she asked.

"Not all the details," he told her truthfully. He knew how Ms. Bennett would react to news that she was to be gone the entire summer and her parents knew nothing about her leaving. Her purposely omitted some of the details and then there was a heavy jerking inside him, reminding him of everything that could possibly go wrong if they found out. He swallowed with the attempt of pushing away the feeling. "Come on, we have to go. There's a taxi coming."

"Taxi...?"

"You think I could carry all this stuff to the airport?"

"But wait do you have my-"

"Yes."

"And my paj-"

"Yes, Morgan I have it."

"Did you forget-"

"I have everything."

"Okay, but you didn't forget-"

"Morgan."

"If we're going to be gone for three months, eventually I am going to need some feminine items-"

"You can buy those yourself," he laughed. "I am pretty sure every city in the world has those and they take up a lot of room in the suitcase."

"You have everything?"

"Yes, Morgan, I promise. Brad and Linda both went over it, knowing everything you wouldn't want to forget." Downstairs, Brad was waiting at the door. Morgan hugged her brotherly tightly and kissed him, although he was very reluctant to receive one from her. Jack gripped him and they exchanged a knowing look. Brad nodded and the two of them slipped out of the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The film that was playing on the screen in front of Morgan seemed to be quickly losing her interest as she nodded off in her chair. As her head slowly leaned towards the closed window of the plane, Jack adjusted her blanket around her and pushed the miniature pillow under her head. He took the pencil and the sketchbook from her hands, open to a sketch of a nearly realistic looking Jack and Morgan wrapped in each other's arms. He smirked at the beauty of it and remembered how much he loved her mind and the way she thought. He turned to her sleeping figure, the ear buds falling out of her ear and her mouth open to allow the smallest bit of drool. Her sun kissed brown hair lay across her eyes and her expression told him she was undisturbed. He really wished he had done this under better circumstances, when there wasn't an impending doom on her and he wasn't whisking her away to do it. He wished everything was just as he said it was; a romantic getaway.

Jack continued to watch her and he thought about the chance of her taking Pitch's deal, and the thought ached him straight into his core. If Morgan could be with him forever, he would love that, but he could never do that to her if it meant the corruption of her soul and her misery. He would rather she live a happy, peaceful mortal life with him. He thought about how far they had come, how she had changed so much over the years. In a few months she would be eighteen. She would be an adult. She would be in the next stage of her life and the realization of that weighed down Jack's spirit even more. Even so, he could not keep away from her, and he was glad she didn't want to stay away from him. For a second, he wondered if this was the real reason he had become a Guardian, to protect this girl. It was hard to know if the Man in the Moon was omniscient or not, but whatever the reason, he was glad for it. He was more than happy to stick around for her. He would gladly defend her every single day of her life and if he were to be destroyed in doing so, so be it. If Morgan was safe, it was worth it. He knew she would be furious if she ever found out about what was really going on with the trip, and the thought terrified him a little because she could not handle lies and this was a huge one, but he could not tell her. If he admitted everything it would have jeopardized the whole of everything and Morgan would be in extreme danger. No, whatever Morgan would say to him after everything was worth it. It was worth her safety.

The white fogs that had thickened in the sky opened up and the plane drifted towards the hundred shades of greens that blanketed their country of destination. Jack tapped Morgan's leg and her eyes fluttered open, wide enough to catch a glimpse of the expanse below. She bolted upright when she saw where they were and her fingers clutched the edge of the seats. Jack took her hand in his and she looked at him, her brown eyes watering with the greatest happiness he had seen so far. The pilot came on the radio, announcing their descent into the country and Morgan crossed her legs as best she could in the cramped area, trying to stop the apprehensive shaking of body. He chuckled and kissed her hand. The plane landed roughly on the tarmac and then slid into the gate before it finally stopped. Ages seemed to past before they were allowed to leave and they moved in single file with the rest of the passengers and down the gate, stopping at baggage claim so she could get her suitcase. When Morgan wheeled her case down to the exit of the airport, she gasped and looked at the new world before her.

"Morgan," Jack whispered, taking her hand. "Welcome to Dublin."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Since she had first stepped out into the street, she had not been able to stop talking. Jack could only keep laughing as she spoke, having only ever heard Linda speak as fast she she was. He didn't completely catch everything she talked about and instead just nodded in response. She could not stay in one place. She would walk alongside Jack for five seconds and then she would jump in front of him and walk backwards, expressing everything she wanted to see and spewing as much history she knew about Ireland. She would then see something in a shop window that would catch her eye and look at it for five seconds before she would see some statue and she would run to it to learn of its importance if she didn't already know. They passed by a book shop and Morgan decided she wanted to buy a journal so she could write down everything she felt and saw and, feeling a little too spoiled already, she demanded to buy herself, giving Jack a lecture about how even though he could treat her and charm her and take care of her, it was important to let her take care of herself. The man behind the counter gave her a strange look when he saw her speaking to no one, but was kind and gave her a cheerful farewell. Morgan already had her pencil out, scribbling down the first words of her trip.

"How are you not tired? You only slept for two hours on the plane," he said.

"How can I be tired? When I am surrounded by such beauty! Such history!" she enthused, leaping into the air.

"Yeah, well, maybe tune it down so you don't seem so tourist-y."

"I can't help it!"

"I think you're just sleep deprived."

"Nope.. oh my God, what is that magnificent beauty and what is its significance?!" Morgan cheered, scurrying to check out a large monument in the center of the thoroughfare. It was a stone monument with four angels sitting around the bottom, several people circumnavigating the middle, and a man standing proudly at the top. The people were of a polished black, to contrast with the white-grey stone of the rest of the monument. "'Daniel O'Connell... I don't know who that is! What a fantastic learning opportunity!" She wrote down his name in the journal and the information the statue said on it, thinking brightly.

"Morgan," he said and she lifted her head, still eying the statue.

"Hm?"

"We're heading to Trinity College." Her eyes lit up and she slammed her journal shut. She curled her fingers around Jack's icicle hand and gestured for him to lead the way. By her response, he figured she knew exactly what he was talking about. He pulled her along, addressed a small map on occasion and when they weaved their way through Trinity College and looked at all the other items on display, finally reaching the purpose of their visit, Morgan's whole body was shaking, trying to remain quiet and keep herself from exploding into obnoxious jubilation. It was really hard for her to simply just look at the Book of Kells. Morgan was conflicted between a strong desire to touch it, although she couldn't because of the glass, and to just stare at the beauty of the intricate detail on the weavings and colorings of the designs within the ancient manuscript. Her eyes widened til they were roughly the size of eggs and when it was time to shuffle out, Morgan reluctantly, and with the smallest of cries, dragged her feet out the door.

"That was so beautiful... I have never... felt that way in all of my life... it was so old, Jack, and it's been around for so long. I can't believe how... it was so beautiful..." she wept as she clung to Jack, only receiving the occasional stare from someone passing by and wondering why she was clinging and talking to air.

"Well, you're going to be seeing beauty all day," he chuckled, kissing her hair. "We still have time to see other things, if you're up to it." Morgan's grief of leaving the manuscript escaped and was replaced with the excitement of everything they could possibly see. Jack took her around to Dublin Castle and after they spent a good amount of time there, he nearly had to pry her away from hugging the wall of it. They went to looked at the oldest cathedral in Dublin, Christ Church, and Morgan got lost in all of the splendor of the soft golden stone archways and the ornate designs that extended around them. She passed on by the carvings of figures and peered through the gates placed around certain areas, such as the private chapel and the choir's practice section. The more she wandered around, the gleeful she became and Jack kept having to tell her to quiet down because it was a place of worship and even though it was not a Sunday, there were still people praying and it needed to be silent. She carefully treated up the stairs and leaned over the railing to listen to the melodious synching of Latin chants, offering up praises to the powerful being they worshiped. Jack came up behind her and linked his arm around her waist.

"Did I do well?" he chuckled.

"Very well," she laughed and steered away from the kiss she offered. "We're in a church, Jack."

"They can't see me."

"Historically, whenever the church saw someone they believed to be mentally insane, they thought it was a demonic possession."

"I really don't think they do that anymore," he said.

"Maybe not, but I still feel awkward about kissing an invisible boy in a church for many reasons. Even if I don't believe. I still feel I should give respect to those who do." Morgan scampered down the steps and whirled around to her frozen boy, clutching his hands and staring at him with a dreamy wonder so Jack felt embarrassed. She was enchanted by him and everything that he was doing and his gut tightened with the reminder this was all based on her protection and everything under it was a lie. He felt very undeserving of the adoration she was being given at that point. "Where else, where else?"

"There's the castle-"

"Let's go!"

"Wait, Morgan, hold on-" But she was already jerking him out of the church and begging him to lead the way. Jack took her to the historic stone building of pale grey nestled between modern buildings and she was just enthusiastic as she had been at the other places. Having spent a good amount of time, she finally told him she was getting hungry and they found a traditional pub where they ordered simple food before spending the rest of the time at the National Museum of Ireland. There was no time to write down all of the info, but Morgan wrote the title of everything on display she could possibly see. By the time the museum closed, Morgan had already filled half of her pocket journal with notes from the day's events and Jack chuckled, commenting on how most of their money was going to be spent in journals. Jack took her back to the hotel just off of O'Connell street, where they had first began their journey. Morgan curled up in the bed, clutching the pillow close to her chest and began rattling off all her emotions about everything she saw.

"I cannot believe that that was the real Book of Kells did you see the detail on that thing that was done over a thousand years ago oh my God and then did you see the interior of that church, the architecture just spoke of its time and the castle and then everything in the museum, like the-"

"Morgan, I saw everything you saw," he said chuckled. She wept happy tears into the pillow she was clutching and Jack just rounded the bed, settling next to her. He pressed his fingers to the tears on her face, crystallizing them so they stuck to her face. Morgan shifted over so she was leaning so Jack's chilled body buzzed under the warmth of her own. He lazily touched his lips to hers and quickly Morgan stopped receiving them. He opened his eyes to see all her excitement, her exhaustion, her lack of sleep, and her jet lag finally caught up to her and she had slipped off into a state of peaceful slumber. A soft smile pulled at his lips and he dusted her face with his knuckles. He pulled at the bedding and hid both of their bodies under covers.

* * *

**No, I am not going to hit every single country in Western Europe! And I'm not going to talk about every single historical item there is, that would be painful for the both of us, nor am i going to even show everything they see. It may mention it in passing, but I don't want to drag you guys out on this long journey where it's nothing but Morgan and Jack happy happy ooh history pretty. No. I swear I won't. The only things I will really go into detail about are things that Morgan REALLY loves... like when Jack takes her to see Elizabeth's grave. Which will happen. And I hope that chapter is beautiful. Plus I am likely to be more descriptive on the things I have seen. Unfortunately I ran out of money to see Elizabeth's grave but that's important to Morgan so I will research the hell out that!**

**Yes I have been to Dublin. And pretty much all over Ireland. I'm sure there are plenty things I didn't see. I did see the Book of Kells, which is a BEAUTIFUL manuscript. It is an artistically written, with hand-drawn illustrations which such detail that you don't even get to see sometimes, of the gospels. And it is a magnificent piece of work. I did not see the castle, I did not see the church, and I did not see the Museum. Compared to the rest of Ireland, I actually saw very little in Dublin, sad to say.**

**What is your opinion on what Jack is doing? Do you think it is good or bad?**


	93. The Power of the Deepest Love

**This was the absolute hardest chapter to write, it took me so much longer than normal and there are several reasons for that. One, I put a lot of research into this. Normally, if I'm writing about a place that I haven't been to, I looked at a few pictures, read off a little bit of the history and background and worth with that. But I could not simply do that in this case. This is the piece of history Morgan has been longing to be near and I needed to get everything possible. It figures the one piece of history I make her love is the one piece of London I did not get the chance to see, but that's what happens when you are low on money in a big city. I looked at pictures, videos, trying to get every angle of everything, zooming in on parts, and actually had to rewrite parts when I realized I got them wrong. The entrance I am describing to Westminster Abbey in here is the North Side of the Abbey, and it is very distinct. I am very glad that the BBC released a 360 virtual tour of the place when Will and Kate were married, because it helped a lot in making this. The other reason it took so long was because I was trying to desperately to capture what it feels like when you get close to something you have practically spent your whole life dreaming of. Fortunately, I have had that experience. Twice. The first time was stepping out of the bus and finding myself among the buildings and the skyline of London. The second time was much more powerful, although I had not dreamed of it as long as I did with London because I had dreamed of London since I was 6 and I first loved Phantom of the Opera when I was 14 (that's about seven years now), but it was more powerful because it is my greatest passion in life. Some of you may not be too familiar with Phantom, some of you even less the Opera it occurs in, but the Opera House the story takes place in really does exist. It is known by several names; The Palais Garnier, the Paris Opera House, or the National Academy of Music, or Academie Nationale de Musique. The first time I saw the opera house was actually when me and my friends were going somewhere else that day, I'm not sure where, we crammed a lot of stuff in Paris in three days worth, but we needed to exit the Metro where its exit was right in front of the opera house. My friend had warned me very clearly so I wouldn't die of heart attack that this was where the opera house would be, but it didn't help, because when you get off the metro and back up to the streets of Paris, you actually have your back to the Opera House. I stepped out and the first thing out of my mouth was "Where's the Opera House?" He responded with "Is that it?" After turning around, I collapsed from its presence (I am actually getting teary eyed thinking of the wonderful memory right now) and started to weep. My friends could not believe that I reacted in this way but they stopped to get a few pictures of me and the intense joy I felt... it is incredibly hard to put into words. I tried my best, in Morgan's reaction, but even that cannot grasp how it feels to finally have something in your grasp you have been wishing for for years. The next day, my friends had to move on to their next destinations (we were all on our two week breaks while studying abroad so we were traveling western Europe and if we ended up in cities the same days, we met up), I stayed an extra day in Paris. I really thought I would not make it to the Opera House before I was to leave, but I did. And all by myself. And this is when I actually entered the opera house and ventured through it. I had that feeling once again, finding a lovely couple from Iowa of all places there and commenting how they were fascinated how a 20 year old knew so much about a historic spot very few people actually know about and they hugged me, delighting in my joy. Those experiences inspired this chapter. I am sorry for such a long note, but I felt I needed to explain myself. Please enjoy.**

* * *

…_.afterwards we found our way on the west side of Ireland, in Galway which was an absolutely amazing city and I saw the Spanish Arch, something I had never heard of before and definitely will look into and then I saw the Abbey and it was phenomenal, I could put the entire ruins together in my mind and then we visited the park where..._

Jack flipped through the few pages to the next potion of Morgan's journal. In each entry, she got more excited as she wrote and her hands moved too fast for her handwriting to keep up so it got difficult to figure out what she was saying.

_...There is such a fantastic old world charm here in Limerick. I really think this is a place I could settle down in. And Ireland is pretty cool a lot of the time, Jack could stay with him. I love history, but it's nice that we got to settle down for a bit. I've quickly learned that as beautiful as these old cathedrals are and how old they are, seeing a lot of them is getting a little dull. We head out to Cork tomorrow, maybe when we get there we can see..._

Jack moved on, skipping all of the entries on Ireland, and going into the entries she wrote about when they were in Scotland.

_…way out here in the islands off of Scotland. It's really windy right now and Jack yelled at it but it refused to calm down. I can't believe it's only been a week since we first arrived in Dublin, we've been going so much that the minute I get back to my hotel room, I drop dead. And when we find ourselves in a museum, Jack leaves me for what he says is a half hour, I say it's five minutes, to drop off some sculpture he works on while I sleep. I suppose it's to keep affording these trips. These surprises are getting really neat although it's hard to keep myself from not knowing. Out on the Orknies, I saw some of the oldest structures in Europe's and all I could do was stare and wonder what great historical figures had resided in some of them and who had all seen them and what stories they could if they could talk. Oh, it's so exciting to think about, I've already seen so much! And we still have many more weeks left, I wonder..._

More flipping. Morgan liked to go on and on to herself about historical tidbits Jack didn't really understand in full and asked Morgan would be like sitting in class for longer than necessary.

_… leaving Glasgow behind right now as I write, on our way to Edinburgh, although Jack keeps on saying we should go on back to the Highlands and track down Nessie in Loch Ness. I keep telling him no, that's what everyone who goes to Scotland goes to see and besides I think Nessie doesn't exist so what would be the point? Even if she does, which as this point, considering all the other stories that were fake to everyone and not just me but turned out to be real, might actually be true, we should just leave her alone. It sounds like it's a rare occurrence to see her and I can't imagine every being ogled like that and made a show out of and we should let her go. Probably doesn't exist though. Maybe. I'm really not sure of anything anymore. Oh God, I just remembered Pitch is looking for me somewhere and he's out there, why hasn't he come and found me yet? That seems like a long time for me to think, doesn't it? I am so scared of him oh my God Jack just looked over and saw my hands shaking as I wrote but he told me we are going to Holyroodhouse, the Scottish residence for the royal family and most famously where Mary, Queen of Scots had stayed we actually get to see the apartments this is fantastic I..._

It concerned Jack that she would occasionally remember Pitch and he was trying as hard as he could to keep her mind running on history. She never really seemed to bring anything up but history and there was very little connecting done between them. Jack was saddened a little by that, but he had her running so much by the time things started to settle down and the sun sunk, Morgan was all ready passed out. He would lay beside her for a few minutes and then pulled out her laptop, slipping on the leather gloves and looked at his requests for ice sculptures, working on them to be delivered at the next museum Morgan could afford to be left at.

_... miss my family a little. Was this really a good idea? To just up and leave like that? I'm sure Jack means well and he's only trying to romance me. And I was a little stupid to just up and leave, but how can Linda and Brad keep this up? Thinking about them hurts. Maybe this was a bad idea. But I am given this opportunity and Jack so desperately wants to please me and it's only three months... I miss Linda. I miss Brad. I miss my father. I even miss mom. If only they just believed in Jack maybe this wouldn't be so hard holy crap we are approaching Hadrian's Wall and Housesteads oh my goodness this is going to be so exciting I guess I can at least stay out here a little while longer just wait until I..._

Jack quickly turned the page, afraid to read anymore about how pained she was in leaving home and looked at the entry from just the other day.

_...came in from Oxford and it was exhilarating to be in the oldest English speaking university in the entire world. It is the second oldest university in the world, and that is just thrilling to know I was in such a place. I would never find anything this old back home. Jack and I have been going since Edinburgh and by dinnertime I had already requested we go back to the hotel. This is all fun, but I get a little worn sometimes and whenever I feel like getting a little privacy with Jack, I have a tendency to just fall asleep on him for ten hours and I really hate that. We've been gone almost two weeks now and I don't know how we're hitting so many places in such short of time. No wonder I'm so tired. Do you know it's been about a month since Jack and I have had a decent kiss? Whenever we slow down, I just fall asleep. I'm sure Jack is itching for some attention but I don't even think of it, I am so distracted. Maybe one of these days I'll request we just not do anything. Maybe I'll buy some lingerie and surprise him and then all night we can-_

Jack immediately slammed the book shut, a darkening to whatever was equivalent to blushing faintly on his cheeks. Whatever fantasies Morgan had he was going to let her keep to herself unless she so wished to act on them. At the rate she was going, he wasn't sure if that was going to happen with her falling asleep as soon as she hit the bed.

The shower stopped and he tossed the journal back into her backpack. She had told him she didn't care if he read through her stuff, but he still felt wrong in doing so. Morgan used it to record her traveling and what she felt when she experienced time at certain historical locations, but every so often something personal would get in there. He had trouble believing that 2 and a half already filled journals contained only traveling and historical. Morgan was humming to herself and he could hear her rummaging around in the bathroom. He heard her swear quietly from beyond the door and then the latch clicked. She casually walked out of the bathroom, a grey t shirt pulled tightly against the rise in her chest and the only thing pulled up over her legs was a pair of the simplest white underwear money could possibly buy. She was wearing absolutely no pants. Jack tried really hard not to look, but then remember Morgan was the one who walked out when she very clearly knew he was right there. She caught him staring, the azul in his eyes minimized by the exposure of the white. She grinned and unfolded a pair of jeans from her case.

"Forgot pants," she told him. Jack swallowed hard, trying to push air down to get rid of the strange lump that liked to form when Morgan caught him off guard with the perfection of her body. She sashayed back into the bathroom and he swore she moved that way on purpose.

"What's the point in going back in the bathroom if you're going to walk out here without pants anyway?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see the look on your face."

"You are cruel hearted." Jack shot up and tore into the bathroom, the door still half open so he figured it would be okay to charge in. He bounded towards Morgan and held her against the wall, attacking her on her sides and her legs with the tips of his fingers. She writhed in her bouts of laughter, begging him to stop but he only tickled her more mercilessly. She collapsed on the floor and he went with her, Jack positioning his hand beneath her head so she would not hit her head against the edge of the door. "I can be cruel hearted too."

"Okay, okay!" she giggled and kissed him. "Now let me up so I can brush my teeth." He rose and helped her to her feet. She motioned for him to get out of her way and leaned against the frame of the door, smirking adoringly at the girl before him. This was when he liked her best. In her most natural state. Bare footed in a t-shirt and jeans. No make-up, loose hair. No jewelry. It was when he thought she looked the most loveliest. Morgan never thought so. She always thought herself so plain with so little to cover her, but that was the part he liked. It was the most undisguised she ever was. Morgan was always fixated on the real, and that was all he ever her to be, was real. And standing in the bathroom, freshly bathed with the least amount of accessories as possible was as real as she could get and it was the most gorgeous thing she ever wore.

"Wha?" she muttered between strokes of her toothbrush.

"You're so attractive right now." She looked down at herself and turned in her eyebrow.

"O... hay?"

"Just as you are. You're smiling self. Your human self. Please don't change."

"Ah oo honher I ahm oinf oo hake hath heal?"

"... say again."

"Ho on." Morgan spit out a clump of toothpaste into the sink. "Are you concerned I am going to take that deal?"

"... Aren't you tempted?"

"Since I don't lie, I could tell you the truth or not say anything." She took a drink of water.

"Just as I thought."

"It's no big deal. He hasn't found me," she said. "Maybe he's just forgotten about it."

"Doubt it," Jack chuckled, but tried not to continue the conversation, the biting fear weighing on him that maybe she would figure out what was going on. Instead he cleared his throat and walked away, retrieving a small translucent vial from her bag and placed it on the sink. His eyes twinkled with amusement. "You may want to wear this today."

"Are you saying I stink? I just showered!"

"Not at all, love. Not at all."

"Oh, we're so close to London!" she said. "We should swing by and get more. I really like it."

"Good," he chuckled, packing up the case and readying it so they could check out. "We're actually heading to London today." She squealed and suddenly her preparations for the day sped up. As she ran about, trying to grab everything she would need.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"If we don't go to Baker Street, Linda will kill me," Morgan said to Jack as he pulled her along. She stopped behind him to take a picture of the Eye, spinning slowly with its pods suspended from around its circle. He tapped his foot and urged her along again. "Jack, we're surrounded by the history that once was Londonium. Why the rush, let's just take it slow. We've been moving so much lately!" She casually moved along, unbothered by Jack's attempts to get her moving. He attempted to be patient, but he was so energized in knowing she would be filled with the greatest amount elation with where he was taking her. He was actually surprised she had not figured it out yet, but looking at maps online is quite a different thing than actually being in the city. She probably was not sure where Westminster even was from where they stood. He pulled her down the street, being careful of traffic and to walk only when the light told the pedestrians they could walk. Morgan turned her head for a second and he was ready to firmly scold her for not paying attention and to stop looking at everything historically related. They seemed to be off into the distance, staring at a blank spot in the crowd.

"Morgs?" he asked.

"Oh, um, sorry I saw a shadow and... never mind," she whispered, pulling herself closer. He frowned, detecting a sliver of fear settling in. Their next visit was more important than ever right now. He continued on down, stopping her in front of the nutmeg colored face and the sandy colored towers of the building. A wheel of glass was the focal point of the whole side of the building, with two spires on either side of it, four in all at the top. Below the elaborate construction around the central window were three arched doors, the centered one the largest of them.

"Jack... this isn't..." The way her voice faltered off clued Jack in that maybe now it was starting to dawn on her what was going on. Her felt her arm go very loose and then quickly a nervous shaking in her fingers. He tapped her hand and they moved on forwards, entering the glorious Abbey. When they did step inside onto the black and white checkered floor, Morgan only needed one sweep of her eyes to see where she was. They continued on making their way past the marble statues that awaited them at the entrance until they were at the crossing of the design. She took in the seats on either side, the walls behind them a brilliant blue with frames of ornately decorated arches, the columns reached high into the cruciform of ceiling. In front of them was the was the high altar, a yellow gold with an old but still wonderfully colorful painting of the last supper. She whipped back around, her eyes the most brilliant kind of wonderstruck that could possibly exist. He artistically extended his hand towards her, a clever grin shaping on his mouth. "I know where we are."

"And she's waiting," he chuckled. Morgan slapped her hand into his and she followed his direction across the checkered floor to the west side of the Abbey, passing the quire and beyond the blue and golden framed screen. Whispers caught from passing visitors consisted of the importance of the Abbey, although many of the younger visitors seemed more enthused that it was the placement of where Prince William and Princess Kate were married. Morgan scoffed at their bits of conversation, none too pleased with where their priorities were.

Her heart was thundering a chaotic storm against her chest, exhilaration pumping into her veins and creating a combination of the desire to burst out screaming til her tongue fell out and numbing her so she could not do anything. A surge of electricity spiraled through her body and her soul, bringing forth every possible moment of joy she had ever felt. To love Jack was certain one of the greatest thrills she had ever experienced, but falling love with him was gradual. It was something she had not yet realized and by the time she did he had already enveloped her and made her his. This was a paining love that had been filling her dreams and her wishes for over a decade. From the first moment she learned that the princes, princesses, kings, and queens did not exist in her story books, but such persons of different names did, she had gone to check out who was alive that was royalty. She learned that Elizabeth II had been queen and she addressed her sister on why she was the second. That was the moment that led her into a world of Elizabeth I and how her past and her legacy had helped to create Morgan's life. She was aware there would never be any possibility of meeting her, but this was as close as she would get, and it was something she could only ever had dreamed of. Never in her life would she find herself there, and yet there she was.

Black pillars surrounded the marble bed on which a sarcophagus with a vision of a woman chiseled out of the stone in ornamental dress lay. The woman was not Elizabeth I, but her sister Mary, whom Elizabeth had been buried with. Morgan knelt on the ground of the visage before her. A black gate had surrounded the entire burial, with golden roses and fleur de lis surrounding the top but it did not prevent Morgan from getting a good look at the tomb. She reached for it, never touching it, but in sort of a desperation to touch Elizabeth's soul. She rested herself in front of the black plaques on the side of the marble, inscribed in Latin.

"'Consorts in realm and tomb, here we sleep, Elizabeth and Mary, sisters, in hope of resurrection,'" Morgan whispered, eyes glistening over the message of the text.

"Can you read Latin?" asked a visitor who was probably in his late twenties. His accent told them he was from the London area.

"No," Morgan said, her voice cracking through her emotion that was beginning to trickle out. "A little, I guess. Through repetition of studying I know a few words, but I just know this inscription. I would know it anywhere." And she cried, her tears falling to the pale floor below. The man reached down to her, his arms wafting right throw Jack and placed his hands on her shoulders. "No, no, it's okay, I'm okay! Elizabeth is my favorite."

"In history?"

"In life," she corrected. "She was cast outside her family, but she was brought back to be one the world's greatest leaders. She was disobedient and that disobedience sometimes was the best of choices. She was strong, she was powerful, she did not wish to be controlled by anyone. She showed she did not need a man to be strong. She loved her country and stabled it. There were people that hated her, but she survived and she went on."

"You speak in a way that most historians do... how old are you, girl?"

"17..." she wept and the man helped her to her feet, hugging her more out of pride than anything else. She broke away from him and got as close to the tomb as was allowed, desiring to reach out and touch it. Jack stood back allowing her time to walk around the body and take in as bit of it as possible. He liked to keep moving but knew in this instance to pull her along would be more than cruel. So he waited, leaning against the pillar and watching his darling snow angel encircle the tomb several times before placing a kiss at the foot of it and walking over to Jack, nodded her head to indicate she was ready to go. He kissed her forehead and moved her along, suggesting they go nowhere else that day, just have a quick meal and rest at the hotel. Out of the Abbey, Morgan kissed him fervently, no longer caring if the people on the street could see her kissing air. Her tears tingled with the forming of ice. She laughed and hung onto him all the way back to their hotel. Jack had never felt such a warmth radiating from her glow.

* * *

**At this point I don't think I need to point out how true everything is. There are so many wonderful places in London and I really wish I could write about Morgan visiting them all, but I can't. Maybe for fun, sometime, but it won't be published on here. I have too much of a journey for Morgan to take from this point until the story's end as it is. Westminster is a place I really regret seeing but there will be a day I will see it. Before typing this story, I thought Elizabeth was cool but I didn't idolize her the way Morgan does. She can rattle off everything ever known about her and I can't even give her her birth and death dates (Although I think she died in 1603? Am I right? Did I win a prize?), but the way I have connected myself to Morgan may have changed that! Who knows, I might start weeping at her tomb when I move to England and get all flustered while my own lover just looks on and wait (I honestly have no idea what Dom would do. He might join me in watching with awe, or he might be really bored and take out his Nintendo 3DS or whatever is out at that time,) but I don't think so. I may think it's cool and write about it (I write when i can't take pictures... and you can't in Westminster Abbey) but I would not react with crippling joy. It's incredibly possible I could do that with Lady Jane Grey though, who is one of my favorites in history. I've only been studying her a year and not 10 like Morgan, but even so. She was a fantastic person and nobody knows of her existence.**

**Last chapter for tonight guys, thanks for putting up with my ridiculously long notes. Love you** **my rosettes!**


	94. Stirrings

**This passage is not that great, but I wanted to get something going to understand what is going on and how time is passing and everyone's reactions to it all. I guess it's a little sweet and I enjoyed writing the ending. I'm crap at fight scenes so maybe that's why I found it so dull.**

* * *

_~Kenter Household~_

Across the hardwood floor, a thick shade expanded and billowed into the figure of Pitch Black. His golden eyes narrowed to slivers at the startled but brave blonde boy who lounged on the bed in front of him.

"Where is Morgan?!" he snarled through the gaps of his jagged teeth, lunging his arms for the boy. But Brad only smirked, pleased with the Boogeyman's frustration. The dark man's lips curled up, only becoming even more dramatic as Brad continued to look at him with an amused grin.

"Not here," he told him, flipping through the most recent issue of a science fiction magazine and gawking at the as for the newest film to arrive in the cinemas soon. Pitch angrily threw his fist against the glossy pages, wrinkling the pages of the ad.

"That is obvious!" he hissed, bending over the railing at the foot of the bed. "For weeks now I have not been able to sense her feet. I catch brief moments, tingles and just when it's strong enough it vanishes, quickly. I can't tell sense her fear. There is something blocking it. Tell me now, Brad!"

"You're stupid," he heckled. "You really think I would let you know where my sister is? She will never accept your deal. She will never agreed to being immortal."

"Is that so?" The curvature of his mouth pulled upwards, a sinister playfulness overcoming his expression. Brad rolled his eyes at the speech he was beginning to make. "You don't know your sister very well do you. I have seen how deep her fears run. Right now, her life feels long, but soon she's going to realize how much older she's looking than Jack and she will beg me to make her immortal. It keeps her awake some nights about growing old at passing on." Brad looked up while he continued to ramble, glancing up towards the pane of glass. A whip of golden flecks slung in through the opening, wrapping tightly round his skinny abdomen. Pitch flew out into the clouds, encompassed by the floating billows of Dreamsand conjured by the stout Sandman.

"Thanks, Sandy!" Brad called from the window and the Sandman bowed. A clunking sound and jingling echoed across the expanse of night, the ornamental ancient vehicles plowing through the wind and North scooped Pitch into the sleigh.

"Haha!" North laughed. Pitch shook his head, a little confused as to what had just happened before he launched himself from the sleigh and spun towards the ground. He was sideswiped by a glittering lady of gold, emerald, and aquamarine, slamming him into the ground.

"Do you need me to get you a quarter again, Pitch?!" Tooth screamed, her little companion squeaking out her harsh opinion of the Boogeyman. He vanished in his thin gossamer trail of black and appeared on the other side of her, mouth turned to a sly smile.

"So, you have been protecting the area," he concluded. "Watching for me. That's really admirable of you. I assume Jack has taken her away somewhere? Aw, that's really adorable. He truly loves her, doesn't he? And what about you, Tooth? Oh, goodness what's this? A glimmer of fear... the smallest amount. You have watched Jack from afar, wished he would notice you. Aww, you poor thing! He never will, not with that delicate flower constantly around him. She's beautiful, isn't she? And perfect for him... whereas you are just a little fairy he looks past, never will he see you with Morgan around."

"Belt up ya bloody drongo!" came a ferocious voice from the other side of him. Pitch ducked just in time, avoiding the boomerang that was sailing right for him. Tooth was a little a hesitant, taking Pitch's words to heart a little more than she should have. She stumbled to her feet but Baby Tooth charge forward, pecking him aggressively in the face. He swatted at her as if she were a fly, dribbling her against the ground til she rolled out of the way with weary wings. Tooth yelled out for her small fairy, taking her in her delicate hands and inspecting her feathers. Pitch strutted towards Bunny who was holding out his boomerangs, reader to strike. "This house here is protected, and Morgan is not here so why not just bugger off?!"

"I will find her, mark my words," he chuckled. "Fear will come up. I don't know where she's got to, but something has to happen. Wonder what would happen if she discovered something happened to Linda? Or her darling brother? Or maybe I'll check out that nephew of hers?"

"If you so much as lay a finger on the baby, we will tear your from every bloody limb!"

"Then you better tell me where Morgan is fast, or else things could go very wrong for this family!" he growled at the bunny and took on a malicious laughter. He spiraled into a sheen of black and disappeared in his own shadow.

"Aw, crikey."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

"Jack I want to go see the catacombs!" Morgan begged. He looked up from her journal, having taken a habit to scouring over it in case there was any slip of her mind back into the state of fear, looking for an indicator that maybe they needed to move on so Pitch would not catch up, but her high from seeing Elizabeth seemed to keep anything from turning up. She had filled pages and pages about the visit to the Tower if London and wrote a brief paragraph on parliament, and mentioned the Victoria and Albert museum. Everything was filled with an endless string of excitable emotion, a review of how wonderful it was to see a Shakespeare play performed at the globe, despite never really caring for plays, a remark on how the whispering gallery at the top of St. Paul's cathedral was both chilling and astounding, and she just continued on into the places Jack took her just outside of London.

_...understand how cool it was to be standing on both the Eastern and Western hemispheres at once? I was on the two sides of the world! I mean, it's a small thing but it was really thrilling! And afterwards, Jack took me to Hampton Court! To be in the presence of the Tudors, especially knowing my dear Bess lived here! I could imagine what it was like! If only I had some sort of traditional dress I could walk through these halls and just imagine the scenes that played out, all the drama surrounding Anne. Oh, Elizabeth must have played down these corridors! The William and Mary apartments as well, I must look up more on their love story, I wonder if it was as pure as..._

Jack was really confident she had not had anymore lapses lately and was determined to keep it that way until he received the okay from sandman that Pitch had been taken care of, but he had not yet received any sign and he was growing concerned.

"The catacombs are really creepy," he answered. "I don't know if that's the best place for us."

"But do you have any idea how old they are? And the craftsmanship in forming them? There's so much we can learn from them!" her voice rang as she bounded behind him. "Oh, pardon monsieur." She stepped out of the way of a man who tilted his head in acknowledgment, grateful for her stepping to the side.

"But the catacombs..." he sighed. "It's filled with... the reminder of death, and so much fear, Morgan."

"You've got to me kidding me," she scoffed. "After visiting all the torturous instruments they used at the Tower of London? It just makes me sad, not scared. I don't expect anyway to take my bones and shove me into an underground labyrinth."

"Okay, we'll visit the catacombs..." he grumbled, shoving his arm into his front pocket and kept his other hand a hold of Morgan. Her stomach roared and the two of them stopped. Jack sometimes forgot to take her to get food because he never needed to eat, and he was the one spending all the money. She blushed lightly and looked down at her stomach. He smirked and steered her in the opposite direction.

"How about we find some food first?" he suggested. She nodded and he kissed the tip of her nose. "Come on Snow Angel..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So what happened to him after they showed up?" Linda said to Brad over the phone. He absent mindedly flipped through channels on his television, trying to land on something that would catch his attention.

"He just.. vanished. With a threat. At least, that's what Bunny said," he told her. "It really doesn't sound like he has anything good planned, Linda. I'm really nervous."

"Should we have told Morgan what was going on?"

"Jack wouldn't have liked that."

"But Jack is only human..."

"Actually..."

"You know what I mean!" Linda interrupted. "It's just that sometimes he gets so concerned for Morgan that he can't see beyond her and has very little sense for having the best ideas. He thinks about her two much and forgets about everyone else surrounding her. I mean, I love that he cares for her so much, but what about us? What is Pitch going to do to us now? I'm more than willing to fight to protect her life."

"Me too."

"But what about little Lawrence? We can't go to California!"

"Tooth and North are on there way there," said Brad, finding a show that looked interesting and analyzing the face of the actor who appeared on the screen a little closer than any of the others. "I think Jack is doing whatever it takes to make sure she is protected. He is just really afraid, that's all."

"They've been gone over a month, do you think they've done it?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Morgan's not quite as ecstatic about sex as you or more, Linda. And Jack was raised with very strict values on it, some of them I am pretty sure still are impressed on him because of how long he spent believing in them. Actually, I am surprised he's touched Morgan as much as he has instead of, you know, courting her. Besides, Morgan's favorite person in all of history is the second most famous virgin. Why are you so concerned about it anyway? Their life is their life, if they do it, it's their business and not ours."

"I don't know, probably the same reason I am convinced John and Sherlock are at it once a week," she said.

"You know everyone else in the world thinks that right?"

"Anyone who thinks otherwise is just weird."

"Yep."

"How has your mother been with this?"

"She... is a little confused. She doesn't understand why Morgan would not leave the letter out and why she wouldn't leave and address or why she wouldn't write," he said, deciding that TV could not distract him and turning it off. Brad leapt off the bed and paced around the room, focusing on a picture of him and Morgan about a year ago, when she was hanging over his shoulder and kissing him obnoxiously so he made a face, but smiled through it. Linda was offering a charming smile in the foreground and was leaning dangerously across a chair. And Jack was popping over all three of them, hugging them to himself and smirking devilishly at the camera. Of course, their parents who had taken the picture could not see Jack, they just thought it was a picture of their kids and Linda. "Honestly though, she seems to wave it off a little too easily. She's actually a little happy. Says she's glad she is finally doing normal things and earning her own money, and hopes she'll meet another counselor and bring home a boyfriend. Dad's a little anxious about the whole thing. I guess since we act so normal though, he doesn't think much of it."

"Let me know if there's any knowledge of Pitch's whereabouts."

"Will do."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Jack~_

"Have you ever seen a sight so magnificent?" Morgan sighed, twirling into her charming winter spirit. Beyond the arch of the overpowering stone they were standing below, the purples tones of the sky were just starting to settle into the read and the lights zooming around the arch gave them a brilliant contrast of illumination.

"I have," he chuckled. "Every single day, I see a beauty that makes this pale in comparison." Jack caught her in a kiss, thankful for only the few people standing by.

"It's just wonderful. Paris has turned the Arc de Triomphe into a roundabout! Everywhere we go in Europe, they seem to build around it! In America, we just destroy and make room for more!" He caught her hands to stop her twirled, and moved her around in a square pattern. She giggled as she followed his lead, trusting him to catch her in a dip and pressing a petal soft kiss into the crevice under his jaw. "What is this all about Jack?"

"What do you mean?" he responded, heart racing with the possible conclusion that she was starting to catch on.

"This big summer, filled with traveling. All summer. I really don't understand."

"Can't I just do it because I love you?"

"Well, I mean I guess but it all seems way to big... every day I'm romanced, and I've especially been feeling that way since Elizabeth. I'm starting to think you've formed this elaborate form of seduction to finally get me in bed with you. I mean, really in bed with me, or this is a huge build up to a marriage proposal."

"Love, if I was going to propose to you, I would have done it at Elizabeth's tomb."

"Oh." Her voice dropped, like there was a little bit of her spirit slightly damaged from his response.

"Did you want me to?!" he asked in a panic, tilting her upright again.

"No, I would have said no," she sighed. "I mean... maybe. I don't want to get married, yet."

"Yeah, we discussed that."

"It's just that if this is what we're doing now, I don't understand how your proposal, your future one, will ever beat this."

"Well, that's exactly it," he chuckled, leading her carefully away from the significant arch. "Just think about it Morgan. I am doing all this simply because I love you. A spontaneous action. Imagine what it will be like when I play this elaborate marriage proposal. I have something to compare to. Just... tell me you don't admire Elizabeth too much that you want to follow in her footsteps to be forever unwed."

"Psh," she snickered. "Be a virgin forever? Are you mad, Jack? That's one of the few things about her I don't understand." He chuckled and swung her arm, the sky darkening with the sinking of the sun. "This city makes me weep, it's so lovely."

"Maybe we can return someday?" he asked.

"Are we leaving Paris?"

"Yeah, in the morning. I think it's time to go for our next destination."

"Which is where?" He touched his frost covered finger to the sharp tip of her nose.

"Now, Morgan," he chuckled. "You know better than to ask that." She raised her eyebrow and lowered her voice near his ear.

"Yeah, but I like to be a little bad once in a while..." She cackled wildly when he picked her up, her legs bent over the cradle of his arm. Her arms groped for the collar of his sweatshirt for something to hang onto, knowing at any minute he would shoot out into the sky to take the shortcut to their hotel room.

"I guess it has been a while since I have properly been able to feel your arms clinging to me," he chuckled.

"Well, there's nothing else I'm itching to see and there's still a sliver of daylight left..." Their private thoughts were shared wordlessly through their gaze, blue topaz connecting with warm brown. He carried her through the air, finally dropping her right before the hotel room to fumble for her key and then swinging her up and over the threshold once again, flinging her against the menagerie of pillows that decorated the top of the bed. Sometimes Jack deserved a distraction from fear too.**  
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**This almost turned into a chapter of Morgan touring the Paris Opera House but I feel if I wrote that it wouldn't be true to her nature. She's not a fan of the arts and Charles Garnier wasn't terribly amazing like warriors or anything and it's not even really all that old. 19th century. So I decided against it, but it was really tempting. It's just, being it is what it is, it's the thing I remember most vividly about Paris. The Louvre sort of all blurs together because there is so much I couldn't recall anything I didn't take a picture of, and nothing was in english (obviously) and I don't speak French so nothing stuck out to me and the Eiffel Tower is a huge disappointment (I think it is, anyway. When you walk up to it I was like 'It's really like huge chunks of metal') so I struggled trying to find something to write about. I wanted to go to the catacombs BUT THEY WERE CLOSED WHEN I WENT. I also wanted to do a bit where Morgan gets hit on Paris but I'm saving that for later. My experience with travlling is, every country I went to there was at least ONE GUY who hit on me simply because he found out I was an American and thought I would be a sucker for European men and IT IS EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE. Anyway, see if I can get another one up tonight, but I can't stay up too terribly late which leads into my next thing. Tomorrow I am going to be at my mother's. Which means a 2 hour drive to her place and then 2 hour drive back home so I can work the next morning. I don't know what time I will get home so I apologize if I don't get one up tomorrow. I will get one up the next day.  
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	95. Avalanche

**This is a work of two days because I was ready to pass out last night. And I am tonight, so I am not going to be giving you anymore tonight. Besides, this is a long chapter so hopefully it will satisfy you.**

**I endure a long day at work tomorrow and I am cry with everything I am going to have to do. However, today I had a very good day at my mother's, and I was playing with my niece and my cousin, ages 5 and 7 and guess what. They asked to play Peter Pan. I had to be Hook because I was the adult while my cousin was Peter and my niece was Wendy. And somehow they changed everything, deciding that Wendy would much rather be a pirate and... marry Hook... and kill Peter... I don't understand but kids, you know. It was strange because they never before expressed desire for Peter Pan.**

**This is an emotional chapter... kinda... I mean a little. So I hope you enjoy it. I had fun writing it.**

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_...the beauty that was in Trier? This town is so old! You can definitely see the Roman influence still around it. Oh, I hope Jack takes me to Rome eventually! I would love to see Rome! But even if we don't, this certainly gave my fill. I cannot believe how intact the Porta Nigra was, I kept walking around it with this goofy look on my face! It was superb in every way and Jack seemed to be enjoying how I kept wandering around it. And then the baths they were..._

He passed on her enthusiastic account of finding herself in the oldest city in Germany.

_ ...never grow tired of all the castles and churches around Europe because they are all so different and so significant! In England, some of the churches all seemed really similar, but here they seem to change! Just looking at the pictures I took of the cathedral in Worms and comparing it with the one in Cologne, or Koln as they say here with the... strange sideways colon thingy, and then I look back on the Berliner Dom and they're so... oh my God, Germany's history just looks so diverse in comparison and I love it and I know I say that about everywhere I go but Jack has spoiled me majorly, I have absolutely no idea how I can possibly make it up to him, oh my God I think... I do! We're on our way to see where the Berlin wall was. It's nice to come across something a little more recent every once in a while, it really makes..._

He flipped on, taking a spot off to the side to read her entries for the other countries they had visited.

_...here in Geneva, after a brief stop at the Aventicum, which was spectacular by the way! It's so strange to find it just in the middle of the road, much the same way the Arc de Triomphe was in Paris! I can just imagine Bradley making a comment on how he felt like he was in something like the ring in Gladiator and then pretending to fight off lions or something, anything he knows about history comes from motion pictures which is not the greatest thing, but his enthusiasm amuses me. It was really fascinating to sit at the top and then stand in the middle. Just picturing how everyone was in the seats... I can feel history come alive. That's the best part of it. That's the greatest part about imagination. I need a small trace of truth and my mind does the rest of the work. Now we're here in Geneva and we've been stopping at mainly museums. Jack had two stops today, and he made one when he left me in the Art and Museum history, although I barely noticed him gone. He almost forgot about the second one and I feel as if I have gone all the way around this museum about the Reformation. When Jack gets back, we're heading to the Einsiedeln Abbey which I have no idea what it is, but Jack thinks I would like it, joking he does not understand how I can not be tired of ecclesiastical..._

He passed on her talk, discussing why she always felt alive in the presence of ecclesiastical buildings and castles, despite having seen so many of them. He knew her arguments, about how every single one had its own stories and saw its own days and was built at different times and in different ways and reading her long spiel would be too redundant. The line up ahead moved on and Morgan was now near the front, patiently waiting her turn.

_…. getting really annoyed with everything I am asking to see. But he seems to be taking everything all right. It's just, I don't think I've been around as many things as old all in one place! Have you any idea just what Italy is filled with? Any idea what potential this holds for me? I can't even begin! I hope Jack will take me to knew places, I love learning more! I can't wait til we get to Florence! We're just leaving Verona now, but I did not like that much. Jack kept quoting Shakespeare but I really had no idea half the stuff he said because I have very little experience, although according to Jack many of his plays occurred in Verona. And Pompeii, I hope we go to Pompeii. I realize that it's pretty popular, but I think many people forget about it and it's not as well appreciated as it should be. More people go to Pisa, which it's spectacular the way it leans and it's been that way but when you think about it, it's just an old building that leans. Pompeii was an entire city wiped out by a volcano, how can more people talk..._

He skipped through the rest of their journey through Italy, finding a tiny entry that caught his amusement before deciding to close the book.

_… just after we left the Roman Forum. We stood outside the Trevi Fountain and I told Jack I was beginning to get hungry, so he left to go and find a place nearby that had food. In the brief period of time he left me feeling incredibly claustrophobic around the hundreds of people posing in front of the wonderful work of art the fountain is, a man walked in front of me saying something in Italian, I wasn't sure what it was, but I was in his way so I just said "Scusi," because that is about as much Italian as I can work. He was a charming young lad, gentle smile and eyes that were comforting but his hair was way too ruffled, like a blow drying session gone too long and he smelt of spearmint. And I hate spearmint. He realized my accent was American and immediately began to talk to me in English. I could totally tell this guy was suddenly trying to hit on me, like he thought I was easy because I was an American and therefore must believed all Italians were romantic or some other stupid thing stupid Americans have stereotyped themselves as. He began to talk me up about if I would like a private tour of the city, throwing in several flirtatious compliments. I ran very quickly away from that fountain after I shoved him in it, on my way to find Jack._

Jack could not recall her ever mentioning such an incident to him and he snickered, wondering what else he might have skipped over that she boldly took charge of. Morgan was finally at the counter and he tucked away the book, joining her at the front and waiting for her to receive the key to the room.

"Willkommen zu Gollner Hotel! Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?" the man at the lobby behind the desk greeted formally, a bright smile on his slightly chubby face.

"Danke, Guten Tag, Sprechen Sie Englisch?" Morgan said with a grin, using the phrase she had learned to use often when they were in Germany and in some parts of Switzerland. His smile grew brighter.

"Yes, I do," he said, a thick accent still behind his obviously very firm grasp of English. "Welcome! How may I help you today?" He squinted his eyes at her, looking at her carefully. "Have you stayed at this hotel before?"

"No, this is my first time in Graz," she said.

"Oh, well, I see so many people every day you probably just look like some."

"Probably," Morgan laughed. "There was a booking made... yesterday?" she looked to her left at Jack, who nodded to her response. The man behind the desk turned towards his computer and clacked his fingers against the keyboard.

"What is it under?"

"Morgan Kenter. R." He stopped his typing and looked back up, now analyzing her face even closer. "Is there a problem?"

"No, no, I just must be imagining things, it is all. Okay, here we are... Morgan. One. Double sized bed, correct?"

"Yes."

"Two nights."

"That is correct."

"165 Euros please." Morgan flipped her eyelids up to Jack, her daily ritual whenever she found out the price he liked to spend on hotel rooms. He turned away from her, another part of their ritual, never acknowledging her frustration in how much he liked to spend on her. Morgan slapped the entire cost in cash money on the counter and his eyes popped a little, but he took it and smiled kindly to her. "You are sure you've never been here before?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Graz!" Morgan raised an eyebrow at the man who had been watching her suspiciously, but backed away from the counter with the key in her hand.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~The Kenter Household~_

Mrs. Kenter had gone into a ferocious whirlwind, deciding she had had enough that day and she did not like having any contact with her daughter. No letters; she was too busy having fun. No address; it had been tossed away. No calls; no cell phone reception. Gone so quickly; the letter arrived really late. No explanation; she left too fast. She did not believe it possible that her daughter would have gone nearly two months without at least trying to contact them. Linda and Bradley seemed to not be worried, but Mr. Kenter's occasional questions were staring to get into her head and she decided to tear apart Morgan's room to find some indication.

"Mom, I told you, it was thrown away!" Bradley shouted.

"Morgan can be a little rebellious but I do not believe she wouldn't have at least given us a thirty second phone call at a pay phone or something!" she shouted, ripping out her drawers in her dresser. Wherever she went, she took quite a few clothes. She definitely packed for somewhere. She scoffed and went to the desk, jerking it open.

"You're not going to find anything!"

"Bradley, please."

"It's pointless!" Mrs. Kenter's fingers touched an empty space, a space where she knew something should be. It was just the bottom wood drawer, the special compartment where Morgan had always placed her incredibly important documents issued to her by the government. She peered into it and saw that the little blue booklet was indeed not there.

"Did Morgan move her passport?" she asked, but the telltale look of Bradley's face dropping told her he knew something and it had to do with the passport. She stumbled towards him, gripping his shoulders. "Bradley. Where's Morgan's passport?"

"She... um... she needed an ID at camp!"

"She has her license for that. She only takes her passport if its absolutely necessary, she knows better. Bradley. Where. Is. Morgan."

"It was important she not be here mom." His fearful comment, his watery eyes made Mrs. Kenter teetered forwards, catching a hold of the door frame. Her breathing grew louder and sharper, panic washing over her.

"WHERE. IS. SHE," she asked through gritted teeth. Brad wrung his hands, face the color of the sunset and beads of perspiration clinging to his hairline. His eyes darted about the room for some kind of distraction.

"Europe," he finally admitted, dropping his shoulders to show his defeat.

"Does Linda know this?"

"...yes."

"WHY WAS THIS KEPT FROM ME?!" she yelled in a panicked rage. "OLIVER?! OLIVER!"

"Mom, she's safe!" Bradley scurried down the steps, his mother flying towards his dad who hugged her sobbing figure. She spewed out the details she had just learned and when Brad saw the fiery look on his father's face, he jolted upstairs, only listening to their yells.

"BRADLEY WHY DID YOU NOT TELL US THIS?!"

"How did she even get to Europe, she doesn't even have that kind of money?!"

"AND WHY DOES LINDA KNOW?!"

"Bradley, what is going on with her?!"

"She's being followed mom! Someone's after her!" he screamed through his door. "And it's really bad, mom! Really bad!"

"Who?! Why didn't she tell us?!"

"You couldn't know! No one could know! She couldn't have anyone following her to lead to her and the least amount of information people knew the safer she was! But she's safe mom, I promise!"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?" screamed his father. "SHE'S 17! ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN TO HER OVER THERE!"

"I just know, okay?!" he yelled in a panic, unsure of what it was he was afraid of. The treatment he would get from Jack. How Linda would be treated. What would happened to Morgan. How his parents would treat him. There were so many things that were becoming unraveled and so many things that could happen. As long as Pitch didn't know where she was.

"Where in Europe is she?!"

"All over!" he yelled. "I don't know where she is right now, she's somewhere! Linda doesn't know either! Nobody knows where Morgan is!"

"Oh my God, Oliver, my daughter is missing! On the other side of the world!" He heard a heavy weight hit the floor like his mother had just fainted and his father could be heard whispering softly to her.

"Brad!" yelled his father. He jumped off his bed and opened the door to see his mother being helped to her feet. His brows nearly crossed in their anger and the color in his eyes faded under the enlargement of his pupils. "YOU are going to make some phone calls right now! Call your sister, your brothers, call Linda and get everyone out here! I need to call the police!"

"She's okay!"

"You don't even know where she is, how do you know she's okay?! Have you had contact with her?!" Brad kept his mouth shut. "Exactly! For God's sakes, Brad, what the hell?! Who is after her, and why?!"

"Neither one of you would understand-"

"Is it that stupid Pitch Black?!" Mrs. Kenter squawked in a hysterical cry. Brad was silent once again, and he hated how transparent he always was. "It is, isn't it? She thinks the Boogeyman is after her and she left! And she probably thinks she's okay because Jack is with her! Dear God in Heaven please watch over my baby! Oh, her schizo-affective is so much worse than I thought! Maybe she's also paranoid, oh God, I just can't... Oh God..."

"Christina, we'll find her, I promise, we'll find her." He stomped into the living room to retreat the house phone. Brad's trembling fingers could barely touch the numbers accurately on his phone. On the third try, he was able to ring Linda up, and she answered almost immediately.

"They know Linda. They're calling the police."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

Pulling the covers over her tighter and piling on more blankets was not helping. Nothing was helping. Morgan was a cocoon, trying to suck as much as heat as she could from the insulation of the blankets, but her shivering went on. Her teeth clacked against one another. She hated the noise they made and how loud the tapping was in her ears, but she could not stop. She was trapped in an ice bubble and the drafty chill was not escaping. Jack was not beside her. She had awoken that morning to Jack, grumbling about needing to make a last minute delivery because some customers were just rude and didn't make a request until past the time he kindly asked they do, so he had gone with the promise he would be back in about a half hour. Morgan had simply nodded them, attributing the freezing air to Jack's presence, as it sometimes could do at night when the temperature dropped. The temperature dropped very little the last night according to the thermometer but it certainly seemed a lot colder than normal. And this morning, after he had left, it did not go up. Or at least, the temperature did, but she thought it was getting even colder.

She wondered if maybe she was falling and tilted off her bed, swinging her hand out to catch herself, but it was not necessary. She was lying firmly in bed, blankets all coiled up so she was sure not to go anywhere. Finally, she decided that maybe if she walked around a bit, she would warm up, but getting out of bed was really difficult. Her feet did not want to work the right way and they turned, disobeying and going the opposite way. She fell and took the lamp down with her, moaning and then twitching at the shroud of ice that was suffocating her. The temperature in the room was to be 21.2 degrees centigrade, there was no way she should have been freezing the way she was. She dragged her way to the bathroom and switched on the knob for hot water, letting it's heat bite into her flesh and relaxing under the feel of it. But after turning it off, the cold came back.

Knees wobbling the whole way, she scampered in an uncoordinated dance back to the bed, thinking maybe if she settled down for a bit she would start to feel comfortable, and fumbled for the remote, her motor skills weakened by a force she could not control. Finally she was able to turn on the TV and mastered the usage of one button to flip through the channels. Everything was in German so it was not like she would understand anything, however perhaps a channel about animals interacting in the wild would be simple and entertaining enough to distract her. She never got that far. She landed on a news report, at first ready to switch but the small picture in the corner stopped her from doing so. She listened carefully, and retrieved the German dictionary from the bedside table, tossing aside a few items with each attempt to take it. Why was she feeling so weak and useless right now?

"Ein Teenager fehlt von Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA," reported the woman with eyes blinking faster than need necessary. So far, Morgan had not needed a dictionary, very clearly understanding what was happening. "Morgan Kenter, siebzehn Jahre alt, steht im Verdacht, sich nach Europa ausgeführt wurden. Sie liebt Geschichte so wird angenommen, dass, wo es eine viele Geschichte. Sie hat braune Haare und braune Augen. Sie leidet an schweren psychischen Problemen und kann behaupten, mit einem unsichtbaren Junge heissen Jack Frost." Based on what she had seen between patterns of spelling, she wrote out a rough idea of the spelling of all the words and paged through them, eyes glancing at the recent photo of her with her name, a photo she recognized from the frame in Bradley's room. The newscaster gave the contact information which she took down quickly, teeth chattering with the cold, and then she scanned through her book, not deciphering all the words but enough to understand. She was believed to be in Europe. She was believe to have strong mental problems, and she was believed to think she was with Jack Frost. Who was invisible. So her parents knew. Somehow, but it was the next part that really caught her attention. "Sie haben Angst, vielleicht, und sagt sie braucht, um laufen weg von Pitch Black, auch unsichtbar." She scribbled out the words and then let the pen fall against the paper when she discovered what they meant. She might be afraid and running away from Pitch Black who is invisible too. For a moment, she was shocked enough to forget about the chill shaking her and stared at the paper. She remembered right before the trip how Pitch had threatened to come after her and she wondered what Pitch would have to do with her going to Europe. He had no place in her romantic excursions, at least she didn't think so. But then it occurred to her maybe this was not simply for her joy or because Jack wanted to charm her. Maybe it was to move on and avoid Pitch. Perhaps he truly was coming after her and never once did Jack say anything about it. The two months they were gone and he never said anything to her about it. That was a very long time to go keeping something from her.

The knock on her door, pulled her attention from the TV and everything in Morgan was boiling together, only one person ever knocked that way with uncertainly of being heard and with a hollow whistle as the frost collected at the point of knocking. She jumped up from the bed, falling down when she did so her heard spun with her dizziness. She crawled across the floor and reached for the handle, moving out of his way.

"Why are you on the floor?" he asked, an inquiring gaze of his crystal blue eyes, but Morgan did care about reasons of being on the floor and wanted answers.

"The better questions is what is this?!" she asked, holding over her translated slip of paper. "It was just on the news..."

"The news?!" he gasped and a minute of thorough surveying stretched wide his eyes. "This. Was not supposed to happen," he breathed. Now Morgan felt angrier. This was intentional."

"You were hiding something from me! This was not for me, was it?!"

"But Morgs, it was for you, of course it was! I wanted to do it some day but I never thought it would be like this! I needed to distract you from fear-"

"Distract me?! This was just a distraction?!" she squeaked, finding her head growing dizzier each minute. The room was getting colder.

"Not just, we had fun times, times I forgot about everything and just enjoyed! My favorite times we have ever had together! Gelato, in front of Palatine Hall-"

"Jack, this was a HUGE lie! Don't you understand! You lied!"

"It was to protect you-"

"I can fight my own battles, Jack! I can face off with Pitch!"

"You're only..." he whispered, whatever words he was about to say sliding away from his lips.

"Only what? A human? A woman? A teenager?"

"I was not going to say any of those things!"

"Then what Jack?! Why would you steal me away to sit on the sidelines while everyone else in danger and then lie. LIE!"

"Linda was supposed to take care of it!"

"Linda?!" she squeaked, enraged fueling her to stand, but her dizziness caused her tor group the wall. "She's in on this?! And Brad, Jack?" His face didn't change. "Oh my God. He is. All three of you. You all know me better than this."

"Morgan, it was for your protection-" he yelled, taking her arm but she spun herself away from him, tripping on her own feet and slamming into the floor. "Morgan..."

"Don't!" she yelled. "I need to call home. I have to tell my parents I am okay. God, I can't believe how sick they must feel! I feel sick, sicker than ever... God, why is it so cold in here..."

"It's always cold with me..." he muttered obviously, but Jack began to understand what she really meant when she stumbled up towards the bed, needing help of the covers to pull herself up. She turned too fast and stared at the pillow, waiting for everything around her to stop churning together. He gasped, watching her as she fumbled about, never quite grabbing the phone. It was simply to when a child is just developing their motor skills and had not quite mastered the talent, something that he had not seen in a long while. Everything she was doing right now he had seen numerous times, especially long ago when he first became Jack Frost and grew a little too excited about his abilities. The winters of old could get really violent when he was having too much fun and when there was little heat, a lot of people, especially children, had lost their lives to the most fatal danger winter offered, a slow suffering disease.

"Morgan..." he begged, her attention drawn to the pleading urgency of his voice.

"What?" she asked, this time her voice more calm because her fear was snapping into place with his voice.

"Before you do that... call a doctor first. Please."

"Why?!"

"Mental confusion. Stumbling. Muscle confusion. Miscoordination. Freezing cold." He snatched the box they always had and threw it at her. Without protest, fear sinking into her eyes now, she took several tries to get the thermometer in her mouth, and when it finally stopped so did every part of her body. Jack swiftly ripped the little stick from her mouth, feeling a ticking of anger with himself a sense of possible grief sweeping in. 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

"What does that mean?" she whispered, hands missing her mouth and going to her neck instead.

"Hypo... thermia," he barely got out and he sniffled, backing towards the door so he was as far away from her as he could possibly go. "I knew we shouldn't... I knew I shouldn't..."

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**Welcome to Jack's greatest fear come true. Welcome to all of Morgan's fears combusting. Welcome to an explosion all across the story, in many different ways. Welcome to when "it" has hit the fan. I promise, I really do love you... I swear it.**

**I speak German, although I am not the greatest at grammar and it's possible I used the wrong context so I am sorry for that. I'm not even all that fluent a couple words I had to look up and it took me a while. So I apologize if it is incorrect. Morgan is somewhere in the beginning stages of moderate hypothermia, if you were wondering.**

**Good night my rosettes. Expect another update tomorrow! Rosie out.**


	96. Moving Across Thin Ice

**There's a fair amount of German to this, once again I apologize to any German speaking readers I have, I know probably messed up. Once again I am "fluent" but not fluent if that makes sense. Also I have absolutely no idea if that is what happens in an ambulance I have never been in one before even though I have been the hospital thousands of times.**

**I considering calling this chapter Black Ice but... then I realized that's the name for the Jack/Pitch pairing and I didn't want to give you the wrong idea. Although I think that would have worked lovely for a chapter title, seeing as you never see black ice coming and it's really dangerous and could kill you, and everything is "spinning out of control" much like a car does when it hits it.**

**My computer's spellcheck hated this chapter, fyi. All the German and it took about four times as long to check it. Gaaaaah. Everybody has tissues right?**

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Morgan's current state was complicated on many different levels. To start with, there was the obvious problem of her having hypothermia, but on top of that were many things that weaved a labyrinth through her illness. Neither one of them was denying that it was because of Jack she had it in the first place. She never felt terribly hot the whole time of the trip but something must have happened, her body finally growing too used to him and dropping in temperature. Now the cause of it was the only person around to take care of her. He could not alert someone, and Morgan could barely move around or touch anything. She was not able to get anyone. She was in a foreign country and her family was across the world, panicking because they had no idea where she was. Jack tried to recall phone numbers, thinking maybe he could reach Linda or Bradley, but he never used phones himself and Morgan had most often used her cell phone which just had the numbers programmed. He never needed to know numbers and he did not know them now, and dialing the emergency number for the European Union was useless, nobody would hear his voice.

"Jack, am I going to die?" she asked calmly.

"No! No, you're not going to die, Morgan!" he screamed too quickly. He could not think of what to do. Every angle they were at lead to a dead end and there would be nothing. Somehow, he would need to get the attention of someone on the staff and lead them to her room. "Morgan, I am going to get help."

"You're going to leave me?!" she started to weep uncontrollably in such a way it jerked at Jack's spirit. Even when she was fearful, she never cried in such hysterics. That told Jack it was really starting to muddle her brain and it was a true sign of how far it had gone. Her condition was making her fear grow and that was an entirely different problem. Pitch must have figured out where they were by now. He expected him soon. How was he to leave Morgan now?

"I'm coming back!" he told her. "I need to do something!" her jaw opened to let out a wild wail, and he reacted to her cry. He did not think, he just moved, and he kissed her face, gripping her hand. He could not sense her warmth, there was no vibe like usual. "Morgan. I promise. I am coming back. I am not going to leave you." He dropped his hands from her when he realized he was touching her and stepped to the wall. "I can't touch you. I'm sorry, but I can't. Not now. But I won't leave you. You know that. I promise I will never leave you." Jack fiddled with the heater til it turned on, setting it as high as it would go. Morgan's cries softened but she still wept quietly when he vanished through the door. He swung himself around the staircase, avoiding the people walking up til he remembered he could walk right through all of them. He slid into the lobby and sat on the desk, waiting for the man to finish up with the French woman who was speaking very firmly with him, but decided he was too impatient. Jack dove right in front of the computer the man was working on and deleting the information he was trying to plug in.

"Ach, das is nicht richtig!" he scowled, the information being deleted. "Pardon, madame. Eugh..." The man at the desk attempted to type out the information again but he gasped at the appearance of frost on the keys. "Mein Gott, was _ist _das?!" Jack flipped through the entries, searching for the correct one. He hit the K key and it pulled up all the guests with the last name starting with K. He found Morgan's name and retrieved her information. The man tried to go back on the computer, but Jack kept putting it back. Jack hit the "Edit" button and then typed. "GEHT ZU DIESEN ZIMMER JETZT." Go to this room now.

"Desole, madame, un moment..." the man said politely, but with a careful tone of worry. He watched the screen closely and picked up the phone in front of him, hitting the numbers for it. Jack watched as he held to phone to his ear for several moments. He sighed and put the phone down. There had been no answer. Jack's chest tightened with the thickness of his worry. The man turned to his coworker, a man of somewhere in his early thirties sitting on the floor and sorting through several files. "Lukas." The man looked up and awaited the direction. "Geht zu zimmer dreihundertzwölf, bitte."

"Für was?"

"Ich weiss nicht." The younger man gave him a strange look, while he received an explanation on the strange incident.

"Morgan Kenter? Das ist das Mädchen auf Pennsylvania!"

"Was Mädchen?"  
"An das Fernsehen! Sie lief von zu Hause weg! Sie ist seit zwei Monaten vermisst!"

"Auf USA?"

"Ja!"

"Jetzt, Lucas. Geht." The man ripped a set of keys from where they hung behind the desk and asked to be excused as he ran past the customers streaming in and out of the lobby. Jack followed him up the carpeted steps, urging him to keep moving despite not being able to be heard.

_~Pitch~_

He felt it. Finally he sensed it. The exhilarating tingle of fear paired with that familiar aura that matched Morgan's. She was scared. Something happened and she was more afraid than she had ever been in her life. He spiraled off, casting himself out of his lair below the earth and followed its strength. He had spent the last couple of weeks sneaking into the children of Europe's homes to get an ID on her, but she was much farther than he had thought. Nowhere near Elizabeth's tomb as he would have thought. Instead, it stretched much farther, its pull strongest in the country of Austria. He gravitated towards in center in the city of Graz and cackled wildly with intense satisfaction, finally appeased. He was sure of what was to happen, Morgan's fear had caught up to her and she would agree to his deal. He reveled with delight in being believed in again. He knew the desire to spend eternity with Jack was too great to pass up. She was stronger than many others he had met so he knew it would take a while to break her, but they got there in the end.

His shadow stretched from the closet that had been carelessly left open and it formed before the bed, Pitch's hand resting mannerly on his chest and he took barely a glimpse at her figure resting below the blankets.

"Hello, my dear, it is so good to finally see you again! Have you come to a decision? I am certainly glad you took your time, it is a very difficult decision, I understand, love," he chuckled, never once catching her eye. "You know, I think maybe it was a good idea to have taken such a wonderful journey before you chose to-" Pitch had finally gotten a very good look at her. She had the blankets pulled to her chin and her eyes were watery and lost of their once vibrant life. She was shaking violently under the blanket and there was no color to her cheeks. She did not look like herself. Her fear had nothing to do with Pitch. It had to do with so much more. It was about whether or not she was going to live.

"Morgan?" he prompted, his own fear slipping into his voice, a strange feeling to him. "Morgan, are you all right?"

"Pitch..." her teeth chattered. "What are you... get away from me! Stay away! Jack will be back!"

"Jack?!" he hissed, and he quickly guessed at what was afflicting her. He glided over to her and his grey fingers touched her forehead. She squealed and squirmed away from his touch, leaning farther than she had intended to over the bed. Pitch had felt her skin just long enough to tell she was too cold for average. "You are positively freezing!"

"He'll destroy you! Jack always does!"

"I can't believe you!" he snarled. "Morgan, he did this to you, didn't he?"

"He didn't try to! He never tried to! All he wanted to do was to show he loved me..."

"I'm sure he did, but he cares too much about his own hormones and his own desires! If he really loved you he would never have touched you, Morgan! He would have left you alone! He would have left you at home!"

"Where you could take my soul?!" she screamed.

"I was doing something selfless! I wanted you to be happy! That's what you wanted, right?"

"Of course I do, but my friends and family would never see me either! And it would darken my heart!"

"You don't know that!"

"But I know you, and that's enough to guess the consequences!" She scrunched her knees to herself. "You would have tortured me! You have have damaged me mentally! You would have emotionally harmed me!"

"But I would never have killed you!" Pitch barked at her. "Jack has killed you, Morgan! Think about everything that he does that can kill someone! Do you know how many people die from hitting black ice? The people who lose limbs because they were frostbitten?! What about avalanches? And hypothermia, Morgan! You're just like every other girl on the planet, Morgan! You are blinded by love! You see snowballs and snowflakes and snowmen and ice sculptures and everything is fun and beautiful! But Jack is destruction! While you live you cannot be together! You can never be together! I offer you a choice now, Morgan! I do not have the ability to cure you, but what I can do is I can immortalize you. You will never grow up, get old, or die and you can still be with Jack despite what he did to you!"

"I will never agree to your deal! I don't deny that some of the things Jack does is dangerous, but nothing worth doing is one hundred percent safe! If you drive a car, you could crash and hit someone! If you go to work, you could injury yourself! If you use a knife to cut up food you could slice open your hand! If you are walking you could even slip and crack your head open. If you fall in love your heart could be broken! Every day we take risks because the good things that come from it are worth it all! Jack is worth the risk! But you, you have no good things! You are not a risk, you are nothing! You are worthless Pitch and I will not get children to believe in you and I will not become immortal!" The handle to the door shook and turned both their heads, expecting Jack to walk through the door, but they did not expect him to have someone else with him.

The man with the gentle face walked into the room and his breath escaped when he saw Morgan laying in bed, her face pale and devoid of her brightness. He frowned when he saw her, noticing there was definitely something not right.

"Morgan, Sind Sie..." he stopped himself, remembering she most likely spoke English since she was from America. "I mean... are you okay?" Morgan curled in her fingers, trying to hide the purplish tips from his view. Jack flew in between them, having noticed the icy color to her hands.

"You're turning blue!" he shouted. "Morgan, you... and your lips! They're purple." She pulled in her lips.

"I'm so cold..." she said to the man who's name tag said Lukas. "I'm trying to warm up... I'm dizzy and everything is so hard to get to."

"Hard to get too?"

"My muscles won't listen. I reach but it takes many tries before I can get it and I don't always move the right direction." Lukas was already fetching the phone from the table, tapping at three buttons.

"Hallo? Ja, ich heisse Lukas, ich arbeitet auf der Gollner Hotel in Graz. Ich habe ein Gast, sie braucht ein Krankenwagen... Ah, ja... Ahhh, est is sehr komisch, ich denke sie hat Unterkühlung. Ja. Unterkühlung. Ich weisse nicht, sie sagt sie ist sehr kalt und..." Morgan tuned out of Lukas' conversation, only understanding words like "Ja" "ich" "ist" and "was". But both Pitch and Jack, having learned languages from running all over the world could both understand every word. The ambulance was on their way but the operator on the phone was having trouble understanding how she possibly could have hypothermia. Lukas explained all of her symptoms and the operator seemed to agree those symptoms matched hypothermia. Lukas stayed on the phone until the sirens could be heard outside the window. In under a minute they had gone into the room with a stretcher, helping Morgan onto it with several blankets. They were all talking over each other, mostly in German, so it was unclear what was going on. Jack wanted to follow her into the ambulance, but Pitch appeared in his way.

"Jack, do you honestly think that is the greatest ideas?" he sneered, and Jack had to agree. Lukas pulled aside a man in hotel dress code, asking him a question in German about leaving work to join the girl at the hospital, if she was all right with him. The man, who Jack supposed to be his superior, agreed without questioned and Morgan nodded quickly as he stepped into the back of the vehicle. Then her eyes fell to Jack, correctly figuring out he was not going to be going with her. Morgan reached out for him but he stepped back, shaking his head. Her eyes watered, but Jack was pretty sure it was not from the IV they putting into her arm when they shut the door. She wanted him with her, even if he was the one who could be her demise.

_~Morgan~_

"We need to go back!" she screamed, pushing away the IV out of her way, but it remained firmly in her arm.

"No, Morgan, you need to stay here!"

"But Jack needs to come with me!"

"Who is Jack?"

"My boyfriend!"

"There was no one else the room was registered to," Lukas said to the paramedics seated beside him, probably in English for Morgan's benefit.

"He's invisible!"

"Ah, uh... Morgan is a runaway from home. She is that one that has been all over the news."

"From Pennsylvania?" asked the second paramedic.

"Ja."

"They said she was mentally unstable, right?"

"Ja, und sie denkt sie hat ein Freunde, er heisst Jack Frost."

"Das ist ein Kinder Geschichte!"

"Ah, ja, aber sie glaubt, auch sie denkt der Boogeyman, oder Pitch Black folgt ihr." Morgan understood enough to get what they were probably talking about.

"I'm not crazy, I swear it!" she cried, leaning up from the stretcher.

"Morgan, do you have medicine!" asked the first paramedic.

"I don't take it, I don't need it!"

"But what is it for?"

"Schizo-affective disorder." They exchanged a few words in German.

"Morgan, what is it you've been doing? Why are you so cold?"

"Because I have hypothermia!"

"Why do you have hypothermia, though?"

"Because of Jack Frost!" She was starting to really weep now, the paramedic were blasting some type of small heater onto her and she turned away from it, it's biting heat far too painful on her face but they didn't seem to think it was too terribly hot.

"Morgan, do your parents know where you are?"

"I don't know!"

"Is there anyway you could give us their phone numbers?" Her tears were pouring out of the ducts in her eyes at flowing rates only ever seen in rivers. Lukas held her hand tightly, the delicate warmth of his palm feeling good in hers. She looked over at him, finding the gentle lines that were beginning to appear in his face and the paleness of grey in his eyes a real comfort. She watched his twisted mouth, distorted with worry and the way the brow shadow beneath his nose just made him look even sadder. Closing her eyes, she calmly gave them her parents phone numbers and then just opened her eyes again, deciding she was going to keep watching this kind man who jumped into the ambulance with her. She found a bit of familiarity in his expression, recalling how her father looked when she fell out of a tree and didn't move a muscle for a full minute. There was that same concern for her life and the genuine scare that she may not be okay.

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**Pitch is a bastard, we know that, but I want everyone to know he truly does have a place in his heart for Morgan, he just cares about himself a little more that's all. But he doesn't want her to die and he is genuinely scared for her, something that does not happen often for him, and never for a person. So this has shaken him a little bit and his speech about Jack was one of the few things that actually came from the heart. I am not trying to make any of you like Pitch, he's vile and detestable, but even the blackest of hearts can care about an individual.**


	97. The Bending Path

**Today I spent my day off of work packing. Most of my stuff is packed, I just have a few things left out, like toiletries and clothes and my work stuff that I will be needing. Everything else is packed and ready to go. I did not expect to get everything packed today, but it's nice I'll have less to worry about later. It's also a reminder of what little I actually own :( But yeah. So I should have more writing time. And this Saturday, Sunday for some of you across the world, I will be moving so I apologize if nothing gets uploaded that day. Unpacking and reorganizing takes a lot longer than throwing things into a box. **

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After several hours of sitting in a hospital bed with the paper-thin gown awkwardly hanging loosely around her, Morgan was starting to feel a little better, Her fingertips were not so purple and her limbs generally went in the direction she wanted them to go, although her muscles still sometimes did not obey her and turning the pages of her book was difficult. There still was not much color to her face and she still felt as if someone was blowing and icy draft through the whole hospital, but her teeth didn't chatter. She had a heater running in the hospital room and several blankets had been thrown over her. They were baffled over how she had gotten so cold when it was so warm outside, and several of them had walked away, discussing how it could have happened.

"You didn't happen to walk into a big freezer?" Lukas joked, staying by her side. He was so easy to like, even though Morgan felt a little strange in doing so because she had no idea who he was until that day. He was willing to stay with her and keep an eye on her and for that she was very grateful and automatically decided she adored him, but at the same time she knew nothing about him and he was still a stranger to her. It created an incredibly awkward situation for them.

"Nobody ever believes me when I talk about Jack, it's just sort of become a thing." She liked her fingers and attempted to turn the page of her Austrian History book, finally succeeding on the third try. Lukas screwed up his mouth, searching for something to say.

"You said you didn't run from home?"

"Jack told me he was taking me on this amazing European excursion for the summer, That was a lie. And lies are the things I hate the absolute most. He claims he did it to protect me from Pitch."

"Why would you need protecting?"

"... That's a really long story. Think of it as a... Faustian thing with him," she said.

"You've made a deal with the devil?"

"He wants me to, and it's the Boogeyman," Morgan sighed, frustrated he just wasn't getting it. "Don't you have to go home?"

"Soon, yes. Visiting hours are almost over and my daughter will be waiting."

"You have a daughter?"

"Yes, she's five. Currently there's a sitter. I'll come back tomorrow though."

"You don't have to stay."

"Morgan, you are teenage girl all by yourself in a country you don't know well, thousands of miles from home and in a hospital room. It would be ridiculous of me to leave. Especially after I saw you and how horrible you looked."

"How _did _you find me?"

"Uh, well... it was the strangest thing. Karl, he insisted that the computer told me to check out the room and that the keyboard was coated in ice." Morgan smugly grinned, knowing it was Jack who had messed with the keyboard. Lukas looked off the side, searching for some sort of answer for the strange occurrence.

"And my parents?"

"Your whole family is flying out. They're getting on the next flight out. They'll be here in the afternoon." Morgan slumped in bed, just imagining everything that was going to be said, especially from her own mother. She pulled her blankets tighter to her chin, relaxing under the incubation of warmth it held. She could not believe Jack had not come by the hospital to see her. He always visited her. So he was a little cold, why should that matter? With all of the fluids they had dripping into her and the heat on full blast, she was sure it would not be such a big deal. Eight years they had been around each other and this was the first time anything like this had ever happened, and that was only because he was constantly around her, unlike at home when he would leave her while she went to school except for lunch, or go visit the Bennetts, or when Linda and Morgan wanted a day to themselves. They were just not careful. What was wrong with him visiting now, where the doctors were monitoring her?

"Morgan?" Lukas asked and her mind drifted back to the room they were in and her attention traveled back to him.

"They're going to be so angry with me..." she whispered, twisting the blanket in her palm.

"No, Morgan, no," he told her. "They'll be relieved. They didn't know where you were for the longest time. They'll be very glad to see you, and alive."

"You don't know my mother," Morgan said darkly, but her smile lightened her words and Lukas chuckled. He glanced up at the clock and shifted from the chair, making ready to leave. Nervously, she watched as he pulled tight his uniform jacket. Lukas stretched his arms and gave her a kind grin.

"You'll be okay, the doctors will take very good care of you."

"Lukas, wait... am I going to be in some sort of legal trouble? Like with immigration or anything?"

"I don't know why you should. I mean, you never had any intention to stay anywhere, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you the most you stayed in every city was three days?"

"Yes."

"And you've been moving for three months, and you had a passport and went through security and everything?"

"Yes."

"Then you're just like any other tourist. The only difference is your family had no idea where you were." He propped open the door where several people in white coats passed on, some in more of a hurry than others. Conversations in German laced in and out of each other. "One more thing before I leave Morgan. I don't understand the how or the why. It sounds like you visited all these sites and stayed in some pretty decent hotels and paid for transportation all in cash. Unless you cleaned out your savings account for University, I don't understand how it is possible that a teenage girl from a middle class family who is unemployed was able to do that. It sounds like you care for your family and it doesn't seem like you wanted to run. I have no idea what schizo-affective disorder is like, and it's possible that this is because of it, I am not sure.. there is a lot I do not understand. As a father though, I want you to know how stupid it was to travel abroad by yourself, at your age."

"I wasn't-"

"Morgan, let me finish," he snapped, but with very little anger in his tone. "You may believe you were not alone, and okay. But you were. There were no other humans with you. You are seventeen years old. You are a girl. I am not saying girls can't defend themselves or take care of themselves, not at all, but what I am saying is even in Austria there is still that perception in society, that girls are weak and there are horrible people who believe that and could bring harm to you. You are young and naïve. You are a foreigner so you stand out more. You do not know the area. You do not understand the language. You are alone. All of these things work together and make you a much bigger risk than the average citizen of Graz. And then there's the fact you are in a city. Do you get it, Morgan? Do you understand everything that could have happened to you? Especially for your first time traveling." Morgan shamefully dropped her head to her chest. There was no way to get him to believe that she had someone who was guarding her, but even despite that his words rang true. Nobody else could see Jack so there would have been nothing to keep someone from at least trying anything on her. She nodded to him, understanding his words and that maybe traveling to Europe was not the smartest if ideas. "I'm not telling this to hurt you, but if this happened to my daughter I... I have no..." he struggled to search for the right words. "I don't know why you did it but you should never do it again. It is the stupidest thing anyone could ever do."

"Yes, Lukas," she said.

"I will be back tomorrow to check in on you, and then I will go meet your family at the airport and bring them here."

"You don't work?"

"I'm taking it off. They understand."

"Thank you Lukas, for being so kind. I think I would really hate being alone here."

"That's why I stayed. Get some rest." He waved to her and shut the door. Suddenly everything about the place seemed scary. She could hear the occasional shout in German through the hallways and there were those odd looking machines in the room, some of them she did not understand how they worked. There were a couple of tubes in her arms to give her medication to fight off the cold and a clip on her finger monitored her heart rate. The constant beep that told her the heart was beating normally was digging into her ear and rattling her brain into insanity. There was nothing to look out, the pallor room having very few pictures and there was just a board with the names of her doctor and her nurses, written in English so she could read it. She winced when she shifted around, the bruises from the few holes she received from needles upon arrival pinching her skin. Growing tired of the book she kicked it down to her bed and turned on the TV, moaning that her picture was making the headlines of the news that night. She was actually very glad she could not understand what was being said.

_~Jack~_

After making the murdering decision to not attend the hospital and finding himself too weary to argue with Pitch, he went back up to the hotel room that they had abandoned in the desperate attempt to get her help. The Hotel had been very kind and left it for Morgan and her family, and a couple more rooms were booked nearby in the process. At some point, her parents must have been on the phone with the hotel. When he went inside, he discovered the room had already been visited by the staff and the beds were tightly made, her large case of clothes closed and pushed into the corner. Jack noticed with a gracious smile how the temperature had been left as high as it possibly could go. On top of the laptop nestled on the desk was a colorful card with roses painted on the front. He opened it, drawing his fingers back from the frost crystals that formed on the inside.

_Morgan,_

_We are happy to serve you and your family. We are glad you are back together. Get well soon!_

_Gollner Hotel Staff._

It pleased him how accommodating they were being to the Kenters and he made a note to go back should Morgan ever desire the chance to travel to Europe again, although he doubted if that would happen for a while.

He pushed the card out of the way and opened the laptop, taking the leather gloves and sticking his hands inside them. When the WiFi was found, he uses Morgan's information to log into the video chat application and with an excited leap in his abdomen, he found Linda was online. Immediately he pressed the green button to call her and it only rang twice before he answered. Her hair was as if it had gone several days without being brushed, black messes knotted up near the ends and she wore no make-up, something not usually seen on Linda. Scarlet lines contoured her eyes and the picture made it hard to tell, but she seemed to have been crying.

"Jack!" she said, when she saw him on the other end. "What.. are you in a hotel room? I thought Morgan was in the hospital!"

"She is."

"Why aren't you with her?"

"How can I be with her, Linda? It's my fault she's there."

"I don't get it, so many times she's never had a problem and now she has hypothermia? How did that happen? Wait, Jack, you guys didn't-"

"We weren't careful," he interrupted, shifting her mind to what was actually going on. "I should have been more cautious, I should have kept thinking about this, but Morgan just..."

"Yeah, we know how she is."

"How are you doing?"

"When her parents received the call, they told me. I couldn't go, obviously, but I didn't know her status for a long time and I have been crying a lot..." Linda sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I haven't been able to sleep. I'm sorry, Jack, we tried to keep this quiet, but Christina got too suspicious and Oliver was suspicious from the beginning. But ask yourself Jack, was this really a good idea? Was this the best?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" he snarled at her, offended that she was considering he had not thought this through. "Morgan's soul was in danger, Morgan was in danger and I had to protect that somehow!"

"Maybe there were other ways."

"I had to move fast! I knew this was the best thing for her."

"Or was it the best thing for you? You got Morgan to yourself, got to spend time like a real couple for two months, convinced yourself this was for her benefit. But it was for your benefit." Jack pounded against the table, pressuring building up in him with a fire pushing it forward. Linda, of all people, was accusing him of not having Morgan's best interests at heart and the preposterousness of the matter was boiling his veins. He never would have done anything that wasn't good for Morgan. He knew this was the only way to keep her safe, it just didn't turn out like he planned.

"You're wrong Linda! I have never seen Morgan so happy in all of my life! And I loved seeing her that way."

"But maybe if she were here in one spot it would have been easier for the Guardians to protect her. Maybe she loves you, but you're not the only one she needs!"

"They were fighting against Pitch!"

"No, they did at first, but Pitch found out she was in Europe. Not where, but he knew somewhere. He has been hopping the continent looking for her and the Guardians could not keep up with him."

"Well, he found her!" he snorted in his angry mood. "The fear hypothermia gave her led him right to here! And he's here, in Austria!"

"So, he found you anyway?" Linda chuckled at the situation, although Jack did not find it funny in the least. "Oh, that's very interesting. Jack, do you realize that means _you_ brought him here?"

"I did not!"

"I really think she would have been safer at home."

"Linda, stop it right now! You weren't here, you don't know what happened!"

"I just know I have been uncomfortable about this whole thing. I have cried over it. Do you know how many nights I've stayed up wondering where she was, if she was okay? I mean I trust you, but people can't see you and that could leave her vulnerable! And Brad's been calling me every day the last month. I've been going over and hanging out with him, trying to ease his fears, and we've been good for each other I think... but at the same time we've both been on the edge of panic. And then we found out she has hypothermia and we knew it had something to do with you. I think that maybe you thought you really were protecting Morgan, but you know, focusing on her and giving her everything while ignoring everyone else and never thinking of them is a kind of selfishness too." Jack fingered with the curved edge of the small desk, trying his hardest to not get angry. And when the words fell on him and he took a moment to think, he realized everything Linda was telling might have had some truth to it. He blinked away the fleck of ice in his eyes, trying not to show how he emotional he was but Linda saw it all too well. She offered a sympathetic turn of her eyebrows and watch him painfully as he looked at his hands on the keyboard.

"Things are going to change a lot now, aren't they?" he whispered. Linda nodded.

"I don't know how," she replied. "But as much as I like you I can't lie. Morgan got hypothermia from you, and I'm not entirely sure if it was from you being around her all the time or because you two finally went and did it because you are being very secretive about it, but if it was the latter that's a huge step in your relationship and it will change because of that. It will change anyway because you need to be more cautious. And her family is going to react differently to her. This has been traumatic for all of us and we can't just go on pretending it never happened, but things are going to change in some way. Not just that, this is international news. Morgan is known to the entire world now." It had not occurred to Jack that way and suddenly he was wondering what that meant for her. He pulled up the web browser on her laptop and searched for any results that recognized her name, finding the internet had many searches for her. It had already exploded with people trying to figure out what happened, some people defending Morgan and claiming she was not crazy, some people just ripping into her about her mental illness and how she ought to be locked away, some people actually trying to investigate, and some people thought this was all just a way of getting attention. Looking at the negative responses made Jack enraged and he quickly looked away from them, pulling up a news report from the BBC and playing the video.

"I am here standing in front of the LKH-Universitätsklinikum in Graz, Austria, where Morgan Kenter was taken just hours ago. Morgan was missing from her home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in America for two months, having run away with what seems to be nothing more than the intention to travel Europe, possibly due to the mental disorders she is said to struggle with. Her case is a particularly interesting one. She came on her own on a plane, and has been staying in hotel rooms and taking transportation and visiting historic places using only cash. Morgan is seventeen years old, she does not have a job, and her parents say there have been no money missing from any accounts. No one has given any report on someone matching her description as taking money from her and everyone who has come forward who had interacted with her through her travels say all the money she gave them was real and not counterfeit. So where did the money come from? And then there's the matter of her getting hypothermia when the summer has been fairly warm. How did that happen? The story has attracted many news reporters and people are trying to figure out how this girl did it. I am told she traveled because she loved history and had every intention to go back home, making her story even more mysterious. This is Kathleen Towers with BBC News. Back to you, Mark." Jack moved the slide back, and focused on the background of the report. In the back of the video was the hospital Morgan was indeed taken too, but there was more than that. People were standing outside of the hospital, some seemed to be civilians while most of them were professionally dressed, holding microphones and there were a couple of cameras off to the side. Once there was one report that she had been found, everyone jumped into the story and now the press was flocking to where she was being kept now.

"Oh boy..." Jack slowly said and he watched Linda nod.

"Exactly. Things are going to change so much in so many ways..." Jack hated the way her words hit into him, carrying a weight of darkness that seemed to echo with doom. He felt the changes were to be more bad than good, and that frightened him more than anything else.

* * *

**You are probably asking where Pitch is. He'll come up, I swear. As far as what is happening with the press and everything, I used the story of Elizabeth Smart for reference as to what happens when a child is missing for a really long time. I know the story was widely reported, but I don't know how wide. Plus, I am sure some you don't remember it and I may even have a couple of readers who weren't even born yet. I won't go into details, but she was kidnapped from her home in Utah in 2002 and went missing for a long time. Thankfully, 9 months later, she was found alive and returned home. Now, her story is real and much more traumatic for obvious reasons (and reasons not mentioned here, but you can look the story up later if you like) than Morgan's was, but Morgan's parents did not know what happened or if anything did happen to here while she was abroad. And to the general public, anything could have happened. When children go missing, their chances of being found alive decrease greatly within the first week of them gone, and as nobody knew she was "missing" for six weeks (I never say, but it was six weeks before they found out. There actually were two weeks of reports that Morgan did not know about because she never watched TV and never understood the languages. People recognized her but didn't KNOW it was her. It's sad but I think about the missing posters and I honestly don't think I would remember or recognize any of those children if I saw them on the street. Actually the ONLY Missing report I actually remember was a Seeing Eye dog that went missing from our area and my friend's sister who was a runaway. It's sad, I know.) So when someone is broadcast worldwide like that, and they are missing for a long time and FOUND ALIVE, they tend to get lots of press coverage. Elizabeth Smart did, and it was all over the news and she did reports and there were films. A mysterious case like Morgan I think would be especially appealing to the public, and being bombarded with press like that and shown all over the TV definitely does change people. But there are more changes coming. Changes for Morgan and Jack. After all, Jack feels guilty and Morgan is now aware, for real, of her mortality. Plus, this event affected everyone around Morgan. And that changes you. Things will not be the same for these people, I can tell you that.**


	98. The Next Day

**So this would have been up earlier if my roommate of only three more days (HOLY CRAP I'M ONLY HERE FOR THREE MORE DAYS) had not put Sherlock on and distracted me. Maybe another yet tonight. We'll see. **

* * *

The shadow crept around the corner and crawled into Morgan's open door with anxious caution. When the solid figure that owned the shadow stepped foot into the room and took a look on Morgan, the entire demeanor changed. Morgan was drowned in a wave of hugs first initiated by her mother, and then her father joined and the rest of her siblings. She laughed boisterously under it all, but then also called out to them. Aubrey was the quickest to back away and clapped her hands, demanding everyone step back. Peter stepped back. Aubrey still needed to call to her family, ordering them to step away and give some room. Everyone else let go except for Morgan's mother, who clung to her possessively.

"Morgan, why did you leave, what did we do, I don't care you're here! You're going to be okay! My poor baby, what happened?! You have no idea how worried I was! Oh you're finally in my arms I can finally breathe..."

"Mom..." Morgan hacked, laughing a little from the positive reaction she was receiving unexpectedly from her mother. "I'm fine!"

"Oh dear, you're still freezing!"

"I'm not completely normal yet but doing better..." Aubrey finally ripped their mother away from Morgan, but there were still trickles of moisture through her infectious smile. Mr. Kenter strode forward and gripped his daughter's hand tight. His eyes scanned her over, taking in her condition. They glossed over with a healthy amount of water, and then there was a pass of some sort of light, something that told Morgan he knew something know one else knew. His smile glowed under his shadow of facial hair and his cheeks grew fat with his jovial grin. He backed away and Morgan opened her arms, receiving a warm hug her sister who's nails clawed into her back. Aubrey was nearly on top of her, weeping into Morgan's shoulder and laughing between them. Morgan was now aglow with emotion, kissing her sister's forehead adoringly. She moved and Todd came forward, halfway pulling her off the bed and smothering her face with kisses. Peter simply knocked her in the shoulder, but then Brad jumped into the bed with her and curled up beside her. When all the tears were shed and the laughter vanished and the smiles lessened, they all settled and tried to figure out what happened. The simple question was asked and Morgan answered the only way she knew how; by giving them the full story, why she left, where she went, how she paid for everything, and Jack's lies and how he put together everything. They looked a little worried as she spoke about Jack and Pitch but their happiness at finding her alive did not seem phased.

"Aren't any of you really tired?" Morgan wondered, finding their alertness a little unbelievable.

"A little," Aubrey said. "But we didn't want to sleep til we saw you."

"Where's Ryan?"

"He stayed home with Lawrence."

"We are so happy Lukas found you," Mrs. Kenter sighed wistfully. "I am so thankful he went in to check on you." Morgan's lips thinned with the pressure she was applying to them, trying not to imagine what would have happened if Jack had not been able to make contact with anyone. "I can't believe the hotel is allowing us to stay there at such little cost, they are so concerned about you, Morgan."

"Are you sure its concern?" Peter wondered aloud. "They're getting a lot of press from this, Mom. Maybe its just for show."

"The staff was really kind when we spoke on the phone, and that was before anyone even knew she had been found."

"Whatever the reason," Mr. Kenter interrupted. "We're grateful for it. And Lukas seems very genuine. Offering to drive us around and help us with anything we need, and act as a translator." There was a knock on the door frame and a friendly face in a long white coat looked in on them.

"Wow, Morgan didn't lie about having a big family," he chuckled, his German accent very thin. The doctor had been chosen specifically for Morgan based on his clarity and fluency in English, in order to better help her. "Don't mind me, I'm just doing a few basic things. Morgan, I need to take some blood from you, just a little!" he held up his hands in defensively when he watched her cringe. "We need to make sure you haven't developed hypoglycemia. First I need to take your blood pressure."

"Can I get some more hot water bottles?" she asked innocently. His smiled brightened the room even more.

"Sure, dear." Morgan turned away when he placed the syringe in one of empty tubes and and it quickly turned red. He closed the empty tube again and then tucked away the small vial, then pulling the strap with a gauge off the wall. He tied it around her arm and pumped the small ball a few times before loosening it and flashing a positive smirk at her. "Seems like it's fine. I was testing for rewarming collapse but it seems like your pressure is fine. Hypoglycemia can sometimes be a complication of hypothermia so that's what we need the blood for. I'll get back to you when I know more details."

"Thank you, Dr. Holzkraft," she said tiredly, shaking the strange feeling from her arm.

"And are you aware of the news coverage outside?"

"... No."

"There's a lot of press."

"Great," Morgan sighed.

"Some are trying to get into the hospital. Now, we can keep them back as long as you're in the hospital but once you're out... you may be bombarded." Morgan dropped her head back against her pillow.

"I guess I have time to prepare for it. Ugh." He looked at her sadly, offering a gentle touch to her arm.

"Morgan, you've been through a lot. And it looks like you're going to go through a lot more." Her head fell in his direction, a glare shooting at him with annoyance. He chuckled lightly at the look she was giving him. "I just mean, you've gotten through it all. You've remained alert for the most part through this all and very calm. You're really strong and you get through it. Do you know what Morgan means in German?"

"I think I've heard it say a few times, but I never caught on."

"Well, for starters it's spelled with an E instead of an A, but it means the morning. The dawn. The day. You could say it's when light breaks through and new possibilities emerge. Morgen is synonymous with the next day."

"That's a really beautiful way of looking at it," Mrs. Kenter sniffled.

"I'm saying you were aptly named. You'll get through the struggles and make it to the next day."

"Thank you." With one last friendly remark on his lips, he stole out of the room to let them have some time to themselves. Morgan beamed at the comment. It would probably be the only German she would really remember after they went home. Morgen. The next day. The dawn. A fresh start, a beginning to a whole period of time dedicated to possibilities. Maybe that was what this was. Maybe these were the changes to come. Maybe the change was simply to be the next day.

_~Jack~_

When the spectral shadow peered in on the window, clinging to the wall, Jack did not hesitate in swinging his staff at him, The shadow vanished out of his way and then appeared once again on the roof of the hospital. He sneered his challenge at Jack, who whipped and slung the trusty crook of his. Pitch laughed, swinging his body to avoid each blow. He dropped into his shadow form once again and stretched around Jack's legs, dragging him down so he hit his face against the roof of the building.

"Jack, really, where are your manners?"

"What are you doing here?!" Jack yelled at the wind swirling around him.

"Same thing as you. However, you should not be here. You know what happened last time."

"I'm just standing outside! I'm not going in!" Pitch took his form and Jack spun around to face him, legs spread in a stance prepared to launch at him.

"Well, then you'll be okay if I do?" he pointed the curved end of his staff threateningly at the pale grey of Pitch's nose, his gold eyes staring down at the weapon with questioning.

"You do and I will freeze off your-"

"Let's not be hasty, Jack!" he said with nervous gesticulation. "I am not here to hurt Morgan!"

"I will never believe that!"

"I am only concerned, that's all! I want her to be safe, just like you."

"She'll be safe if you're gone."

"But I'm not the one who made her sick." Jack's arm slacked and his staff dropped, not preparing himself for the blow the strength of his words delivered right into him. He lifted his staff again, trying to push past what he felt. "Actually, I am here for much more selfless reasons." His liquid voice was dropping into its seductive whisper again, making the crystals lining Jack's skin tingle with dread. "Once Morgan has had her time with her family, I'm going to pop in. Tell her the deal is delayed until she is better. And then, she can pick it up whenever she feels ready."

"She will never be ready!"

"Oh, Jack, haven't you learned by now Morgan hates it when she is not allowed to make her own choices?"

"But I know she won't! That's how she is."

"You don't know that for sure. In fact, maybe you did a good think. She has learned exactly how soon her life could end, and I helped show her how scary that could be. Now maybe she will choose and you can be together forever. Isn't that selfless?"

"No, it's not selfless!" He swung his staff again and Pitch leapt back. "All you want to do is harm her as much as you possibly can!"

"That is ridiculous!" he growled, striking at Jack with his lunging arms, but Jack tumbled out of his way every time. "A little harm is good, but I would never fatally hurt her, I would never be like you! You could have killed her, Jack! I would never do that! Morgan is what I have been missing in my life! I see her as if she were my own child, do you really think I am capable of such monstrous actions? I could never do what you did!"

"You admitted to being okay with harming her a little!"

"With fear!" he hissed. "It's called tough love, Jack, and many kids need a lot more of that these days!"

"Morgan is no longer a kid! In two months she-"

"-will be an adult, won't she Jack?" Pitch chuckled with a malevolent grin seered onto his face. The smile gave way to a gradual attack of laughter, triggered by the look of hopelessness and horrified realization. "Ah, yes, doesn't that feel good! Morgan is no longer going to be a kid. One more year of school and she'll be off at college, eyes wide open to the world, and her innocence will be lost! And then what does college bring Jack? New experiences, people who are actually concerned about school and care about what they read and learn! And Morgan is to be a history major, no doubt? She will find people who actually share her views, who enjoy what she does. And should one of them be a boy? Just imagine, Jack, soon... you're going to lose her. She's going to want to be with someone who can't kill her just by being intimate!" Jack lowered his staff and staring at his feet, not wanting to look at Pitch and listen to his dark and foreboding comments on what the future was to bring. Pitch's hands flew his mouth and he let out a sarcastic gasp. "What's this? Is it possible that the reason Morgan got sick was because Frost could no longer control his own urges for her?"

"I would never ever do anything to Morgan she didn't want to do!"

"I never said she didn't want to. I never said it wasn't consensual..." he slyly responded, drifting around Jack with his intimidating presence. "Merely just... guessing at what happened." Jack shoved his hand in his pocket and shook his head with his disgust at the Boogeyman.

"Morgan is fine. Now leave her alone!"

"I'm happy to. No, Morgan is no fun when she's hooked up to those machines. Besides, she's so fearful of me now, her heartrate would go up and alert the doctors. No, for once Jack, you are right. I shall stay behind, but just let past events remind you if you get too close to her." He spun away from him, cackling with his own amusement at the situation and his shadow trailed away. Jack slammed his staff against the roof, a stream of frost ferns expanding across its surface.

* * *

**I'm curious as to everyone's predictions about the changes, especially pertaining to Morgan and the press attention she's going to be receiving. What do you think it's going to mean? Feel free to tell me, I love hearing what my readers think! :)**


	99. True Warmth

**Three in one night! Wow! Well, no more after this my brain is getting wiped out! This is a chapter I think you will enjoy, maybe relieve some the stress some of you are feeling. **

* * *

No matter how many times she had received the warnings about the press waiting outside the hospital to speak with her, she was still not prepared for it. After taking a minute standing in the lobby of the hospital, she drew in deep breaths and then nodded that she was ready to go. Brad clung onto her the tightest of their whole family, Todd kept one hand on her back to urge her along with his brotherly encouragement and her sister gripped her hand. Mr. Kenter pulled up the back of her jacket, trying to cover as much of her face as possible. Then the doors opened to a crowd of reporters who had been waiting a week to see the face of the girl whose two months abroad had been a huge, unexplainable mystery. She ducked her head, squealing at the outreaching microphones and the same questions asked in several different accents. Many of the accents she recognized from countries she had been to and there were others she could not pinpoint. Peter passed over her mp3 player and she gratefully popped it into her ears and turned it on as high as it would go, lulled by the generic male voice who gave the slightly monotone description of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, a new mp3 she had downloaded.

Her mother assured her this was just the public itching to know what happened. After a while, it would all die down when her story was no longer new and they got bored of it and decided once again that cat videos were far more interesting. Even so, she was not assured. She was aware of how history worked and even though what her mother said seemed to ring true for the most part, there were still going to be people who would always say "Weren't you the girl who ran away from home just to travel and is crazy enough to believe she's dating Jack Frost and the Boogeyman is after her?" People may no longer investigate her story and she may not always be stopped on the street, but there would always be people who would notice, and who would ask her about it, even if it wasn't in excess such as it was then. There would now be people who might even try to be friends with her, try to get to know the mysterious girl and she would need to fend people off. For a brief second she wondered how this would affect her college career and then it hit her that this event was going to change her life forever. If she got more friends, she would need to sort out the reals from the fakes, something that may not exactly be the easiest of tasks. People around the world would at the very least be familiar with her name and her face and know that she is a believer and if she introduced herself, she would never get the chance for them to really know her – she was also marked as insane and they would believe such nonsense. Even if this "fame" faded, she would always be known, and she didn't even want to think of the comments she would receive from this. There had to be people out there who believed she was just trying to get attention or that she was stupid. In fact, she was sure most of them would. Her family would forever be known by it. Maybe her strange case would make it into a history book sometimes. That was exactly what Morgan had always wanted but nothing like this. In that moment, Morgan realized everything that had happened, everything Jack did, harmed more than it did any good.

Jack. Her entire time in the hospital he had been absent, and Morgan was sure she knew why. He was afraid of harming her again. But they learned what they could and could not do so now they could be much more careful. Yet, Pitch had not been there either. She was sure he would come for her, all that time to herself made her come up with many fears and he had not responded to any of them. Then she thought about Jack again, wondering if maybe he was too concerned for her safety to ever come near her again. She bolted away from her family and broke through the crowd, moving so fast everyone was surprised and did not notice she had gone through until she was some distance from them. Her father yelled for her but she kept on running down the street, towards the dense cluster of trees that made up the forest just behind the hospital. She jumped in through the trees and ventured only a little further, decided she was far enough they would not be able to locate her a few minutes. All she needed was five minutes.

"Jack!" she screamed between the spaces of the heavy green above her. "Jack, please come to me!"

"You know I can never resist any request of yours," he said smugly from behind her. Morgan spun around to see him leaning against that hooked staff of his, a smile full of enough charm to warm over the hearts of thousands of girls, and perhaps a few men. Her glow pulled at the sides of her mouth and she jogged to him, ready to fling herself into his arms. Instead, he took several steps away from her, resting his arms in his pocket.

"Jack..."

"I could have killed you, Morgan."

"But you didn't."

"Because of medical research."

"Jack, you can't help what you are," she said, a little agitated he was so deadset on this being his fault. "It's-"

"Don't say it's okay. I am a Guardian. I'm supposed to protect people. And you out of all people. The person I care for the most. My snow angel. My darling girl."

"We know, Jack. We know our limits now. We just can't do that again, that's all! We'll just go back to the way things were before-"

"And you think we can go back to the way things were before? Look at that crowd, Morgan! And that's people who don't know you!"

"Since when have I ever cared what people think?"

"Since when did you stop being so realistic?"

"Do you love me, Jack?"

"Of course I do!" he yelled, his eyes popping with the hurt she would think otherwise. "But it seems I can't act on it because it's..."

"What if I took Pitch's deal?"

"You will not."

"I don't know yet. If it means I can never touch you again then-"

"No. Morgan, I am _begging_ you, please don't! You have no idea what it will do to you!"

"What is my life if you're not with me?!" she cried, saltwater freely trailing down her face and her shoulders shuddering under her fear for their relationship. When she began to cry again, he could not just stand and watch her. He dropped his staff and pulled her towards him, the ice on his sweatshirt chilling her tears.

"Morgan, love, we're still together. I'm still here, I promised I would never leave you, look at me, please..." She followed the lead of his finger to gaze into the morpho blue of his irises. The coloring soothed her on first site and her body stopped its quaking. "I am not going to leave you. Just... understand that I am scared. I am afraid of everything right now. Pitch's influence has never been so great around me before. I'm afraid of hurting you, I'm afraid of ruining your life, but I am also afraid of not being with you, and I am afraid for you with Pitch and... I would rather you live your life than be with you forever if you're going to become some dark soul. I could never ever do that to you. Now, I realize this... was not a good idea. At all. But I couldn't see any other way and it's possible I just wanted you to myself-"

"I get it, Jack, I don't blame you..." she sobbed, wrapping the blue fabric in her hands.

"I'm so afraid for what these changes are going to mean for us."

"I'm not. We can fight past all of them. We've been fighting the whole way! Even if the changes cannot be reversed, we'll find a way around them! We'll find a new way of life!"

"New dawn indeed," he chuckled and Morgan lifted her head, eyebrows contorted curiously. "Just because I wasn't in the room doesn't mean I wasn't listening in, Morgan. I'm never going to leave you."

"You'll be waiting for me at home?"

"Always." He pulled her lips up and crushed them, cutting it short when he remembered how cold his lips must feel against hers. She didn't like it but did not want to argue in this moment in time. She sighed once more and fiddled with the strands that dropped from his hood., the tips frozen over.

"When we get home, we have other issues to deal with."

"It's not the first time we've faced off with Pitch."

"I know but... he doesn't like it when I tell him no."

"Morgan, you're going to stay at home and you are not going to move. We are staying there. Before we were on the move, always running, and everything just combusted. Maybe if we don't move, Pitch will be the one to run." She giggled and buried her face in his sweater, hearing the yells for her grow closer.

"I need to go catch my plane."

"I know, dear," he chuckled. "See you... in about 16 hours?"

"Try 24," she said. "When I get home I am sleeping."

"Okay. 24. And turn the heater on in your room. High."

"Yes, sir." One last kiss and her fingers abandoned his touch, running back through the trees to meet with everyone who was looking for her. Her father caught her in his arms again and she apologized, saying she thought she saw something of historical significance but she was wrong. It was amusing how even the press laughed with her family, knowing how that was exactly her. This time, her dad held her hand and refused to let go. Lukas was waiting with a large van, having offered to drive them to the airport. Somehow, they avoided the pressing questions and jumped into the car. Lukas slammed against the acceleration when everyone was buckled in in order to get away from everyone as fast as possible.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The 16 hour flight home was something Morgan was very grateful for. When they reached the airport, the same situation happened with several people yelling for her attention and her comments for various news teams, but she ignored them, stealing Peter's hat – shockingly without protest from him – to cover her face. When they had finally gotten on the plane, everyone else around her was seated and minding their own business. A few people asked about her, but they were generally just interested and were very polite about it. She sat inside, near the window and her father kept a close eye on her. Everyone else was seated in row in front of them.

"That Lukas was very kind. I'm glad we got his contact information, so we could keep in touch," he said, trying to make conversation. Morgan nodded, still staring out her window although all she saw were clouds.

"Everyone I met was very kind dad."

"Did you pick up on any languages?"

"I learned a few words but that was it."

"Morgan, you never really _told_ us how you got hypothermia." Her eyes moved upwards to indicate how tired she was of this question.

"I told you, by hanging around Jack so much."

"Yes, but you never really got it before," he added. "There is something you are not telling me."

"What do you want me to say, Dad?" she scoffed, crossing her arms. He was the only one who never really discarded her story. He seemed to take in everything she said and even if he didn't believe it, he considered its possibilities.

"You know that I believe this Jack is a... something. Especially now, there are two many things happening for it to not be real. But I don't really understand anything. I know you think you're... in love with him."

"I am, Dad."

"Whatever, okay, but... you're... seventeen and you can see a boy I can't see and... you run away from home for two months, stay... in hotel rooms and claim he never left your side... it makes me wonder if..." Morgan sighed and clapped her hands to her knees.

"There are things I never told you guys, not because I didn't think you would believe me but because I am your daughter and you are my parents and I don't want you to know anything about the private life I have with Jack... but when I sleep at night, more often than not, he is with me." Mr. Kenter blinked, watching her carefully.

"When you say sleep..."

"I mean sleep, Dad. In the purest, most innocent sense of the word. Sleep. Sometimes he holds me..." Her fulls cheeks flickered with the touch of rose from the struggle to tell him. "But that's all, okay? Thing is, he usually leaves me for some period of time. I usually get at least one night to myself a week, he goes to see the Bennetts, he leaves me alone in class so I can pay attention and he usually leaves in the summer. But not this time. He was around me all the time. And I think that's what happened."

"Do you really?" he asked with caution, slowly trying to slip into his real question that Morgan could see but decided that maybe if she ignored it, it would never be asked.

"Yes, that's what happened," she snapped.

"Okay Morgan, answer me honestly. Did you and Jack have sex?"

"I'm not talking about this anymore, Dad!" She popped in her earbuds and hummed loudly over the narrator's voice. He sighed and turned back to his paper while watching Morgan's face out of the corner of his eye, trying to get some sort of closure about what was on his mind.

"Well, whatever happened..." she heard him say under all the noise. "The fact that you got hypothermia from him tells him he is incredibly cold. So maybe he is the Jack Frost of legend."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Clothes unpacked, stories swapped, pictures shared, and well rested, Morgan was beginning to settle into her house once again. Linda had spent every day at the Kenter household, never wanting to leave her friends side again. Since her return, Linda had not been able to stop talking about being bored in her own house and then lonely and then scared and now she was a bubbling sprite dancing around the room and doing everything possible with Morgan and Jack that she could think of. Jack had not gone to Harrisburg immediately. He wondered how the Bennetts reacted and he was greeted but the surprise of Ms. Bennett being more furious than he had ever seen her. He explained how he actually felt five years old again and was hurt by the angry words she flung at him. None of them were insulting, but he experienced that nagging pang guilt piled on you and all he could say was "Yes" and "No" and he had to listen to the lecture about responsibility and selfishness.

"It was the worst thing I had ever felt!" Jack moaned, collapsing into Morgan's lap on her bed.

"Aside from the moment you thought you killed Morgan," Linda offered brightly, attempting it as a joke, but their faces told her they thought otherwise. "Too soon?"

"YES," they said in unison. Downstairs, the phone rang for the fifth time that day and her mother's weight could be heard on the soft stomping on the steps.

"Morgan, do you want-"

"NO," she barked. There had been several calls since they got back about interviews, both TV, newspaper, radio, and phone. She had denied every single one of them, insisting she had told them everything they needed to know through the doctor's reports. There was still footage of her playing that week and she did not want the TV on at all until everything died down. Linda had been running errands for her so she would not be heading outside and seen. Mrs. Kenter's footfalls were heard once again, and Linda continued to click through Morgan's laptop.

"Well, they seem to be looking to other people to get your story out," she said. Jack moved over to look at the laptop and saw a website with the heading "Faith in Morgan Kenter."

"Huh, 'A Website Dedicated to Show Support for the Mysterious Traveling Girl,'" Jack said, reading from the subtitle below it.

"I'm the traveling girl?" Morgan giggled, lean over Linda's arm to get a good look. There were a couple of links to videos, both of them just uploaded within the last twenty four hours. She pressed play on first video, titled "Morgan Is Not Crazy, Just Different."

The video featured people Morgan had come to interact with, most of them being older than here, although there were a few exceptions. Every single person had something to contribute. All off them said something about how she never seemed to them like a girl who struggled with mental issues. She talked to herself, but they thought that was just a quirk. Some said that half the world dealt with some sort of stress on their brain and they did not understand why Morgan should be treated so differently. Most of the people in the video were ones she had seen in front of historical sites, who had admired the way she had drooled over each and every one of them. Every single one of them mentioned how the way she observed the sites was a way not found in young people anymore, and the way she expressed her joy was something only ever seen in children on Christmas day. One man said that brief encounter with her encouraged her to look at history with more of passion like a child would have. A woman said it helped show her beauty she had never seen before. A young man said she made him think more about how history related. It ended on a final note, with one person saying she did not think Morgan was crazy, she just believed she could see what no one else could. Jack rubbed Morgan's back tenderly, her hand over her mouth and her bright eyes holding back all her emotion from the kindest words she had ever heard.

The second one was even more surprising. This was all children, the oldest at fourteen. Kids who Jack had seen over the years, kids who had seen Jack with Morgan. Believers. All of them said the same thing. Morgan was not crazy, and Jack did exist. There were ones who had first starting see him years ago, when he would ask for help in purchasing gifts for, as they put it, the lady he loved. Now it was Jack's turn to pop his eyes and cover his mouth in disbelief. The five year who helped Jack buy the Taj Mahal said he thought she must be really pretty if he's buying her something like that. The eight year old who bought the perfume asked Jack if he was going to marry her someday and he laughed wen he remembered Jack said yes. Then there were the ones who had spotted them on their travels. They said they looked like they were having fun and they really loved each other, and all of them described Jack the same; blue hoodie, light brown trousers, spike frost covered hair that was white, barefoot, and a staff (or shepherd hook by some) and he was covered in frost. Many of the young girls often described him as really handsome. The final comment was a girl of about twelve years old, saying she was never going to stop believing, she believed every word of Morgan, praised her for being her and believing for so long and jokingly asked for an invite to their wedding some day.

Linda closed the laptop and her grin spread so wide her teeth showed through the gap. Morgan and Jack watched each other, sharing the same expression. He pulled her to him and she wept once again, laughing with an epiphany that before had seemed would never happen.

"They believe in us, Jack! They believe in the both of us!"

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**The situation with Pitch will be cleared up in the next chapter. I'm getting really close to chapter I have been writing in my head for ages and then.., the story is going to take a very different turn. Until then, my lovelies! Have a good night!**

**P.S. No, her father STILL can't see Jack because he still doesn't really believe, He's still putting the pieces together and considering possibilities, but slowly his eyes are opening**.


	100. The Fulfillment of Pitch's Wish

**I think you guys will really like this chapter! It has true ROTG spirit! And I am very proud of it!**

**ALSO OMG 100 CHAPTERS**

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A night when Jack had gone off to visit his family, Morgan was left alone in her room, waiting with a patient demeanor, but inside everything was screaming at her. She knew this was to be the night. Jack would need to head off eventually and she did not wish for him to constantly remain around her and give her no breathing room. After giving her hypothermia, it was a lot easier for him to give her some space than it had been before. Even so, it had been clear he was very concerned about Pitch's appearance to her, and Morgan had been to. He was not likely to appear when Jack was around, so he was probably waiting for the moment Jack would be gone. For several days, they spent time talking about what would happen, what could happen. The other Guardians were on standby while he was away. He made sure to stay away. Pitch would never guess the other Guardians would be waiting to jump in should it be necessary, but unless Jack was gone – and really gone – he would not show. He knew Jack could not stick around forever.

Then the night had come, and Morgan had out her sketchpad, doodling simple pictures, but they were not of the best quality. Her mind was very distracted and she could not focus properly. She kept waiting, deciding she would be very pissed if Pitch did not turn up. She kept looking over at her clock, and with each look, it became harder and harder to see the numbers. When her heart lifted with the belief he would not be appearing that night, she chucked her notepad in the corner and then the dark shade grew from the interior of her purposely open closet. Both relief and intense fear controlled her now, rocking her in her seated position on her bed. The charm of all the world played upon his lips and his eyes gazed upon her with a sparkle of expectation, chivalry, and heated malice. Morgan tried to look comfortable. She crossed her legs and lifted her head to mimic confidence.

"Pitch," she said.

"Morgan, I cannot tell you how lovely it is to see you so healthy!" he chuckled lowly, and with a tone that told Morgan he was being genuine in his enthusiasm. She beamed slightly, proud that he was so fond of seeing her this way, and then immediately brushed away the sensation from her shoulders. Allowing him to persuade her that way was dangerous and she could not let herself be reeled in through his fingers.

"I have made my decision."

"I hoped you would, Morgan. All I really want for you is your happiness." She could have collapsed a lung with laughter at how ridiculous he sounded. His octave of velvet certainly made everything bear the honest truth, but she had gotten to know him too well and the expression sounded really funny coming from him.

"You claim to love me as if you were your own daughter," she spoke through her thick wall of fear, coming off more professional sounding than anyone could ever sound. "Yet you giving me my happiness still comes with conditions. That does not sound like something a parent would do."

"It's discipline, Morgan. Behave, and I'll give you a treat. It's a carrot."

"It's not the same thing as a carrot. It's bribery."

"Oh, I don't have time to sit here and discuss what it is," he moaned. His hooked nose wrinkled and the gold in his eyes churned with impatient anger. "What is your answer?"

"I think you knew my answer the moment you prompted me..." she told him cryptically. His lips wrinkled under his breath as seethed violently, his turning up into his brow. His expression of displeasure mixed with fury sliced into Morgan and opened her up to the infection of dread. She scrambled for the door just as he flung himself at her. The house was dead quiet and she wished her feet would not be so obnoxious when clamoring down the steps.

"Morgan!" Brad yelled, the noises she was making quickly awakening her. He watched her slid into the kitchen and in her stocking feet and matching pajamas of checkered design, she pawed at the edge of the door. Sweat collected along the edge of her hairline, her pulse speeding up through her heart and the fear growing with each snarl of Pitch. Morgan ripped open the door and fled out into the empty street under the deep blue glow of the night. She looked up at the moon, as if looking for some sign of help, and then screamed when she saw how close Pitch was. He swiped at her and ducked down, but her savior was the large man in red. He prevented Pitch's attack of black sand but forming an X with his wicked blades. With his heavy boot, he kicked into Pitch's stomach and flung him away.

"Come on Baby Tooth!" Toothiana announced her fiery voice. She angled herself so she sailed right towards him from the sky, the moonlight giving her hummingbird visage a celestial ambiance. In her fighting spirit, it came off as more of a fire enveloping her soul rather than a majestical fairy trait. Bunny caught Morgan as she fell forwards, pulling her away from the mess into his grey fluff. He held her back, clutching his boomerang tightly in his paws which intersected in her front to form a barricade between her and the fight for her soul, as well as a message to Pitch he was not to lay a finger on her.

Baby Tooth valiantly pecked into Pitch's hair, distracting him while Tooth slugged his face and then spiraled kicked him the gut. A strand of glittering gold licked at the ground near his feet. Sandman silently guffawed at the scene of the Boogeyman dancing before the lashes. Pitch then decided he did not like being laughed and clapped at a whip of the Dreamsand, diseasing it with his Nightmare medicine. Sandy tried to rip it away from him and shake loose the dark particles, but Pitch pulled the thin ribbon out of Sandy's grasp, laughing with devilish mirth at his action of darkening the sand. He swung it around himself and aimed straight for Bunny and Morgan. Bunny chucked his pair of boomerangs, one flying into the back of his head and the other slicing at the black sand. Pitch stumbled and then groped for the mess of sand. North walked forwards and stabbed at the ground, a grin of satisfaction at the fallen ruler of nightmares. He slung his swords right into the body of the specter, but it did not slice at him or cut him. Instead it just flung him backwards, landing harshly on his back. Sandy launched several tentacles of his magic sand and swaddled Pitch up in its web. He fought against its slithers and as he pulled at it, it turned dark and bended towards his will. He rose again, holding the wriggling rope high above his head and coiled it in his arms. Morgan was fighting with Bunny, demanding she be released. He scolded her, telling her if she went near him her soul would be overtaken.

"I'll be okay!"

"No, Morgan, ya can't go near him!"

"You don't know what I fought against, you don't know him like I do!"

"Morgan, I know him better than ya know him!"

"But I know him in a different way!"

"Ya can't seriously be expectin' that ya can get him to stop? That he can change because of ya?!"

"I don't mean that at all! I can protect myself!" She beat against the white fur on his chest and he only held on tighter, swinging his egg grenades so they filled with smoke around the walking shadow. North took the moment he couldn't see to yell out in Russian and stab at the figure, but his newest weapon under his control around the rotundness of his belly, whipping at it the sky so North sailed and landed against the dark pavement.

"North!" she wailed, her tears shedding under the stress. "Bunny let me go!"

"Mate, yer staying right here!" Tooth's wings buzzed quietly with their approach, beating against the black of the sky while Baby Tooth was against flitted as bait. Pitch caught the fluttering nuisance and smashed her under his palm into the rough surface they stood on.

"BABY TOOTH!" Morgan shrieked. Tooth cursed in a way none of them had ever heard slapping flying fists into Pitch's shoulder.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY FAIRY?!" her shrill voice was weapon enough, with it's slick sharpness exploding in their ears. Her punch landed into his nose and he spiraled against the road, but in the complete opposite direction. Morgan felt Bunny's shock, and used the opportunity to reluctantly step onto his foot. He yelped and she broke free from his grasp. Upon seeing his victim out in the opening and ready for the taking, he snapped the black ribbon and it slammed into her gut, bringing her down to her knees. She wriggled her hands, but there was no loosening of its suffocating bind. She hopped to move forwards, her legs also caught in its trap and she met with the road, landing right at the feet of the manipulator of dreams.

"All of this could have been avoided, love," he chuckled brightly and stroked her jawline. She moved her neck to get his finger away from her. "You have made your decision, and for the wrong decision you must suffer."

"I may be immobile, but you're the one who's caught."

"Whatever are you talking about, my dear? In case you haven't noticed, you're the one who's bound." Morgan chuckled in the back of her throat. Lifting her eyes to look straight into the flicker of the golden rivers held in his eyes.

"I never gave you my answer," she smiled, the satisfaction of her cleverness matching the one in his own. "Notice how I never did that? You assumed that I would have told you no. Meaning you knew what my answer was all along."

"What?" he said in his moment of shock, but the shock was enough to gain that little edge. It opened up his weakness. For that moment, his eyelids pulled open to expose his genuine surprise, and also a little hope that he had been wrong and she was willing to join him. That moment of hope was what had done him in. He was distracted for just a second and he had taken all perception away from his surroundings and focused on Morgan. An orange object sailed into his arm and he dropped to his knees, looking right into Morgan. Sandy floated down and tightened his golden sash around his middle. Pitch coughed at the sudden impact. The four Guardians circled around the two of them, guarding Morgan with their protection and preventing the Boogeyman from attacking her. Baby Tooth, dizzy and a little shaky unevenly flew towards them and landed on Toothiana's shoulder for support. The fairy stroked the small mirror image of herself with delicate strokes.

"You are the biggest idiot I have ever met!" Morgan laughed.

"You tricked me."

"No, I didn't trick you! I was merely pointing out an observation! You tricked yourself, Pitch! You did assume. I never said your assumption was wrong."

"How dare-" he began.

"Save it!" she snapped. Sandy pressed his chubby hand to the black bind and it fell into his hands, transforming to its original state. Bunny helped her to her feet with grace and she looked to him with thanks. "Pitch. Think about it. You knew all along I would say no. What was the point of all this? But honestly... you know me better than you know any child. Get people to believe in you. Help restore faith in you. In all of this, there is one important thing you seemed to have forgotten."

"And what is that?!" Pitch barked, struggling at the ties that were circled around him. Sandy sighed and grinned at his hopelessness. "Just you wait, you'll be sorry you ever did this!"

"Pitch you are the cruelest, most disgusting, vilest being to ever exist!"

"This coming from a historian," he laughed. "You know the cruelties of the past!"

"I also know that fear is responsible for many of that! And who is responsible fear? Why you, of course! And yet somehow, somehow I am going to give you everything you don't deserve!"

"I would like to see you- wait. Excuse me?" Confusion now replaced the hatred he was fuming and he waited for some sort of explanation. Morgan shook her head and covered her eyes with the foolishness of it all.

"'There's no such thing as the Boogeyman.' Pitch, my parents think I have some sort of psychological problem because I will not pretend Jack doesn't exist. I won't the Guardians don't exist, or you. Do you really think, if I won't hide it from my own family I would hide it from everyone else? No, Pitch. Of course I'm going to tell people you exist. It would go against my nature if I did. You didn't even need to offer me such a deal. I would have done it anyway, and I'm still going to."

"You mean, you're going to help people to believe in me?" he said skeptically. "You're not going to teach them to fear me?"

"You're misunderstanding..." she laughed. "I am going to let people know you exist. And no, I am going to tell them they are not going to fear you. Because they don't have to. I am also going to tell them about how the Guardians can bet your ass any day and that they have no need to fear the Boogeyman because they are protected by them! They'll believe in you. No, they won't fear you. They don't need to. They're just going to resent you. And fight you! And know nothing can hurt them!" She bowed loudly, her eyes remaining on him, a smirk that grew fear in the deepest part of Pitch's spirit.

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked, defeating seeping into his face.

"Let you go," Morgan said coolly. The other Guardians smiled for a moment. Tooth being the first, they all then realized exactly what Morgan had said and stared at her.

"Morgan, he-"

"I am aware of what he is!" she bellowed. "And we're letting him go."

"Even though he-"

"Yep." Sandy offered up an image of Pitch's angry face. "Yes, Sandy. I say we let him go."

"Why?" Pitch wondered, his voice sounded tortured and weathered. Sandman sighed and unleashed the coil around his body. The Boogeyman stood and rubbed his wrists.

"Because we need fear in this world. It sucks, but it helps keep us safe. Fear is what keeps children from running into the street and getting hit by a car. Fear keeps them from talking to strangers and lowering the chances of getting abducted. Fear is important to the way everyone lives. If we didn't have fear in our lives, people would do whatever without thinking of the consequences and we would get hurt or killed. The world would be a much bigger mess than it is now. Where the problem with you lies is the fact you let fear rule people and used it to take away everything so they do nothing but curl in a ball all day. Everything in our lives is a drug. Overdosing on anything can harm us, but we need a little bit of it all. Keeping you away from children and everyone else would do just as much harm as it would to let you go free. At least with you out on the loose, they can keep you back." Pitch's lips carved into sinister glee again and his fingers curled over her shoulders. Bunny took her hands and North aimed his swords. Sandy held out his sand whips and Tooth cracked her knuckles. Pitch's shoulders heaved with the sick lust of finally damaging the poor girl, and then he dropped his hands.

"I can't," he whispered.

"Ya can't?" Bunny repeated. "All right, this is getting very hard to follow, and I have no idea the bloody hell is goin' on, so could someone for once just say everything all at once instead of remaining so mysterious? Blimey!"

"I can't! I really thought that finally getting the chance to claim you and corrupt you would make me feel glorious. But I can't. I meant every word I said. I care about you Morgan, and it's so annoying! I don't want to hurt you, and that's really inconvenient for me. Oh, feelings. They are a bloody nuisance."

"Yeah, try being a teenager," she joked and then glanced up into the sky. Pitch fought back a smile. Instead, he laughed as he always did; with intent and thick malice.

"You're going to regret this."

"Maybe," Morgan smiled. "Most likely. But I won't change my mind, all the same." His dark figure stretched into its shadow form, lining against the houses and disappearing from the surrounding area.

"Morgan, how did you know he would let you go?" Tooth demanded, her wings carrying her in jittery strokes around the girl's figure. She laughed and her teeth caught the beam of moonlight, growing wider with her funny amusement.

"I didn't."

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**Bahahaha! I tricked you all didn't I? Please at least one person say I did. At least humor me. I realize the twists and turns and revelations were a little expected probably, but I still feel clever! Have a good night guys :) See you all tomorrow. Until later my rosettes! Rosie, out.**


	101. Acceptance

**Not a sad chapter, but you may get a little teary eyed at the end. Everyone is growing up and that's a little sad...**

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_~Jack~_

"Jack, if you learned anything this summer, you know that you can't – in fact shouldn't – always be around her," Ms. Bennett sighed, clearing away the dishes from their meal that evening. Jamie ran his finger under the stream of water exploding out of the tap at the sink, checking for its temperature. Jack was holding a fray piece of cloth in his gloved hands, waiting to start drying. He kept looking out the window, worried lines forming just below his hairline and he had not heard when Jamie yelled at him to dry the first dish.

"Uh, sorry," he apologized quickly. "Helen, I get that, but I don't know what happened last night and I haven't had a chance to go back and check. I've been keeping my distance for Morgan's safety, in more ways than one."

"You're not the only person who an protect her," she said, setting a stack of the plates near Jamie, who groaned at the sight of the growing mound of dishes. Helen glared at him, a reminder that this would not have happened if he had done the dishes after lunch like she asked.

"Yes, Helen, I am perfectly aware that the Guardians are keeping an eye on her and will be there to fight for her," he told her with mild annoyance. Ms. Bennett giggled at his tone, recognizing how alike he sounded in voice to Jamie. He carried the same annoyed teenager mood and it amused her how human he could be at times.

"No, sweetie, no..." she laughed, ruffling Jamie's hair. "Jack, I mean... Morgan can protect herself. I know you have this desire to always do so, and with you being a Guardian, maybe its even stronger than most men, but she is strong and level-headed."

"Ehhh..." Jack remarked in jest, giving the idea that he was not always certain that was true.

"Well, she's a aggressive at least. And a fighter both emotionally and physically."

"Okay, that's true."

"Morgan will be fine, I know it."

"Mom!" Sophie screeched as she ran down the steps. Her high pitched voice pulled at Jack, an instantaneous reaction to run up to the growing girl and shield her from whatever was happening, even though he had no clue what it would be. From the sound of her voice, it sounded like something demonic and large ready to bite her head off. Which in Sophie's case, was most likely a spider. Whatever it was Jack dropped the towel and bolted over to her, catching her at the bottom of the stores. It was weird to realize her head was now at his chest, something Jack had not noticed before. She was getting really big and it had been a while since he had actually lifted her. He touched the top of her layered blonde locks and his heart sunk in knowing this was the cause of her getting older and growing. He sighed sadly and then looked down at the girl.

"What is it, what's wrong?!" he questioned with panic.

"I just got off the phone with Rachael and both like Greg, and this is horrible because she can't like Greg, I like him, but I told her last week I would always put her before guys, except I _really_ like Greg and-"

"Yeah, I don't like that," Jack responded quickly. His heart sunk even further, as more of Sophie revealed to him she was getting older. And now she had discovered boys and that was the beginning of a whole other path into adulthood. It pained him to think about what possibly could have already happened in Sophie's life that would have been a step into transforming into a woman. The thought of Sophie being a woman made him taste a strange, salty taste of stale ice and he wondered if maybe that was him trying to push back nausea.

"Neither do I!" Sophie exclaimed, flailing wildly. "I don't know what to do-"

"No, I just mean I don't like you liking anyone. I think you should stay a child forever."

"Jack's just playing protective big brother again, Soph, don't worry about it," Ms. Bennett laughed. She set the rest of the dishes beside Jamie and pulled her daughter away from Jack's arms, encouraging her to head upstairs. "Come on, I'm going to teach you a little thing about friends and relationships and when each one is more important than the other." Jack smirked with reminiscence, reflecting back on how everything was all about playing with Sophie. Now she was getting out of that stage of dolls and butterflies and princesses ad her life was becoming revolved around clothes and sleepovers and her recent discovery in boys. The past two days he had been at the Bennetts and that was the biggest change. Something in the house must have exploded because she was not the only one who had been different. Jamie had laughed very little and remained incredibly quiet. He remembered the dishes and picked up the towel again, watching Jamie's concentrated scowl closely.

"Hey, what's been going on with you?" he prompted, a playful grin on his face.

"Not much," Jamie said cryptically and scrubbed at the dark residue in a coffee mug.

"Excited for school to start again?"

"That's funny."

"I suppose it is a little. What about your friends? How are they doing?"

"They're okay."

"Caleb and Claude?"

"They started football."

"Cool. What about Monty?"

"He's doing better now that he knows Cupcake isn't going to let him get picked on like last year, but still concerned about how well he'll do in school."

"And Cupcake is?"

"Fine, I guess."

"What about you and Pippa?" The water splashed when a bowl slipped from his hands.

"I don't want to talk about that."

"Did something happen with you two?" Jack asked, genuine surprising leaking out of his voice. Before he left, Jamie had been madly in love with her and could not stop gushing. And he hadn't said a single word about her since Jack had been there. It occurred to him that this was probably the cause of his mood and a heavy weight pulled in his throat. His skin prickled with the potential of what could have happened.

"Well, I mean... I don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"She just... wants to go out and play games all the time. She wants to have fun. She doesn't like holding hands, says it feels weird on her skin, she won't... um..." he blushed and breathed heavily. "Make out with me. Just sort of... kisses me quickly. She's not a cuddler. She's not... affectionate. I mean, she is with her words, but not... physically."

"Some people aren't, Jamie."

"But I don't like that! I mean she used to be... and suddenly she decided she didn't like it."

"Is it more important for physical affection, or is it more important to be with Pippa?" Jamie shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. I mean, I look at other couples I see and they're all over each other. It's like she just wants to be buds who do stuff alone all the time."

"Jamie..." he moaned quietly and set aside the plate he had dried. "You need to decide how important Pippa is to you. How much you want to be with her. If this affection thing is a deal breaker for you than maybe you're not supposed to be together. Maybe it just doesn't work." Jamie was quiet and didn't defend himself.

"She's perfect in many ways though."

"She may have all the traits you're looking for but that doesn't mean it's going to click. And sometimes it clicks with people you never expected it to."

"If she only just... I don't know... how is it you found Morgan? I mean, she's like perfect for you."

"She may be perfect for me, but that does not mean she's perfect. There are things she does that I can't stand. She's got a temper problem and she's aggressive. Every day she gets better and getting it controlled but if she's insulted she does not see any other way and starts swinging. And I find history enjoyable and I participate in it and bring her places because I want her to be happy, but there are times she gets fixated on a particular subject and she goes on for an hour about it, and that gets difficult to handle sometimes. And when she's wrong about something in history she mopes about it. She also does not like it when someone turns out to know more about history than she does. Morgan actually acknowledges that flaw of hers but her pride in history is a little too big and she knows that and is working at it, but sometimes the pride takes over. She's human, Jamie. She has her flaws."

"But you're not starved for attention."

"That's because we both happen to be affectionate. I think I am a little bit more than she is, but she gets, erm... she gets fired up sometimes," he chuckled nervously.

"But you still got her to have sex with you." Dishes clinked together and Jack looked over to see Jamie blinking at him, face completely serious with his meaning. He tensed under Jamie's accusation and his mind spun over the possibilities over where he got that idea.

"I never said that!" he said.

"Come on, Jack, really? You and Morgan travel around Europe for two months in expensive hotel rooms always staying by, sleeping near her, and she mysteriously gets moderate hypothermia? Something must have happened."

"I don't really think this is related to the subject we were talking about..."

"Mom was really pissed," he continued. "Kept saying you were too young. I mean, not you, but Morgan."

"She doesn't even know what happened!"

"She's a mom, she assumed. But come on, brother to brother, you can tell me. What was it like?"

"Jamie, no, we – no, this is not appropriate. I am not sharing what did or didn't go on between us!" In a panic, he was raising his voice at him, and then he thought about the connection Jamie was making. "Jamie, does this have something to do with Pippa?"

"Well... I mean a little..." he sighed and drained the sink of the soapy water. "I asked her... if she wanted to... and she sort of screamed at me and said I was being ridiculous and it was too early for that kind of thing and that was around the time she didn't touch me as me."

"I get it..." Jack whispered with understanding. "Maybe it's not that she has intimacy issues, maybe she's trying to be respectful."

"How?"

"Well, she's concerned for herself. She's not ready, but she's also afraid of encouraging you or giving you the wrong idea. So she doesn't want to do anything too heated."

"I don't want her to have to think like that though."

"You should talk to her..."

"It's going to be an awkward conversation."

"It's one that needs to happen."

"Why can't she just be ready?" he snarled. "I am! We've been dating for so long, shouldn't she be ready?"

"Not everyone is the same. Some people need to go fast, and some people need to move a lot slower. Some people even wait until marriage."

"Why?" Jamie asked with his nose wrinkled at what he thought was a ridiculous notion.

"Different reasons. Religion, for one. In the time I was born in it was demanded to wait until then. Some people, it's just because they only want to do it with one person in their life, they just want it with their spouse. Some think it's an ultimate symbol of unity. Not everyone is the same, Jamie. I know you're sixteen and you have these crazy things happening to you, but you need to respect everything that Pippa wants right now."

"It's so hard."

"Sometimes yes," he chuckled. "There were a couple of times when I had to try my hardest not rip off everything Morgan was wearing, but I did it and I am very glad I did so."

"And then she let you."

"For God sakes!" Jack yelled, but then Jamie chortled at the offended reaction from the boy of ice and snow. Jack raised an eyebrow at him, discovering that it was a simple joke and pulled out the nozzle near the tap. Jack spun the handle of the cold water and squeezed the back of the nozzle, striking at Jamie with a shower of icicle bullets right into his foot. He shouted out and ran away from the kitchen, diving into the living room to avoid the small debris of ice chunk flying at him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

September was settling in nicely. The press coverage of Morgan and her travels had died down a long time ago, but the buzz bouncing between the students only started when classes were once again in session. Every hallway she walked down, there was always someone bombarded her with a slew of questions, some more curious, some more accusatory. She ignored every single remark about the incident, deciding she would rather not recall the whole thing as it manage spark a twinge of pain about Jack's huge lie and everything he hid from her. For the most part, she had not let it bother her, but it uncovered possibilities in her mind of other things he may have hid "for her safety." Thinking those thoughts scared her, because she did not want to think the man she trusted most and shared her most personal desires with had deceived her in some way. Her peers soon became very bored with her lack of responses and within a few weeks they had given up on getting information from her. Thinks soon settled into the norm once more an everything felt okay again. She forgot her fears as everyone else forgot she had once been a missing person and jumped into her final year of homework and tests, the stress of schoolwork and the ability of doing well suffocating her as it had done many years before.

All of her insecurities had resurfaced just a few days after she had turned eighteen. The day of her birthday, she had been aware of what that meant, how legally everything she did was marked as an adult. To the state and government she was no longer a child and could be responsible for her own life. But it had been just a number. It saddened her a little to realize she was not a child where Jack was stuck as a fifteen year old forever and soon she would look like an adult. But it was not a big deal, because she knew they had discussed it many times before and she was certain they would be okay. And Jack did not look fifteen all the time. His towering height was a huge factor at five feet eleven, but sometimes his face just looked older. The wisdom of the world in three hundred years, and taking in everything that happened aged his eyes and that mental aging was reflected in his gaze. He also had this old world aura from his time of growing up that also added on a few years. He reacted with maturity at many things and sometimes Morgan would wonder if he was not actually in his twenty. There had been several times he appeared twenty, and he could even look older although to say he ever looked twenty-five was really pushing it. Comparison of her age to Jack had just not happened, until she received a large envelope in the mail.

Her family panicked with apprehension over the possible contents of the letter but Morgan did not want to share it until she knew first. She escaped the hysterics of her family and slammed the door shut, Jack sitting with patient obedience on her bed.

"Is that it?" he asked, resting his staff across his lap Morgan looked at the header on the envelope again and nodded, a curve of moisture licking at her eyes. "Open it."

"I can't just open it, Jack."

"Sure you can."

"Morgan. It's not like it's an Ivy League university," he innocently chuckled.

"Their acceptance rate is lower than Penn State, Jack. Penn State," she enunciated. "And even Temple!"

"But not UPenn," he added for encouragement. She crossed her arms and sighed, obviously too anxious to deal with him right now. He held out his hand and gestured for her to give it to him. "I'll look at it since you're so nervous."

"No! I have to, that's how it works."

"Why is this such a big deal?"

"It may not be that prestigious, but Westchester is still a good university. It's size is not intimidating, it's near home, it has a small town feel but it's still near the city. It had a really good history department and it's historic in general. And Philadelphia is historic. It's my perfect university and if I don't get in..."

"You will still go to Temple," he added. "Morgan, if you don't get in, there's still a college that accepted you that is good and has a lot of the things you love."

"But it's not Westchester! This is my dream college, nothing else fit as well as this did!" she cried, crinkling the envelope. He fingers slipped under the flap and she growled out every piece of anxious, tearing at the paper. Before she even had a chance to read the letter, she was choking on her tears. Under her breath she cursed in Pitch's name for the throbbing fear that pounded in her heart and licked her finger after the top most letter cut into it. She hissed and then she let her eyes fall onto the first line. That was all she cared about was the first line, the only one that mattered.

Morgan screamed and body slammed into Jack, rolling with him off the bed and cheering wildly. He grunted under the impact and sputtered under the mess of kisses given to him. He laughed with her, no need in reading what Morgan had just been told but took it from her anyway. He read the phrase that indeed confirmed her acceptance into the university and hugged the ball of energy. Morgan ripped away from him and screamed to new to her parents and her brother, who spun her around and pulled her back into her room. His strength plunged her into the bedding and then he piled on top of her, pining her against the mattress. Jack joined in with their childish dog pile, sitting on Brad's back so they both flattened under the pressure and giggled excitedly.

"My sister is going to be the smartest history major at Westchester! I don't expect any less than top of your major in your class," Brad teased, but her giggles faded with his words and she wriggled out of the pile. She slid onto the floor, leaning against the edge of his bed. Jack immediately noticed something wrong and scampered to where she was seated. His thumb stroked the back of her hand and she lifted her head up, the bright color that once overtook her face now drained.

"Morgan?" he asked.

"You realize, Jack... this a huge step in my life."

"Well, of course it is, it is for everyone..." he chuckled.

"No, Jack. It hit me that I am going to college. For real. I am old enough to go to college. I am now going to have to take care of myself, do my own shopping, watch over myself and live on my own. I now am responsible for myself."

"Isn't that what you wanted? Isn't that part of the excitement of college?" he inquired with baffled curiosity. "I mean, to be independent?"

"Yes, I mean of course... but it means more than that."

"Jack, I'm an adult now. I mean I knew this was coming but I just realized. My childhood is over. I begin this next chapter and... I'm older than you Jack. I mean, technically, I know... but through Brad's eyes, through Linda's, through the stages in my life, the things I will experience... I am _older_ than you. And I'm going to keep getting older... and that scares me so much, that scares me about what that means..."

"And I, dear Snowflake," Jack brightly started to say, pressing a nip to her nose and brushing aside her hair. "Am going to be okay with that. I promise."

* * *

**Did you doubt she wouldn't get in? Although Morgan's intelligence and independent GPA in history would have been enough to catch the attention of people in Ivy League school, her overall GPA and her scores are not impressive enough for an Ivy League school. All of the universities I mention are real, and the acceptance rates are as I said. Temple university is not an Ivy League school like UPenn, but it IS VERY prestigious, but when I did research for schools, it just did not fit her correctly. Westchester fit her exactly the way I had wanted, and it does seem like a nice university. And yes, later on I will talk about her life on campus, and I will try to research as much as possible, but I haven't been there or even Pennsylvania so bear with me when I do that. Things may not be completely accurate but I will try my best. Until next time!**


	102. When the Truth Comes Out

**This took so long to write! I have been distracted all day, between moving and then my friend turned on Sherlock (we're only going to be roomies for 36 more hours guys :( ) And then my friend came on we started talking about shopping and ugh... **

**I'm going to let you guys in a little hint. Pay very close attention to the details of this chapter. That's I'm saying.**

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When Bradley had departed from his sister's vehicle and left her and Linda in the parking lot, he had not responded to them in his usual joking way. He nodded to them and stalked off toward the school, heading to the door closest to his locker. For a moment, Morgan stared after him. It was out of character for him to act so somber, but Linda told her not to worry about it. After thinking that he possibly did not have a very good rest, she decided to take Linda's advice. Four days into November and Jack had been hard at work drizzling gentle confetti of white across the town. Of course, he had to be difficult and could not wait to do it til after she got to school. It was just one of the things he did that was annoyingly adoring about him.

"Snow is pretty," Linda commented. "And I genuinely like it when it comes down softly like this and seems to deaden all the other noises of the world. What I hate is ice. I hate blizzards. I hate snow in my face. And I despise the cold, very much."

"That will be here in two weeks," Morgan cackled, jingling her keys and tossing them into her purse.

"You smell good. What are you wearing? It's not the Elizabeth perfume you usually wear. It's not musky it's like... is that dragonfruit?"

"How should I know?" she laughed. "I don't know what dragonfruit smells like. I'm not perfume savvy. I like the smell, and that's how I pick."

"It's just strange, it doesn't smell like you. I'm so used to Elizabeth." Linda remarked as they passed through the hall, nodding to a few of the classmates who offered them smiles.

"I'm out of Elizabeth."

"Jack didn't get you more?"

"Hasn't really had the opportunity. Making the snow fall, remember? Winter spirit." They headed up the stairs and Morgan scoffed at a couple who had snuck away into some hidden corner, deciding she did not like seeing the two of them performing the promiscuous action they had just been tied up.

"Before Elizabeth you didn't wear perfume, so why would you wear a different one?" Morgan rolled her eyes. Linda was a little too obsessed with this topic and she thought it was silly. It was just a scent.

"I got used to wearing perfume and felt naked without anything. So I just swiped a small bottle of something I liked at the store when I was there until Jack can get a hold of some more for me."

"Hmm," Linda mulled over.

"What?"

"It's just... not you, that's all." Morgan's mind wandered, wondering why Linda was so offended by the substitute perfume. It was only until Jack had acquired more. She obsessed over the strangest things and Morgan decided to push it back along with all the other things she had been hiding away in her mind. Things were just starting to settle back into normal life, if Morgan's life could ever be considered normal. With the stresses of finishing out the year well and graduation affairs to take care of, and then focusing on college, she rather she not have any other things gnawing at her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The snow had stopped falling before lunch time, leaving about four inches on the ground. Of course, that was not all Jack had up his sleeve. He told Linda and Morgan at lunch that by the time Thanksgiving approached, there would be a few snowmen around and several snowballs thrown. Linda moaned at the idea of everything that came with heavy snow and warned Jack about making everything too difficult.

"You just can't see the good, only the bad," he chuckled, flinging a cold plastic fork her direction. She ducked its impact and bounced a carrot off his blue sweatshirt. Jack dropped his hand near Morgan's own. When the touch of ice grazed her fingers, she shifted away from it, placing both hands on the tray in front of her to cut up what the school like to call riblets.

"Morgan, where's your brother?" Linda asked, glancing at her bedazzled watch on her wrist.

"I dunno. Maybe at his locker or talking with his friends. Sometimes it takes a while for him to get here," she concluded, grimacing at the burnt tastes of the riblets. Jack made a face as she spat out a few particles.

"It's been ten minutes," Linda said. "And your brother is a typical boy. He loves food."

"I don't know if that's a boy thing or a teenager thing," Jack considered, gesturing to the food that sat in front of them.

"Jack, I am honestly begging you for that to be a fat joke," Linda pleaded. Morgan glanced between the two of them, unsure about what was happening. "If you are calling me fat, that means I have curves."

"No, it's not a fat joke," Jack sighed, ignoring her desperation. She dropped her clasped hands and pouted at her food. "I never said I thought you were rail thin though."

"Yes! Thank you!" she cheered and shoveled potatoes into the opening in her face. Morgan dropped the apple and watched the entrance, waiting to be greeted by her brother's appearance. Two more minutes ticked by and the thumping in her heart sped up. Her fingers tapped incessantly against her legs. Linda was right, this was not like him to be this late. She wet her dry lips with the edge of her tongue and spiraled a thin strand of her nutmeg hair. Another minute ticked by, He stepped into the cafeteria with his black hoodie pulled over the sides of his face and carried himself sullenly over to their table.

"There you are!" Linda sang, and moved over to make room. He kept his head bent and took out his phone, tapping away at the small buttons and smirked at it. He kept the phone in front of his face. Between that and the obstruction of the hood, neither one of them received a genuine smile from him, nor did he look directly at them.

"Okay, what's the deal?" Morgan finally asked, giving up on what the school liked to call food.

"What deal?" he grumbled, holding the phone higher.

"You're being so mysterious."

"Kind of a sexy mysterious," Linda purred, batting her eyelashes and then cleared her throat. "Or at least you would be if you were straight."

"Like that matters to you?" Brad said. "Half of the men you're obsessed with are gay and you drool over their looks."

"Nobody ever said I couldn't stare at them or read or write fanfiction on them."

"That's right, Linda, only in your fantasies would that ever happen."

"Exactly that. Who knows, I may have a private stash of photos of you and your luscious bod," Linda cooed in a incredibly convincing sensual tone.

"I'm glad my visage stimulates your mind," he laughed. "I hope that's enough for you because that's the only way you'll ever have me."

"Aw, don't worry Bradley," she said to him, tapping his shoulder gently and ripping off a pieces of the cheese in front of her. "My imagination of you and me is enough to satisfy me."

"That's really sweet of you, Linda," he said with the raising of his brows.

"This just got weird," Jack commented and Morgan nodded really fast in response.

"Okay, no no no no!" Morgan scolded, stabbing at the air with her fork, acknowledging them as she spoke. "What is this, some... strange flirtation between you?! This isn't even supposed too happen. Linda, he's my brother and he's gay. If that doesn't scream 'get him off your mind,' I don't what does. Brad, Linda is my best friend and she's straight. You shouldn't even be encouraging her strange way of thinking!"

"Actually, Morgan, this exact reaction is the reason we do it!" Brad said to her, tugging at the hood around his head again. "You should really see your face, you are so red..."

"And would you stop that?!"

"Stop what?"

"With the hood, we're not even supposed to be wearing hoods anyway. And give me that damn phone, who are you texting so-" Morgan ripped the phone out his hand and Brad reached forward to grab it from her, his mouth rounded with unprepared disbelief. As he reached, his hood shifted and slipped to his ears. On the side of his face where the cheek bone was there was an incredibly dark, violet bruise with a ring of red around it. On his jawline was a jagged red line. He groped for the hood, putting it back up but not before everyone else had already seen it.

"Brad... what was that?" Morgan kept pulling her hand back so he could not take the phone back.

"It's nothing, I fell down the stairs on my way to my locker, give me my phone," he demanded, wriggling his fingers with patience.

"You do not get face mutilated bu falling down the steps. I do it all the time," Linda said. "That looks like a fingernail and that looked like someone wanted to introduce their fist to your face."

"It's not a big deal," Brad said and jumped for his phone. Morgan snarled and tapped at the screen. "Morgan, what are you doing?! That's my private property, not even mom goes through my phone!" She scrolled through the messages that had been received in the last week, a mix of messages of encouraging support and disgusting comments filled with derogatory words targeting Brad and his sexuality.

"What... is... this..." his sister seethed with wide eyed horror. She was grateful for the few people who clearly were thinking of him and said things about their friendship not changing, how they had his back forever, how they were okay, how it dumb for him to even think they would not accept him. They gave her several boosts of warmth, but those boosts were flattened under the hateful messages he also had. A few were contacts in his phone. Many it just showed their numbers. She could not believe they were flinging such nasty, vile words of atrocity at her baby brother. She checked the phone, believing it was vibrating to indicate a new text. It was only her hand, twitching with her rising temper at how cruel people could be.

"You shouldn't have looked at my phone..." he sighed, swiping it from her shuddering palm. He tucked it away into his coat and folded his hands, eyes turned with displeasure towards Morgan.

"You should have told me!" Morgan defended.

"Why would I do that?"

"I'm your sister!"

"Exactly why I didn't tell you! It's been so long since your last outburst at school. You have done well at managing your temper, but this would surely set you off. Right now, you're picturing all the ways to track down these numbers and find out who they are." Morgan's mouth opened halfway, her mind halting the methods working in her mind. He knew the contemplative look well and smugly sat back in his chair. "See? You would beat them senseless Morgan. And then spend time in detention, get suspended-"

"So?!" she yelled. "Nobody treats my brother that way! And even if you weren't, what the hell gives them the right to verbally beat someone simply because they're different?! Wha is so wrong with homosexuality that is so threatening to people! I mean, I really don't get it! I never have! And then you do that kind of shit to my own brother?! Damn right I'm going to show them!"

"And you are going to solve violent problems with violence?" He nearly laughed. "Listen to you! It seems to me you don't get it. But attacking them, you only justify what they do!"

"But defending you-"

"Only works if you step in and _stop_ the attack, not provoke it!" He shook his head and extended his arm so his fingers gripped Morgan's hand. "I am touched you care this much about me, to have this angry desire to show them nobody does that to me, but that does not mean you act on it. Morgan, take a look in the mirror. Have you seen the way you look? The change in you? You show your age. If you were to fight these guys, make their skin bleed... you're eighteen! You're an adult!" Morgan winced at the harshness of the word. The more it was used, the more offensive it was becoming to her. "Charges could be pressed against you. And it would go on your record forever! People already know who you are because you went missing, do you want to become an even bigger news report?"

"Something needs to be done!" Morgan wept. "Somehow they need to know..."

"Morgan, I'm sorry you shouldn't do anything. I hate to say this, but you do have... a reputation in this school of being a... eh..."

"Weirdo," Linda put bluntly.

"For lack of a better word, yeah. And a know-it-all. And you're a girl. A girl who is already disliked, coming to defend the honor of a man who is gay. What will that do to you? Will that make things worse for me? Think of the consequences? It's better if you stay away from it completely."

"How did they find out?" Linda quietly said, steering their conversation away so the focus was not on Morgan. Brad pressed his lips into a firm line as he recalled what happened.

"I was talking with my friends and I let something slip. My friends were... you know how they can be. We had a sub and they could not stop talking about her legs and that led to some celebrity and her sexiest roles and the way they look, and how they loved how badass her films were and how she as a fighter and... you know. Straight nerd stuff. I got too into the conversation and mentioned one of the sexy dwarves in _The Hobbit_. After a minute about staring at me, I... told them. I was sick of hiding it and after it slipping out of my mouth, I decided to just tell them then and there. Jared, Frank, Michael, and Rick were all cool with it. When I finally finished they all hugged me and told me they didn't think any less of me and it was cool with them. And they have been cool. They haven't treated me any different."

"But, wait... what about Stephen?" Morgan asked, missing a name of Brad's best friends. He stiffened and sucked in air. Morgan relaxed her shoulders when Jack left her side and went over to him, putting one arm across his shoulders and pressing his other hand to the ghastly bruise on his face.

"That was the one who... um..."

"Did that to you?"

"He didn't..." Brad struggled to say. "No, but changed his path in the hallways to avoid me, sent me those mass texts about how I am everything that is wrong with society and he is disgusted with me, will not shower in the locker room when I am there, keeps telling me I shouldn't get my hopes up about me and him, even though he is clearly not my type! I like intelligence."

"And he told all of these other numbers..." Morgan gathered, looking at some of the worst ones.

"Yeah. And... some of the new friends he's been hanging with... after Algebra, I used the bathroom. They locked it and I got this. Mr. Geiser was walking by then." Morgan's ears pricked at the sound of the teacher's name. "He heard the clamor and busted in, stopping them from doing any worse. Thanks, Jack." The winter spirit grinned, although Brad hissed at the touch of ice to the wound.

"How can you expect me to stick around and let them... not get anything after that?!" Morgan scoffed.

"Oh, I never said to let off Scot free," Brad laughed and looked over at the blue topaz eyes of the mischievous Guardian next to him. "Can't press charges on someone you can't see, can you?" Jack nodded happily, agreeing quickly to whatever Brad was happily conjuring.

"Jack can hurt them, but I can't!?" Morgan exclaimed with horrified unfairness. "He gets all the pleasure of watching deserving people suffering, but what do I get?"

"Hey, now," Jack reminded, heading back over to her and twisting her hair playfully. Slowly she pulled away from his touch. "Need I remind you of the time this summer when my brave, amazing and superior girlfriend stood up to Pitch and talked him down with nothing but her words?"

"The Guardians were there though!" Morgan pointed out. Her insistence on the event being won mainly through the Guardians and her modesty on her power in the situation caused a smirk to creep onto Jack's face. No matter what, she would always say it was not because of her, but all of the Guardians had told her the same tale, different from hers. About how she seemed to just drop her aggression and give everything Pitch both wanted and deserved; belief in him from children, but would be destroyed in knowing none of them would fear him, relying always on the Guardians for protection. His wishes being granted were the things that would haunt him. That same warmth of intense adoration for her billowed within him again and he clutched Morgan tightly. She laughed under the tight hug, keeping her hands close to her sides.

"But you were the one who sent him away scrambling. And never once did you raise a fist," he laughed, kissing her cheek. She blushed awkwardly.

"Meanwhile, you get to hurt ice balls or whatever you're doing to those asses," she scoffed, turning away from them.

"No, no, you got it all wrong," Brad said. "I never said I wanted Jack to hurt them. I was thinking more along the lines of simply pissing them off. And it's even more frustrating when you can't figure out who is pissing you off." Morgan looked over at Jack devilishly, raising an eyebrow with intrigue as to what he had up his sleeves. He simply shrugged, obviously hiding something from her. She tapped at his hand and he released her, sidling back over to Brad to ice his cheek with his icicle hands. Jack was going to have so much fun, and delight in the justice of bringing mischief to Brad's tormentors. Morgan, however had to sick back and down nothing For the sake of her safety and reputation. For Brad's safety and reputation. And mostly because she had temper issues and was eighteen years old. Already she was feeling the complications with being an adult, and gnawed on the inside of her lip when all the other ones surfaced in her mind.

* * *

**I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER RIGHT NOW. I'm going to try but I don't know if it will be up! :( I'll try, I promise! **


	103. Goodbye to Childhood

**This is a horrible horrible horrible chapter to have to end on tonight and I am so sorry but I need to go to bed and get everything packed up tomorrow. I have nothing to lead into this chapter tonight. All I can say is read.**

* * *

There was nothing Morgan could personally do to keep an eye on her brother, but she refused to stand back and do nothing. For three weeks she stood by and listened the occasional comment on her brother, growing sick of it every day about the horrible assumptions they made, and every day Linda had to calm her down when she spun into an enraged speech about society and launched into facts about homosexuality being natural in the world throughout history and she could not understand people not seeing the same thing. Linda had to calm her down and remind her how people were just sheep and didn't want to think for themselves. By the third time Brad had met them for lunch with a fresh sore from someone slugging him in the hallway, Morgan decided she had had enough. Ignoring all the protests from the others had her table, she ripped Brad's phone from his hand and marched through the school.

"Morgan!" he hissed, jogging to keep up with her pace. "Hang on, what are you doing?! You are not going to-"

"I am going to do whatever the hell I feel like doing, Jack!" she seethed, ripping her arm away from him when he tried to pull her back.

"Morgan, I am begging you to stop this! Right now, do you have any idea-"

"I know exactly what I am doing!" She typed furiously at the keyboard on Peter's phone. He tried to glance over her shoulder to get a good look at her messaging, but she waved away his face as if her were a fly hovering around her.

"Morgan this is stupid, whatever you're doing, stop!"

"NO," she barked and kept on walking, eyes lighting up at the screen. She hummed merrily to herself. Jack was feeling that itch down his limbs where he wanted to block her from continuing and scream wildly, but he kept his composure. Morgan strutted down the hall, heading straight for the boy in ripped jeans and oversized t-shirt. He turned to her and nodded, holding his small phone his fist.

"What?" he asked gruffly, pushing aside the dark wisps out of his eyes.

"Hey Michael!" she said. Then Jack frowned, remembering how Michael was one of the ones who supported Brad. He scratched at his ice white spikes of his hair, not understanding exactly what was happening, so he leaned against the set of lockers and watched. Morgan slapped the phone into Michael's hand, scrolling through the messages for him. Michael's mouth fell open, brow wrinkled to show his horror at the way some people had been speaking with him. "Michael... you know me and how I... I really want to do something but... I have been strongly discouraged by many parties not to." Michael nodded, understanding what she was getting at. "But you are not family and you don't listen."

"Haha, that's true!" he said to her.

"If you hurt them, Brad will not be happy with you," Jack sang and she rolled her eyes.

"You're not allowed to hurt them," Morgan said. Michael frowned but sighed with reluctance. "Also, he's getting beat up."

"What?!"

"Yeah. Happened a few times right now."

"Got it, Morgan. Don't worry. One of us will make sure someone is always around Brad. And we'll make sure they regret doing this."

That was how the series of pranks started. Brad was never seen alone anymore and always had one of his friends around. There were people who snickered and made comments seeing him with men all the time. But every time, Brad's friends would step up and come to his defense, talking down their pride and making them feel like crap while boosting Brad's ego and his faith in his friends. Then the pranks with Stephen started. Every bad thing Brad reported him saying, or one of them heard was met with a prank, so hey became very commonplace. His locker was super glued shut, and he had to call a custodian to try and get it open. His notebooks had been replaced with notebooks drawn in from them when they were very small children. Jack threw a snowball in his face outside of school. Things went missing and were returned when he forgot about them. He would find his gym clothes had disappeared. The zipper on his backpack broke. Small things that no one saw so he wasn't humiliated, but it angered him. He asked Brad's friends to do his homework. They did it and gave him all the wrong answers. His frustration was building more and more, until Jack had the ultimate fun just before Christmas break.

He spent some time figuring out how to prop the window open to his bedroom, and when he eventually did, he sent a gust of the watery white dust flying into the room. A mound formed in the center of the floor and he hopped inside, quickly creating a lackadaisical snowman, rushing because he was concerned about Stephen waking up. He used hockey sticks for arms and pulled buttons off of clothes in his closet for the smile and eyes, a comb for the nose. He took some clothes from the closet to dress the snowman in, stepping back afterwards to admire his work. When Stephen stirred, he skipped back out of the window, staying close enough to hear the anguished howl of an irritated Stephan echo through the atmosphere. He chuckled to himself, and with the bounding elation driving the kid up a wall gave him, he shot off back toward the Kenter household. He tumbled in through the window, finding Morgan hard at work on a shaded sketch of a soldier plunging a spear into another soldier. He took a moment to look it over, both disturbed and admiring the realism of it.

"Morgan!" he cheered, swinging her up from her bed and catching a kiss from her before she could even acknowledge he was there. "I did it, you should have heard him yell! He was so frustrated, he had no idea where it came from! It was hilarious!"

"That's wonderful, Jack," she muttered, straining a smile. She crossed her legs back on the bed again and the pencil continued to move along the paper. Jack frowned at her, not expecting her to be so expressionless.

"Do you want to hear what happened?" he asked, tilting his head so she clearly saw him. She looked up and smiled politely, but not a real smile he had come to know well.

"If you want to tell me, go ahead." But Jack could tell she was not that interested. He told himself she was focused and he would tell her when she was finished. However, it took ages for her to finish. Every bit of her focus was in her drawing, and when Jack finally did get the chance to explain it to her, she performed the typical nod and smile. It pushed this strange feeling into him, one that dropped down into him with a horrible sickness, but he couldn't explain it. He told himself he had been in Harrisburg too long again, and he simply told Morgan he would be at the Bennetts that night. She nodded and okayed it. He made his way on, heading home, but it kept itching at him. Something was bothering Morgan. She always confided in him with her problems, but not this one. Whatever it was, it was too big for her to even share with him. Her boyfriend. The girl who never hid anything or lied. The most truthful girl was hiding something from her boyfriend. Jack decided whatever it was, he was not going to like it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Jack~_

He never pressured her. He didn't want to pressure her. Something was on her mind, something she hadn't wanted to say. Christmas had not livened things up. Not New Year's. She hadn't wanted to do anything on Valentine's Day. And her smell was different. He wasn't sure what difference that made, but everything about her was changing. More than ever, she explored her documentaries. Once in a while he would ask if something was bothering her. She bit her lip every time, like she was thinking about answering. Then she would say she was just stressed, but he knew Morgan when she was stressed. She got loud, not quiet. She got boisterous, not suspicious. At night, when they slept, she moved away from his touch. Jack started pulling away from her immediately, concerned the cold was getting her and she was afraid of getting hypothermia again. That only flared his fears and soon he no longer wrapped his arms around her and night. He would just lay her, inhaling her unfamiliar scent and watching the angelic beauty. It was the time when she seemed most herself, when she slept. Anything that had churned her brain so much she remained silent about it seemed to free its from her and for those nights, she seemed herself. Jack began to see the growth Brad had talked about. She was aging, and she was aging beautifully. He thought about how different she was in nine years. So much had changed with her, with him, and the two of them. And now he had this quaking fear things were going to change again.

February rolled into March and Jack was beginning to get really nervous about having to leave when he felt sick all the time. Morgan still had never said, and the muscles in his guts were growing tighter with each day. They didn't make out anymore. When they kissed, he initiated it, and it had little passion on her end. He would reach for her hand and she would give it to him, but never did she reach for his. She jumped at every touch he made, and the more distant she grew from him, the harder the fear pinched in his throat. She began to stay after school to work on a project with a classmate, a project she sometimes brought home with her on large piece of tag board. It was history, so she worked efficiently and poured every bit of her soul into it. Sometimes late into the night until she passed out and Jack had to put her to bed.

And then came the night. She was scribbling at the tag board again, filling in the last of the picture and then chucked the marker across the wall. Jack peered up from the laptop, startled by her action and grimacing at the sound it made, ticking against the wall and then the floor before it was heard rolling across the floor and stopped by the foot of the bed.

"Problem?" he asked with a smiled. She nodded and pushed aside all her homework. Morgan shifted around and padded the area of the mattress for him to sit. Curious about her sudden approach to be near him, he shut her computer and sat beside her. Morgan ran her fingers down his back, massaging into his cold skin and with her other hand, she squeezed his fingertips.

This was the moment Morgan had been wanting to avoid for several months. She wasn't sure when it had started, but it began long before this, before the school year even. This was never meant to happen for them. They always lived in perfection and things were always going to be okay, but things had not been okay with them. At least, Morgan did not feel okay. She loved him, and that was exactly why she could not do this. But months of thinking, and the events that happened around her had changed her so much. She had become aware of the forces in the world that had been working against them and slowly she had started to accept them for what they were. Everything she had ever been told was right, and it sucked that she had begun to accept them. Sometime, she would need to give in, and she had only been making things worse. This was the most important thing she needed to tell the truth on, and it was the one thing she wished she could lie about. His face was so beautiful, the white wisps falling in front of his eyes and the boldest blue of the purest form, always looking to her as if she were the center of the world. She kept on gazing at him, recalling all the promises he built for her, and how he had always come through for her. Loving him was the greatest thing she could ever do, but it was slowly becoming the worst thing for their lives. He gave her the happiest moments in her life, and he still could keep making her happy. Nobody ever made her laugh like that, nobody had connected with her in such a way, and no one had ever shared her soul. Everything about him felt right, but soon it would be wrong. There needed to be a stop to it before it got ugly. She bit her lip, trying to keep back the words, but that was cruel to the both of them. She breathed deeply and then spoke.

"Jack, I need to talk to you."

"I suspected," he frowned. Icicles were stabbing up into his chest and everything was pulling around them. Her voice was laced with the smallest of daggers, preparing to shoot at him. His body pulled towards her, eager to finally know what it was she had been hiding. He also longer to pull away, already knowing what was to be said. Morgan pulled her hand away and hugged her knees, rocking on the bed.

"I've been working on this project."

"I know, and you seem really into it."

"I am..." she breathed. "It's a project with my classmate."

"I know."

"His name is William."

"William... Seder? That one in your history class who's backed you up on a lot of things you've said?" Morgan nodded, using her fingers to dot the edges of her eyes.

"Um, he uh... he asked me something last week."

"Mmh?"

"He asked me to prom, Jack," she breathed, stretching her legs out and staring at the purple edging on her socks.

"What did he say when you told him no?"

"I... uh..." Morgan steered her body away him and found an interesting spot on her wall. Her mind was buzzing and everything told her this was not happening. This was impossible, this was not reality. She knew what reality was, and it didn't feel like this. Her life was Jack was perfect and nothing could ever ruin that. Her teeth cut her lip open so she quickly lapped up the blood. She wriggled her feet, pushing all of the pain and tension in her legs. Morgan squeezed her eyes shut, pushing out all the moisture that had been building up. Her breath filled up quicker. Something was blocking her heart so it beat too fast. She looked up at the ceiling, waiting for that foreboding weight she sensed to crash onto them.

"I said yes," she whispered, finally finding this words. Jack slipped off the bed and paced the room. Somehow, he knew that was what was coming. Her heart had fallen for someone else. It explained everything. The change in her scent, the reluctance to touch him, the distractions to avoid speaking to him. He touched his chest, hoping to find an ice pick that would account for the splitting pain that opened him up and letting the salty air seep in.

"And this... this has been going on long?"

"What? Oh, Jack, no that's not what I meant at all!"

"What did you mean?" he glared at up her. It was hard to know what to use in this situation. Should he be hurt? Should he be sad? Should he be angry? He was feeling them all combat each other and there was no winner. He spun to face her and felt that sickening confusion he remembered was called dizziness.

"There's nothing been going on between us, this is the first time anything..." She scampered up from the bed, tears now making their steady way down her face. She enveloped Jack in a shuddering embrace and wept into his shoulder.

"Morgan, why are you crying?"

"Because I love you, and I don't want to do this!"

"What are you doing?"

"How have you not figured it out right now?!"

"My head is pounding and I feel like I am going to through up. I'm not really focused." She lifted her head and took a moment to let the tears run their course. She hacked and coughed until finally her voice was coherent enough. The tenseness of the words stabbed into every organ she had, and she could feel the blood pouring out into her stomach. This was killing her, but she needed to release it all. Growing up had been trying to tell this was not going to work and finally she was listening, but the years of resistance had made it so much harder.

"Jack, this summer, when we were in Europe... that was the most fun I had ever had in my life." She attempted a smile. Jack remained stoic. "However, when I found out what it was, when I was sick... I thought I might die. I felt... betrayed. I felt like I couldn't trust you. After I thought about and I realized why you did what you did, I became okay with it, but... it was that offer of Pitch's... it made me think. And then I turned eighteen and now college. Everything the other Guardians said... we should have listened. This can't work, Jack."

"But it can, Morgan!" he sobbed, gripping her shoulders. "It's just a little harder! It's like a long distance relationship, if we work at it, we can-"

"No, Jack, please, this is hard enough, just stop..." she begged, her fresh flow of tears cracking her voice. She sniffled and looked down at the ground again. "We are too different Jack. And God, I love you. I love you so much, this hurts so badly. I feel like I'm dying... I can't live my human life with you. I can't be a Guardian and a human. I have to choose."

"No, you don't you... stop, Morgan, please..."

"I want to have a husband who can grow old with me. I want children of my own. I want a human life. And I want to die knowing that my husband can follow me. Whatever lies beyond in the next life, I don't want to be alone..." Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Morgan covered his mouth with her finger. "Please. I want to try a human relationship, have people see my boyfriend. I'm sick of people thinking I'm crazy and..." she began to hyperventilate. "I don't want to do this, but I can't have this! We were never meant to be, we should have never been together. Just because we're in love doesn't mean we should be and I don't... Jack, I can't..." He embraced her and silenced her screams into his sweatshirt. He cradled her and stroked her long tresses, shushing her the way a father would.

"It's okay, Morgan, I get it. I know..." As much Jack understand, his stomach was tearing in two and all he wanted to do was run and hide, and scream into a pillow, just as if he were five. He rocked her as she sobbed, and with every noise she made, it radiated into his heart to open another fresh wound. He winced at the noises, hating how the effected him.

"Please don't hate me..."

"Dear, I could never hate you. Not ever. I promise I will never hate you. You are always going to my be Snow Angel."

"And I am never going to stop believing in you!"

"I know that," he chuckled, the motion shaking his gut with pain. "I am not going to keep you away from the life you want. I am going to give you everything you have ever wanted."

"I'm sorry, but I have to break up with you. I can't keep getting older while you stay the same."

"I know, love. It's okay."

"But Jack." She lifted her head, the tears frozen in ice droplets. He flicked away the ones still clinging to her eyelashes. "You are such an important part of my life and I don't think I could ever live without you being there. I need you to survive, you are always going to be... so important and I... need you."

"Will you tell your children about me?"

"Of course, Jack, of course! And all our adventures and the fun we had. And they'll believe. Please Jack... pop in once in a while and let's go chase the Dreamsand." He tilted her head and the edges of his lips grazed the petal softness of hers. She pushed far too into it and every bit of her desire and her longing laced into the kiss. Jack held her tight, gluttonous for her. He wept, the drops of his pained sadness shedding from his eyes and falling into their last desire. Her nails dug into his shoulders, tearing away at her own passion. She kept pulling back for deep breaths, and opened up for more sharp sobbing. Jack finally gently pushed her away.

"I should... go to the Bennetts."

"Yeah... yeah maybe that's best."

"Have fun at prom."

"You'll come back?"

"... Not until after the summer... I don't know if I could... stick around here so much shortly after..."

"Yeah, I get it. But you'll come back?"

"I promise."

"And you won't leave me."

"I promise."

"And you love me?"

"I promise," he cried. "Forever, I promise."

* * *

**I am sorry guys. I am so sorry. Really I am. This hurt to write. I mean, I was weeping. But this has been... planned since Morgan was eleven. I am sorry. Really. I feel horrible for writing it but this is... essential for what happens with Morgan. Please nobody stop reading because of this. I PROMISE this is not the end. I still have many chapters to cover. I am sorry, really... **


	104. Red Light

**Thanks you guys for the explosion of reviews I received. I know the last chapter was painful, but if it hurts, that means you care, and that makes me feel good (not the hurting you part, the caring part). I was bracing myself for people who loved Morgack (to the one who said Mack, I am fond of the fact that you came up with your own pairing name. But I say Morgack because I hate it when you used most of one name and only one letter of the other name. It looks weird) to yell at me, but I got none of that. Instead I got notes about people being sad that are broken up, but they understood and trust that I know what I am doing (THATMADEMESOHAPPEH) and I was so glad to hear that. Thank you! I assure you all, the story of Morgan and Jack's journey is not yet over and there are still many chapters yet to come! I'm excited to share what is to come with you**

**Fun story: So my roommate-of-only-12-more-hours's aunt was over here today. And I love her, she's like another aunt to me, but she's not around enough to know how obsessed I am with ROTG and as far as I knew, she didn't even know of it's existence. I was being annoying and pestering her and she screamed "GO SUCK AN EGG YOU RABBIT!" I blinked a few times and then fell on the floor, laughing incredibly hard. It was the highlight of my day**.

* * *

_~Jack~_

It was convenient for Jack that his body had no need for any of the human necessities such as eating, showering, or using the toilet. He restricted himself to the small room at the Bennetts, reading anything Jamie or Sophie brought to him. Ms. Bennett would knock on his door about three times and constantly ask if he needed anything or was okay. He would always give her short responses, making it clear he was not okay, but he would rather not be bothered. Every time he had seen someone lose it over a relationship or lock themselves up for months, he believed they were perhaps being a little dramatic or wanting attention. In some cases, he still believed that could be the case. Now, though, he wasn't sure he thought everyone was like that, because right now he did not want to be anywhere. He wanted to do nothing with his life. Eventually, he would need to find the gumption to go to Antarctica, but that was all right. Maybe it would be good. Be as far away from her as possible, but being so far once again spurned that tightening sensation. He didn't wish to be so far from her. Jack still wanted to hear Morgan's laugh, fill the tingle of warmth in crevice just below his sternum when she waltzed into the room, run his fingers against the tickle of her skin, inhale the mango and vanilla infused with the rosewater musk that lingered around her. Every bit of that was gone now. He would still remain, just as he promised, and perhaps they would still have fun. But it would not be as it was. No more late nights. Back to the way they once were, except not because they had a history. A history filled late night talks before bed when Morgan recalled her date, heated moments in the middle of the day, nights caught the interlude of dancing across the trails of Dreamsand, mornings filled with the enthusiasm for their innocent plans of romance. Losing time in the splendor of the world, forever together, was no longer an option.

"Jack?" Sophie asked, slipping into his room sneakily. He raised his head and faked a smirk at her entrance. She frowned, observing how forced it was and snuggled up to his side. Jack tousled the stray pieces of blonde over her face and she snickered at the bits that tickled her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Soph," he muttered.

"You're a liar." A real smile now found his face.

"Yeah, I am."

"Morgan's stupid."

"Now, Sophie, that's not nice," he softly chastised. She shrugged.

"Ask me if I care."

"Morgan wasn't trying to hurt me, and she didn't want to do it, but we are different. She wants a life I can't give her, and it's as simple as that."

"Why aren't you fighting for her?"

"There would be no point," he sighed, trying to figure out how best to explain love to someone who was too young to really understand how relationships truly worked. "Sophie, sometimes... I mean, yes. You should fight for someone you love. If they're in danger or there's some sort of complication such as being halfway across the world that prevents you from being together. If you both feel you should be together and want to be together but there is something blocking you, of course you should fight. But if the one person does not want the same things you want, and does not feel they can put as much into it... then you have to give them what they want. You need to let him be free. That's what I am doing with Morgan."

"But why would you do that?"

"Selflessness. If you really love someone, then you will care more about their wants, needs, desires, and happiness more than you do your own."

"And you love Morgan that way."

"If she didn't want to see me ever again I never would return. It would be painful, but I would do it," Jack nodded, wincing at the idea of such a thing ever happening. "Thankfully, she said that could never happen and still wants me around."

"Won't that be painful? I mean, you still love her..."

"It will, but maybe with time it will fade."

"Maybe Morgan was right, about history," Sophie deduced, shifting around so Jack was holding her in his arm. He looked over to her for an elaboration. "I just mean that it's better than fiction. I grew up with all these tales of happily ever after and princess and princesses and everything works out in the end and true love exists." She rolled her eyes. "But my real life is teaching me different. Mom's relationship has been steady but doesn't seem to be advancing like she would like it to be. Jack and Pippa are on the rocks, Morgan just broke up with you, and then there was... Mom and Dad. It seems like love is more... dangerous than anything."

"Do you remember our conversation about love and ice?" he asked, rubbing her hand against her shoulder reassuringly.

"Yeah, and I get it, but I haven't seen a good example about relationships. A real life example. Fiction makes everything happily ever after where real life shows how destructive they are."

"That's not true, Sophie. That's not true at all. I still firmly believe in love, and how it can be the most inspirational, uplifting, powerful, and greatest emotion you can ever feel."

"But why can't I see it?" Jack sat up and lifted her into his lap, even though she was beginning to get a little too old to be held. Even so, she gladly crossed her legs and watched him as he talked.

"Because society does not think children want to hear real stories and so when you do observe the real ones, they are negative because they stick out more. Many tales in fiction are sad and heart wrenching, Just ask Linda and the television shows she watches. But there are also very real stories of love that demonstrate how wonderful it can be."

"Like what?"

"Why don't we start with the Taj Mahal?"

_~North~_

"I don't understand why yer all bloody surprised, haven't we all said that this was to be comin' and it would hurt Jack more than being caught in the ring with a couple of kangaroos?  
Bunny replied. Recently, Baby Tooth had been cruising through Pennsylvania collecting the teeth of the children there who had put them under their pillows. Since Harrisburg was a big city, she had made several stops and wanted to stop by Morgan's to say hello, but she had been on the phone with Linda and crying. Immediately upon bringing the teeth to the Tooth Palace, Baby Tooth had told Tooth everything she heard in a panic. A visit to the Bennetts and discovering that Jack did not wish to leave his room told her everything she needed to know, and she cruised on to the North Pole where they collected all the other Guardians and made an announcement.

"It's not that we're surprised!" Tooth corrected with pain stretching her face. She could not get the image out of her mind when she looked through Jack's small window. He had stretched himself on the bed sofa combo and his arm rested over his eyes. He was never down, he was always out and active in some way. Now he lay there, some change pushing him into listlessness. "They already went on for so long... I thought, hoped, that their relationship would end slowly falling out of love. Losing that spark. Morgan would fall in love with some other boy. And I didn't think it would be now. I thought maybe when she found someone who majored in the same thing as her, had the same passion for history..." Sandman waved his hands, an image of Jack taking form over his head and then a heart breaking apart. "Right, Sandy. We're scared for Jack as well."

"Ah, he'll get over it," Bunny said. "Jack is optimistic, he's the Guardian of Fun. He'll find somethin' to distract him."

"You weren't the one who saw him, Bunny," Tooth recalled with hopelessness. "He might have even been crying... he looked so... broken. Unrepairable."

"What exactly happened?" North inquired and Sandy nodded with agreement.

"Ya think any of us know? We're not the ones who go creepin' on children in the middle of the night," Bunny teased and North rolled his eyes.

"What about Cupid?" Tooth wondered, a light of repulse flickering in the bright magenta irises. Bunny shook his head quickly.

"We've fraternized enough with the likes of him," he explained. "I am tired of his uncomfortable advances and that stupid look of his. Plus I don't like the way he looks at ya, Tooth! Ya two have a history and he's constantly tryin' to get close to ya again. I will not let him hurt ya again." Tooth's eyes softened and she flitted to the oversized rabbit, stroked the fur on his shoulder gently. She smiled, touched by his sentiments and he returned the look.

"Even so, is good idea!" North bellowed, crossing his arms with firm determination. "Cupid will know what up is. We go now."

"Now?" Bunny scoffed.

"To the sleigh!"

"Not the bloody sleigh..." But the Bunny was dragged out of the workshop by an overly excited Sandman. The Yetis opened the doors to the festive and ancient vehicle, the reindeer bucked and pulling reluctantly at their reins. The Yetis steered them onto their track quickly they tried to prepare it for its launch. North, however, was ready right away and did not want to wait. He jumped in and Tooth pulled Bunny gently inside it, even though he fought against every attempt of hers. Sandy clapped and bounced in his seat, ready for the launch. Once all the others had been situated and Bunny was trying to hop out, North flicked the reins and the sleigh moved at harrowing speeds through the ice tunnels. They spiraled on the loops weaved across the snow before sailing into the air. Bunny collapsed on the floor of the sleigh, breathing heavily. A snow globe opened a portal to the wispy clouds that parted the way to the ancient roman columns that surrounded the stone Romanesque palace. The sleigh landed clumsily in the courtyard of the rectangular shaped dwelling and collided with a rounded bush full of hot pink clusters.

"What are you doing to my rhododendrons?!" squawked the heated Cupid as he bolted away from the open entrance into his palace. "Do you know how long those have been growing! North, I thought I told you I did not wish you to use your sleigh in here! Ohhh, my poor babies! Well, hello Tooth, you're looking well! Your feathers look spectacular today!" He waggled his eyebrow at her and she clicked her tone to show her distaste for the spirit of love. Bunny pushed her back, purposely holding out his boomerang.

"Watch it, mate, or you're going to have trouble sitting for a week!"

"Oooh that sounds exciting, Bunny, are you planning a romantic rendezvous for the two of us?" Bunny's furry jaw dropped about two inches and he coughed when his brain worked out what Cupid had been twisting his words to mean.

"No! Cupid, you are the most-"

"We are not here to argue, Bunny!" North interrupted, pushing away the warrior away from Cupid. He stepped in front of Cupid and whole heartedly placed a hand on his own chest to show sincerity.

"I am sorry for your beautiful bushes. I will get them fixed. Now, we discuss!"

"Are you here about Jackie?" Cupid guessed, sympathetic pout replacing the mischievous smile he had before. "Sad, isn't it? But we all knew it was to happen."

"Do you know what happened?" Tooth asked quickly, hovering over him with an appetite for his knowledge of the situation.

"I don't just know, I watched it," he informed, leading them through the titanic doors surrounded by carvings of mythological figures. He walked them down the hall of chandeliers and then into a main room, where a screen showing the Earth in its rotation was displayed large across the wall, instead of a globe like North had. Beneath the wall was a long row of controls and buttons, with levers in between. Cupid stood before the panel and tapped a few buttons. He zoomed in on Pennsylvania and tapped a small icon in Harrisburg, which had a skinny translucent subtle pink line connected to somewhere nearby, and then a much thicker, cherry red line connected to somewhere in Burgess. "This is Morgan's blip. If I select it, I can pull up all in the information on her. Her past relationships, her previous crushes, including celebrities although there is no real line for her to them because they have never met."

"Can you see any potential lovers?" Bunny wondered, finding the system a little fascinating.

"Only if they've met," he explained. "Such as this pink line, right here. It's connected to a boy in her town. They've been working on projects together and she's developed a small crush on him."

"And that big red line?"

"That's Jack. See this indicates that she's madly in love with him still. The pink is a possibility and it shows she is not repulsed by the idea of dating him. But that's all the farther her interest in him is. Using this, I can give people the encouragement and confidence to do something, to make a move, or inspire them to catch the attention of someone. But I cannot make them do something they absolutely do not want to do. I can make someone with intimacy issues really long to hold someone and kiss them, but I can't make them actually do it. That's an issue they have to work through with themselves or a professional."

"Huh," North said with intrigue.

"So Morgan and Jack still love each other?" Tooth asked with hope.

"Very much, but..."

"But what?" Cupid zoomed back out, so they saw lines stretched all across the world, with several lines extending over continents and overseas. Some lines were so faint it was hard to even tell they were there. Others were baby pink, some hot pink, some were bright red, and there were others, probably one of the lesser common shades of red on the graph, that were a maroon.

"See these lines?" he asked. "Everyone starts out as a faint pink line, indicating interest, a crush, or potential match. If they never make a connection it goes away, but some purse each other, and it gets more solid and darker in color."

"So what does that mean?" North wondered.

"The darker it gets, the more passionate they are for each other, and the more their love deepens. Jack and Morgan are very clearly still crazy about each other and love each other more than I have seen even many humans do in their whole lives."

"That's good, right?" Tooth wondered.

"Eh... well, here's the thing," Cupid said. "It's easier for couples who are within the bright red range to fall out of it. Morgan and Jack are on the very bottom of the bright red range. As for the dark red range, the more they fall into it, the harder and harder it is to get out of it. Some couples never even dip into the dark red. But when they get down to this color, the maroon... I think I've only seen five or six couples actually come out of that in the whole time I've been in charge of that."

"What does the maroon mean?" Bunny asked.

"True love," Cupid answered, looking wistfully at the screen. "Destined to be. And those who reach it, it only happens once in their lives with the exception of those who have had people pass on and found others. If that happens, they not only form a maroon line, but their icon glows, to show the love they carry in them for someone who has moved on."

"You're saying that Jack and Morgan's love was not true?" Tooth guessed. Cupid pressed his lips together tightly.

"As of right now, it's not. It's usual to see someone as young as her with such a filled line. It happens, but it's unusual. That means they really love each other a lot, but it is not as the status where it would last forever and is meant to be. If they stayed together, it could develop into that, but they're not. I expect now, it will fade. I am showing you this so you know that Jack is going to be okay. He's going to come out of it, and he will be fine. He's just aching right now."

"But what happened?!" North wanted to know. Cupid scoffed and zoomed in on the blip in Harrisburg again. He pulled up a profile again that showed Morgan's turn ons and turn offs and her current love interests and her status. The bottom of her profile showed several buttons, one of them Cupid pushed and that brought up a list of video recordings of the most significant things in her love life. The most recent one at the top had been recorded just a few days again and Cupid clicked it. It began when Morgan threw the marker across the room and asked Jack to sit beside her, and it went through the emotional conversation the two of them had, ending when Jack left out of her window. While they watched, Tooth covered her mouth in the impossible horror about what happened. Bunny awkwardly scuffled his foot against the marble floor. North's eyes welled. Sandy kept his eyes downcast. Cupid also looked really solemn as he turned off the screen.

"Yeah," he huffed. "I wasn't exactly happy either. I was really rooting for them, you know? Jack is... a good kid. He causes a little trouble, but he's good, and he's been so lonely. He really deserved someone like Morgan. She's sweet and headstrong. Really tough and stands up for things most people could not care less about. She's really unique and I think the world needs more like her. She's the one person I would actually consider never trying to persuade to get in bed with me. Although, if she asked, I can't say I would say no."

"Every time ya say somethin' that sounds genuine and makes me like ya a little, ya go and end with somethin' as stupid as that and I remember why I dislike ya!" Bunnymund snarled angrily. Cupid sauntered over to the warrior rabbit and nudged stroked the soft fur under his neck. At first, Bunny's eyes rolled up and his smile relaxed into a goofy grin. His foot thumped loudly with the motion of Cupid massaging the foot near his neck. Quickly, he realized what he was doing and snapped his front teeth at Cupid's finger.

"Play nice, Bunny," Cupid scolded.

"Ya just need to flirt with everyone, don't ya?"

"I've never been with a bunny before, I would like to try something new." Cupid giggled. "Aww, you just need to get to know me a little better!"

"Getting to know ya always entails something I will never be comfortable with!"

"Jack's going to be okay?" Tooth asked quietly, putting the focus back on the original question. Cupid squeezed her delicate fingers and kindly smiled to her.

"They both will be, Tooth."

* * *

**Just a little note - depending on what happens tonight when my roomie gets home, I may or may not be updating another chapter. I have to be up early tomorrow because I am moving. Which also means, depending on how long it takes, I may not update tomorrow. Moving sucks and is grueling and if it takes us longer than I anticipate, I will be exhausted and going to bed early. So there may not be another one up tonight, and there may not be another up tomorrow. **


	105. Abandonment

**This chapter seems to have gotten a bit more personal than it was originally supposed to be, and that's okay. You guys are away I am moving tomorrow. Well, I want to say that I live with my best friend's family. One of my best friend's anyway. I moved in in January, but it was always temporary. I lived in my childhood home before. Long story short, my dad died in 2010. We always struggled with money, but even more so when he died and we lost over half our income and It was a long time before I got a job, but I got paid so little at that job and I never got hours. Basically, I couldn't afford to keep up my end, so my friend's family offered to let me live here until the super inexpensive student housing opened up again. And they have been fantastic, I thought I knew them, but I nowhere near as much as I do now. They are another extension of my family and they took me in when I would have been homeless and fed me and sheltered me and helped me in so many ways I can't even begin to count. And my friend has been fantastic through all of this and it's going to be excited to have my own place but I am also really sad to be leaving. I'm crying writing this, but a happy crying. Things in my life are changing once again, and there are other changes in place that will occur. Still, there are some things I can rely on to be constant - my friendship with the one I am talking about, and the other one, IdrilPuck, who I don't get to see as much because she lives three hours away, but I love her to pieces as well.**

* * *

_~Morgan~_

"You are ridiculous!" Linda screeched, chasing her best friend into the a bathroom at the ballroom. Morgan touched up the mascara around her eyes and then blotted away the new layer of lipstick she had applied. "You talk all about never wanted to lie and always telling the truth, but you keep wearing that fake smile and laugh obnoxiously and what you are doing is lying to poor William!He's like a dog out there, panting and pawing at you for attention!"

"He's so needy..." Morgan moaned. Everything was all wrong. She hated the dress she was wearing, some fifties prom dress that fit too tightly around her waist because she had gained a couple extra pounds from her inactivity the past couple of months and she had this strange feeling her breasts were going to pop out. The tulle beneath the dress kept scratching at her legs, and all night she was tripping over the heels her mother made her wear. The curls in her hair had tangled together in the mess of hair spray. Nothing felt right that evening. William was a very good dancer and that made it all the more awkward when she tripped over him. He had been so kind to her ad laughed and kept telling her it was okay she was a little uncoordinated. He was being a gentleman and she hated every moment of it. She did not want to be with him and kept pushing off the corsage on her wrist he had given to her.

"No, he's not needy! He just wants to have fun with you, and you won't let him! You keep pushing him away!" Linda scolded, snapping a deadly look at the woman who entered the bathroom. She tossed her hair in a superior fashion and snarled at Linda, entering the closest stall.

"I'm not trying to, I..." Morgan faltered off, staring at herself in the mirror. "I had fun last year. This year, everything is falling apart."

"You were with Jack last year, that's why!" Linda bellowed. "You were with someone you loved, someone you wanted to be with. Jack is still on your mind and you want to be with him, but noooooo. You don't want to work for a relationship! You want everything to come easy to you and have this peaceful loving happy-go-lucky time. That's not what commitment is about!"

"Keep it down, there are people here..."

"Admit it, Morgan! The longer we're friends, the more I learn that despite how fixated you are being real, and thinking realistically and relying only on the real world, you couldn't be further from the truth! You think you're going to have this easy relationship and things will just work. You're lying to William right now! You don't want to be here, you're not having fun. In fact, I bet you only agreed to go with him because how knowledgeable he is about history!"

"Linda! Stop it," Morgan wept. "A relationship with Jack is not practical!"

"So said the mother to her daughter in a long distance relationship!" Linda scoffed.

"No, that's different, I mean this is really not practical! I want a type of husband that Jack can never be!" Morgan and Linda backed away from the sinks when the toilet flushed and the girl came out to wash her hands. They both stayed quiet while the water ran. She looked curiously between the two of them and dried her hands before walking out. "I want children who will carry on my legacy. I don't want to suffer aging by myself. I don't want to have to battle hypothermia every time Jack and I have sex!"

"So you _did_ do it?!" Linda gasped.

"That was a hypothetical-"

"Oh, save it, you big liar," Linda giggled and embraced her friend warmly. "I just think it's stupid and horrible of you to do this to Will. I mean, have you seen the way that boy's eyes light up when you look at him? Have you noticed the way he carries himself with you?"

"Not... really."

"Of course not, because Jack is still on your mind."

"I hurt every single day when I think about him," Morgan sniffled, black substance smearing on Linda's shoulder. "I wish it wasn't so hard, I still love him. Why can't he just be human? In fact, why did I go and fall in love with him? I wish I had been told he never existed, my life would be so much simpler. My family wouldn't think I was crazy, I wouldn't have gone missing-"

"You wouldn't have had the time of your life and learned what it means to really."

"Why do you do that?"

"Just pointing out that you and Jack were meant to be together. Maybe not forever, but to teach you things, for that period of time. You were meant to be. He taught you what it means to have fun. He taught you what it means to love. He taught you what it means to imagine, to expand your mind beyond what is proven to be true and consider the possibilities that there are greater things in this world. Like magic and wonder."

"I really hate you..." Morgan laughed. Linda dropped her arms and whipped out a tissue from her purse. Morgan dabbed at the tears spreading her fresh coat of mascara.

"No you don't."

"Linda..." she started carefully. "What am I going to do when I'm at college? When you're not there all the time?"

"You underestimate the power of computers and friendships that span distances. You should really look at all the many beautiful friendships that have formed over the miles and lasted so long. Especially with the internet, they have exploded."

"But with Jack..."

"He's coming back," Linda reminded. "He promised. And Jack keeps his promises. He'll still be there. And if you really can't have a future with Jack, he will respect that and leave you be. And you'll fall in love with some sexy archaeologist most likely and he will be dashing and beautiful and you will play hard to get while I sit there and admire all the sexy guys you get and you will get married and have beautiful babies."

"Do you have my life planned out?" asked Morgan with a cocked head.

"Pretty much."

"That's creepy."

"That's friendship. You move to Philadelphia when?"

"August 1st."

"We have time til then," Linda said. "And even then, I will drive down once a month, and you will drive up two weeks after I drive down. We'll be okay, Morgan. Most of all, you'll be okay." Morgan's clutch beeped and she pulled her phone out of her purse, rolling her eyes at the text she had just received from her mother. She showed it to Linda who read "hope you are having fun! If you don't come home tonight, be sure to be safe!" Linda gagged at the hidden meaning in the text and coughed out her disgust. Morgan nodded and tucked her phone away.

"Your mother is very different from mine," Linda commented.

"My mother is just excited about me acting 'normal' and if I slept with William, she would deem that a normal teenage thing to do!" Morgan said, deleting it. The month that Morgan had spent weeping over Jack in her room, her father had been very sympathetically and consoling, while Mrs. Kenter tried to look concerned but could not hide how she felt with the whole Jack business being over and done with. She thought she was making an improvement and the medication she wasn't taking but believed she was was pushing away her hallucinations and Morgan was simply upset about not being able to see this fantasy man anymore. She was enthralled when Morgan said she was going to prom with William and she had actually been able to see him.

"Should we try to have some fun?" Linda asked. Morgan smiled and nodded, Linda pulling her out of the bathroom. Entering the ballroom again, they saw William coming towards them, but being pulled by the radiant blonde who had been in the bathroom while they were talking.

"Hey, uh, Morgan," he said. "Um, listen it didn't look like you were having any fun and we're not really a couple anyway so... and Pia was talking to me, said she had this, um... her friends got all these hotel rooms and-"

"Oh go..." Morgan harshly murmured, retreating over to where the refreshments were. Her tears began to slip again, splashing in the punch bowl. Linda jogged over to her friend who was defiant about leaving. In the end, the two of them left the dance early, deciding it was best to just have a sleepover at Linda's where there were very little memories of Jack and none of any intimate nature.

"Linda, Morgan, why have you come home so early?" Mr. Tan asked when they carefully stepped in, apparently not as quiet as they had been hoping they were.

"Morgan's date thought it would be a better idea to go to a hotel with some other girl!" Linda barked. Her voice was poisoned with her detesting opinion and Mrs. Tan had flown down the steps and hugged her daughter's friend.

"What a disgusting thing to do!" she agreed, stroking Morgan's mess of a hairstyle. She kissed her forehead and looked at her sympathetically, cutting off her oxygen supply with how hard she was hugging her. "He obviously has no value for you, and shouldn't be with you! Maybe we can key his car?"

"Di!" Mr. Tan yelled. Linda giggled.

"It was just a suggestion."

"This is not the time to be telling them your stories about college."

"Oh! That reminds me, Linda, Morgan did I ever tell you about when my professor-"

"Not now, Mama!" Linda huffed, pulling Morgan behind her. The two of them found their way to Morgan's bedroom. The sound of the door slamming shut into woodwork initiated an waterfall to stream from Morgan's eyes. In her silky garments, she settled onto the floor and rasped, swallowing air in large doses to keep breathing. Linda dropped in front of her. Morgan rubbed her eyes against her shoulder, unattractive gulping noises muffled by Linda's collarbone.

"Morgan, he's an idiot, an asshole, he doesn't get that-"

"I'm not crying over William, Linda!" she got out. "My life has spiraled out of control in ways I never thought possible. I've grown up, and I had no idea it would mean all of this! I got into the perfect college, but now everything is mess! That means I'm going to be distant from you and Brad, on top of already being distant from Jack! If I could fall in love with someone else, maybe it wouldn't hurt so bad, but I can't fall in love with someone else when I feel like this, you saw that! That's why William was so willing to go with Pia."

"William was willing to go with Pia because he's hormonal and Pia listened in and decided it would be fun to ruin things and William jumped at the chance," Linda explained.

"Growing up sucks, it really does. I want to be like Jack and never have to worry about it!" Linda cradled Morgan again and sobbed with her, whispering very carefully in her ear.

"Sweetie, listen to me. What Jack has is much worse. People can only see him if they believe. Most people stop believing after childhood. You were the person who made him feel like he could be himself, really himself. Children grow up and he isn't seen by those who he has attached himself to. And those who still do will grow up and die, and he has to be lonely, going on forever. He can't have a family of his own, can't properly enjoy the pleasures of a human life. Do you really want that?"

"If I'm with Jack, then I don't care!"

"Morgan, honey, you don't know what you're saying.. that's why you told Pitch no..." Her cries softened, but they continued on all the same. Linda patted her back and then got up, moving over to the drawers. She threw a pair of loose pajamas at Morgan. They would be a little tight on her compared to Linda's slim figure, but they would fit all right. Morgan fumbled with the articles of clothing and stripped her dress away from her, stepping into the pants and pulling the shirt over her head. Linda changed quickly and carelessly tossed their dresses aside. Her times with her friend had ingrained certain habits into her. She popped in the DVD used for emergencies, when times were really rough for her. Linda pressed the button on the remote and started the film on the reign of Elizabeth the I. It took several heaves for Morgan to clear out all the crying and the fits and the sadness, but soon the dull voice that Morgan found soothing shifted her concentration on the woman whom she valued higher than any other figure in all of history. The tears stopped. Her arms stopped shaking. Morgan jumped on the bed with her friends and leaned closer to her. Linda put her arm around her friend and smiled down at her, holding her with such a grip, Morgan understood there was nothing that was going to pry them apart. Things in their lives were changing drastically, some for the better, some for the worst. There was the one thing, however, that was always going to remain. Linda was always going to be at her side, attend every need, be there to wipe away every tear that decided to fall from Morgan's face. Jack was gone from her life, but Linda never would be.

"I love you," she told Morgan in her quiet state. "I don't think you will every understand how much. And I will fight for every bit of your happiness."

"What if my happiness means murdering people?" Morgan teased.

"I will supply my own body for you," Linda laughed.

"Not a lot people can say that about their best friend." Linda kissed her hair again, Morgan slowly becoming quietly and engrossed in her program. "I love you too, Linda. And someday you're going to make me jealous with your perfect life and beautiful husband as well."

* * *

**Okay, I need to go to bed. Need to rise, bright eyed and bushy tailed and it takes me a while to fall asleep. Another note, though. I have gotten several responses of people saying how this story has affected them personally and how it's beautiful and they feel it looks into their soul... Good. Because another mission of this story is to reach out to those who need it. Today I have had a lot of emotional things happen. I want you all to know, that if you need help with anything, if you need to talk,if you're hurting, whatever, get hold of me. I am here. I check my message son here all the time, although if you don't live in America I can't promise out times will correspond but I WILL get back to you. I promise. I love you all, my Snow Angels. :) Good night. I'll see you either tomorrow or Sunday! **


	106. Depression in Repression

**Thank you guys so much for understanding! I am officially out on my own and all my stuff is moved in! It took all day yesterday and most of today. Moving a few dozen boxes and furniture up three flights of stairs, let me tell you... I don't know if I have ever felt much pain in every part of my body before. All of my roommates were with their parents this weekend so I moved in and there was nobody home. Which was kinda nice, it helped make the move easier, but felt strange to be here today and taking care of myself in this new place. Thanks for being patient! Here is a really interesting chapter - and a little lengthy - to make up for the no update yesterday. **

* * *

AUTUMN

_~Jack~_

Jack Frost had been cold all summer long. He was, of course, always cold but this time he truly felt it. He had ventured to Antarctica as he had done for so many summers. That year, he felt little to no motivation. The penguins who had remembered him nudged at him, wanting ice slides and snowball fights, but Jack could not find it in him to begin such adventures. He would sit around on the cliffs of ice, and drag his staff along the snow, thin layers of crystals shooting a narrow path. He would pat the flightless birds, as a way of saying sorry when he did not meet their requests for fun. The only moments that could bring a true smile on his face where the times when a new penguin had come into the world and he stood around, watching the miracle of life. But that happened all at once and then it ended, so he was drowning in his misery again. The warmth he felt from remembering Morgan's face, her enthusiasm for history, the way her skin felt under his touch, as if it sparked from the simple tickle or caress, it was gone. Recalling the vision of her hazelnut hair tied back loosely as he concentrated on the pages of her textbook, or the chalk that colored it whenever she work on her art trickle a stab of shocking cold, hot from how sharp it felt. A cluster of ice gathered on the bottom of his eyes when he remembered the tight heat that rose in his chest whenever her mouth took a journey with his and he keeled over from the blizzard that coursed around his heart. The more he thought about her, the more the warmth she gave him just by thinking of her faded, and his organs continued to ice over. He was a Guardian. He did not understand how he could or should even feel such an immense pain. When he drowned, he had passed out before he truly felt the cold. All he could think was, he imagined this was exactly what freezing to death would be like.

"Huh," he laughed to himself, remembering a poem that Linda had recited from a class. Interestingly enough, the last name of the poet was also Frost. "'From what I have tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire.'" At that moment, he had never wanted to know what it would be like to be scorched. Being suffocated by the chill, for once in all of his life as Jack Frost, was slowly killing him.

Summer ended, and in came the fall. The day he had been dreading for so long arrived and he needed to start making his rounds in stopping the chlorophyll in the plants and trees and taking away the greenery, in order to transition for the world's marriage with the cold. But then it occurred to him the day that was fast approaching them, the one he had always tried to get back to Harrisburg for. Morgan had told him she still wanted to be friends. Possibly, those were the absolute worst words an ex could hear (and it was equally painful to refer to Morgan as his ex), as he was now going to be stuck. Seeing her reminded him of the good times they had, having good times would remind him of the great times they had, and not being with her reminded him of the best times they had. Having all of that was going to send him into an icy oblivion, and it told Jack that the old rule about never being able to be friends with your ex was more true than not, but he could not stay away.

"Hey, there, kiddo," he said to a girl of about seven outside a museum gift shop in England. Her mahogany eyes brightened at the appearance of him, and he knew she could not only see him but was very familiar with his stories.

"You're Jack Frost, right?" she enthused, holding out her arms for a hug. A thin curve pulled at his lips and he welcomed the hug. "Oh, you're cold."

"That I am," he laughed and handed over a twenty pound note and a ten pound note. "I got a little favor to ask of you."

"Oh, what is it?! I'll do it, Jack, I promise!" her thick accent seemed to grow with her excitement.

"Lots of adults can't see me because they don't believe in me."

"That's stupid."

"It is a little? But you know what? If I went in there and got something, it would look kinda funny to them, because they would see money and they would see what I was buying but not me. And it would float."

"That would be funny."

"So, I need some help, okay? Do you see that small shelf of bottles over there?"

"By the picture of Queen Bess?"

"Exactly. Could you buy one bottle for me please? I'm getting it for a birthday gift."

"Oooohh, Jack do you have a giirrrrlllfrieeeend?" he winced harshly at the term, finding it difficult to say she was no longer.

"I like her a lot," he said.

"Cool."

"And you can keep whatever change is left!"

"All of the change?!" Her eyes expanded. It would only be a few pounds, but to a child, he could have given her a million of them.

"Yeah, I promise!"

"Awesome!" she ran off and stood on her tiptoes to get to the small bottle. She bobbled over to the counter and purchased, Jack noticing how the cashier seemed to look at her strangely. It probably looked odd that a young girl was buying an expensive bottle of perfume, but as he was getting paid he did not make much of a fuss. The English girl walked out of the shop and handed over the bottle to Jack, who hugged her again before the wind caught him. He shoved it into his pocket, wondering if buying such an item was a good idea. She had run out before, but she did not bother him about it. That should have been the first clue that something was happening with them. But Morgan had wanted him there with her, wanted to keep him around. As her friend, even that was all they would ever be anymore, he was going to make damn sure he got her something for her birthday. If she accepted it and wore it, maybe that would mean something. Maybe they would be okay. Then Jack caught his reflection on a passing window, taking in his forever youthful appearance. It reminded him Morgan would age, and then he got that sickening, tumbling feeling of doubt.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

She rolled over and the first thing she noticed was the warmth. This had become a routine. For nearly six months, she had not gotten used to the lack of the foolish icicle boy who had laid beside her five out of seven nights a week, give or take. It was still so hard to wake up in the morning and find her bed without its companion, her companion. She hated how hot it got without him, even though the weather had shifted a couple of weeks ago so she could not sleep without a blanket. It was still warmer than it should have been, and her roommate was beginning to think she was sick, complaining of the heat.

"Are you sure you're a Pennsylvanian?" Gertrude would ask her. Morgan liked her all right but she could get fed up really easily and was a little short. That was not always the best of combinations with Morgan's temper. However, lately she seemed to have no temper. She just didn't care about anything that much anymore. "Are you from Alaska? Or Canada? Or maybe even Minnesota? No, wait, I bet you're from Antarctica." Morgan's ears pricked up, then she remembered how by this time, Jack had probably left the shelf at the bottom of the world.

"Did you find those books for World Geography yet?" Morgan asked in her sullen tone, trying to turn the conversation away from herself.

"Ugh, no. I'm not like you Morgan," Gertrude said, folding the freshly washed laundry that rest in her basket. "Just because I think Geography is fascinating does not mean I can't wait for the next essay on how the resources of Asia are important to their living." Morgan rolled her eyes. She didn't think that part of geography was that fascinating in particular, but the historical aspect of such details was. Most of all, she didn't understand how you could have a passion big enough to major in and not want to do the work about it.

"Oh. Well, just... get on it." Gertrude moved the laundry basket out of her way. She walked over to the desk Morgan had been sitting at and placed her hands on her shoulder.

"Hey, listen. I know I'm not always your favorite person. I know I'm not Linda. I know that you may only think of me as someone to live with, but I do care. And I know that... this person you've been since we've started college... is not who you really are. It doesn't match the description you put down on the roommate match, anyway. I know this... this guy. Jack, was his name? You won't talk about him. I don't know what he was like or anything, but he must have done this to you. Something... really bad."

"He did," Morgan sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it? What did he do?"

"He did so many things," Morgan laughed darkly. "He enchanted me. He embraced me. He was there for me. He always kept his promises. He cried with me. He showed me how to expand the way I see the world. The cruelest thing he ever did was love me."

"But if he was all those things, why did you end things?" Gertrude wondered. "I mean, he sounds fantastic."

"I couldn't see a future with him, not the future I wanted anyway..." Morgan sighed, picking at the shoddy woodwork on the cheap desks the university liked to place in dorms. "And I can't deal with that."

"But for you to be so upset over this..." Gertrude tousled her honey blonde locks out of her eyes. Her bangs had a problem of getting in the way when she talked and it amused Morgan a little. "I mean, it's been six months, right? You must have been head over heels. And five years together, I mean..."

"I am still in love with him..." Morgan confirmed. "So much, but like I said... I can't."

"Then... we should go out tonight, after classes," Gertrude offered.

"It's a school night though!"

"Oh, it's only one night! And besides, it's your birthday! Maybe you'll meet some cutie as well! I think it's what you need."

"Gertrude I am not drinking, okay? I am nineteen. I'm not old enough. I won't lie either. I'm not the lying type."

"Nobody ever said you even had to!" she giggled. "Some of my friends are twenty-one, and it's your birthday, you shouldn't have to purchase them anyway."

"Gertrude..." Morgan moaned.

"Oh, how about you think on it?" She picked up her pink backpack and flipped it over her arm before slugging it onto her back. The video chat on Morgan's computer began to sing, and her heart sang in tune with it, glad to have a distraction. "Whatever you do, happy birthday. And tell Linda hi!" She left their dorm room and whistled brightly down the hall. Morgan growled at her habit of leaving the door open and gave it a good kick to ensure its closure. Running back to the computer, Morgan tapped the answer button on the screen and there was an outline of a cheery red in her face.

"Morgan!" Linda called, waving over the camera.

"Hi!" Morgan greeted, almost sounding like herself She dragged a brown package off the floor and pulled it into her lap. It had arrived three days ago but Linda had wanted her to not open it until they talked on her birthday. Morgan held up the package, proving that its seal was not broken.

"Great!" Linda laughed. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you."

"How are you doing?"

"Same as ever," Morgan said, sighing more than usual in her response so Linda understood she was in fact not okay. Linda frowned, knowing better than to push the matter.

"I got class soon so open it, open it!" Morgan furiously tore at the end of the brown package, finding three DVDs of some obscure documentaries of famous events in history. The condition of the plastic around them and the marks on the covers told her they were used, but that made it all the more valuable to her.

"What are these?!" Morgan wondered as she rifled through them and read the backs.

"Aren't they great?!" Linda squealed. "I knew you would love them! Okay, enjoy them, but I need to go to class now, I'm actually already late. Bye love you happy birthday goodbye!" She quickly blew a kiss at the skin before the screen went dark. Morgan prepared herself to say goodbye sincerely, but she had left. Linda was trying to take her work very seriously, and Morgan was proud of that. However, she was trying so hard and that left limited time with her friend. Even on her birthday, her time with her best friend was very distant. Morgan slammed her head on her keyboard, squeezing out the traces of tears. She did not have class for a couple of more hours yet and here she was. Wide awake and alone. Her family was off and doing their own things and did not care about her heart break with Jack. Linda was off trying to be a good student. Gertrude was planning to spend time with her but involved what she wanted and not what Morgan wanted. Jack was no longer there. And the Guardians were not going to be able to protect her from this kind of horror. She was completely alone.

This fact was the reason she yelped when the window rattled and she saw the cause of it hanging out at the window. With surprised delight, she scurried over to it and pushed open to make an opening for the man relaxing confidently outside it. It took a few tries because the lock like to stick but eventually Cupid rolled in, bowing low before her. The golden waves on top of his head dangled in front of the lake's shimmer in his eyes. Seeing the dip of his smile into his cheek illuminated his face. Morgan choked, trying to regain breath. A mimicry of a bliss and anticipation blurred the images of Jack in her head and the way he looked at her conjured strange desires in the center of her abdomen.

"What are you..." she started to say, but gave in to the blush coloring her cheeks. He lifted her hand and was kissing the top of it tenderly, those cerulean eyes surveying her with interest, but an interest that was a little changed from the normal way he looked at people. There was a twinkle of lust, but it was hidden under the concerned wrinkle of his brow.

"I just want to stop by," he said to her, chuckling lowly till the seductive lull of his voice tugged at Morgan's navel. Her sensations mimicked fleeting moods of happiness.

"For, erm... what?" she stammered. Images of Jack that were normally so clear blurred under the intoxicating effect of his smile dipping into the red of his cheek, his presence warming her. The warmth spun her mind back to cold and Jack was clear, in the center of her mind once again, She dropped her hand from his grasp.

"I simply remembered it was your birthday and... oh dear," he frowned. Morgan flung herself onto her bed and pulled in her legs when Cupid made the motion to sit beside her. She pulled her pillow into her chest and and rubbed her cheek against the soft weave of the pillow, smearing her sadness. "Jack hasn't come by, has he?"

"No..." she moaned. "He doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. I told him that I still wanted to be friends but he hates me and doesn't want to see me anymore..." Morgan held the pillow to her face, screams silenced through the muffle of the pillow. She felt a tingle on her ankle, recognizing the feel of his thumb and finger stroking her leg. She bolted up, ready to strike that delighted grin right off his face for attempting to seduce her when she was dying of misery. But right before she had her fist balled to mutilate those perfect cheeks of his, she noticed how his eyes were actually steered away from her. They were distant and glazed over with the haunting of his own heartbroken past. His lips were firm, pushing back any emotion that may slip out. He was not touching her with the expectation of getting something from her, but rather he was trying to give her a little bit of comfort. Morgan was unsure how often he tried to reach out to anyone who was heartbroken. There was a little bit of awkwardness with him; whether it was because he was trying to do more for the heartbroken, because the situation involved Jack, or just because it was Morgan herself. No matter the reasoning for it, Morgan read into his attempt and coiled her arms around his neck. His chest was stained in a manner of minutes with the wretchedness of her cries.

"Everything is so different!" she screamed. "So different! I knew growing up would be hard, but I never imagined I would be without Jack! But that's the whole problem! I can't grow up without Jack, but I need to grow up without him! Cupid, what do I do? What do I do?! You're the spirit of love, surely you know!"

"Morgan, I, erm... I don't know... there are things even I don't know. I encourage hearts to unite and help connect, but that's all I do," he whispered, his hands falling on her wrists and running down her arms. She hated the way he tried to warm her, but also welcomed it. She liked being held in someone's arms again and be treated like something that mattered. It felt strange though to be so embraced so by something so heated, rather than an icy chill. "I help with things. I can't make anyone do anything against their will and I don't know how best to proceed in certain situations. In case you hadn't figured it out, I am not familiar with a situation like this. It's never happened."

"But I'm so lonely!" she wheezed. Cupid flipped her up into his lap, looking to the ceiling for some sort of answer to all of this and what to do. His neck was wet with her tears and she began to hyperventilate. "I can't... do this... my emotions are in this... huge ball and I'm in desperate need for some... and there's no one... and I want to know what it feels... how to be loved again... and I don't... I can't... everything..."

"Morgan, listen, please, this isn't true, you know it isn't!" He yelled, holding her face in his hands Saltwater dripped right into her mouth and she was hacking on them unattractively. "Things are so different, that's what happens when you grow up! It's one of the many reasons people stop believing! Not just in us, but in the world, in life, and in themselves! But you can't do that! You never stopped believing in anything! You need to hold onto, there are so few believers! Things will be all right! You just need to let the changes level themselves out!"

"How can I when... there's no one... who cares or love..."

"I am the spirit of love, do you really think I wouldn't know if there were people who didn't love you? People do love you! I am accredited with romance and weddings and dating, but I am the spirit of love. Just in general! I can see all kinds – I can see love for family, for friends, for neighbors, for pets! And my God, Morgan, if you only knew how many lines there are connecting to you. Some you may not even be aware of."

"But that's the problem! I can't feel it... My body is craving for some kind of attention and there's no one... and I am so love starved and everything in my body tingles with..." Her muscles relaxed under Cupid's grip. Her wailing, her sobbing, her panicking stopped altogether. She looked at Cupid with a strange pleading in her pupils. Tension slipped away and she rested her hands against his chest with wanting. He read into her actions and put his hands on top of her, pulling her back.

"No, Morgan," he firmly said, an authoritative voice emitting from him that was rarely ever heard from the likes of him.

"Why not?" she whispered, dropping her voice with the intent of being sultry, but her worn voice kept it from sounding genuine. "After all the people you've had... some you've known far less than me."

"Nearly all of them I knew less than you..." he corrected. "Since being a spirit I've never gotten to know anyone else as well, but that's exactly the reason." Morgan clawed at him but he broke her grip. "I know myself, Morgan. I will not want a relationship. I can't. It's too much. I can't do it again. Especially as a spirit it would... it wouldn't be right. All I do is lay with someone and bolt. I leave them in the morning. I'm the greatest lover, I would know exactly what to give someone to make them feel cherished. My problem is I would need to do that with everyone. And I can't love everyone in the world. It would be exhausting and it would be unfair to otherwise. Plus I can never... ever... love anyone the way I loved..."

"I know..." Morgan muttered. "You said once. When I was younger. That you could see the beauty I would become and when I was eighteen you would love to have me."

"I said that when you were young and it was a long ways a way from the age of consent and I didn't think I would know you that well," he snapped. "I cannot give you something when you hope something will come of it. I could never do that to you. And if Jack found out..."

"And I know you too. I don't expect anything. I don't even expect you to ever come back me. I just want the feel of someone's skin against mine again, I just want to be touched and... at least just feel loved."

"But it's an illusion, Morgan! It's the absence of love and that will only make you feel even worse."

"Don't you want me?" Morgan's voice faded with her assumption his refusal was an indication of how much he loathed the idea of the two of them together, how much he was repulsed by her. That only made her feel even more devastated. Cupid, who would have anyone and everyone, repulsed by her. Being rejected by Cupid would be everyone would reject her.

"That is not true at all!" he was quick to tell her, stroking her cheek and placing his lips to her forehead. "Its not often I get to personally know a soul as much as someone's body, and it never happens that I get to know the inside before the outside. And dear God, Morgan, you have given me the physical proof that the beauty on the outside reflects the beauty within. I have wondered what it would be like to be twisted up with you, and..." Cupid quickly crossed his legs and pulled a blanket over his lap before Morgan had a chance to look down. "Um, I uh... I desire you more than you know."

"Then why not?"

"Have you not be listening? I will not give you false hope."

"Well, I'm too in love with Jack to be after anything permanent..." Cupid turned away and she sighed. "I'm not going to force you. That's against everything I believe in. That's against everything you stand for."

"Will it help you cope?" he wondered, allowing his eyes to look up at her. "Are you repressed?"

"Not in sex. It's never been as big of a deal for me as it has for others, but in all areas of relationships. I think maybe... this will help make everything seem... less repressed." Cupid nodded with understanding and began to loosen the already wide open shirt of silk. Morgan rested against her bed, feeling slightly annoyed at the small size. He threw his legs over her waist and she rested her fingers against the bone round his hip. She groped for his fingers and pulled them towards her.

"Wait," he said. "I want you to be sure this is what you want. If Jack finds out about this and he accuses me of... taking advantage of you..."

"Yes, Cupid," Morgan snapped. She hated the images that he was forcing into her mind about Jack. This was supposed to be about them and not Jack. "I am sure, this is what I want."

"If there's anything you don't want me to do... if anytime you want to stop-"

"Too much talking and not enough undressing," she moaned, making the decision to slip off her shirt herself instead of waiting for him. "I know what I want. I know what I am doing. I am nineteen. I know what's going to happen. And what I want right now is equivalent to a freakin' one night stand."

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**If anyone didn't like Cupid I hope this makes you like him a little. And if you are disgusted with Morgan, that's okay! She's not supposed to be a perfect person and she's... you know. We all have made horrible choices when we're emotionally unstable. I know I've made some that I knew were bad but they just felt good at the time. Actually, if I have given you moments were you were frustrated with Morgan that's even better! In order to be real, she needs to be flawed and get on your nerves.**

**Cupid is not a "man-whore." The reason he's attracted to anyone and everyone is because he sees beauty in anyone and everyone. There's a lot of things he does that when you just see them you think he's a certain type of person, but he has a reasoning for everything.**

**(No, this is not going to end up being MorganXCupid. She's just having a moment of weakness ad Cupid is too concerned for her to turn her down - if it helps her, he'll do it in a heartbeat)**


	107. Restoring Elizabeth

**I'm curious to know how everyone felt about Morgan's little throw with Cupid and what you think that meant about the both of them and what was going on with them. I love it when readers discuss my story, not for selfish reasons (although I will not deny it is nice to hear people talking excitedly about something I wrote) but because it's interesting to see how readers view it in comparision to my intentions. I will not deny there are things I have purposely done and things I hope you saw and didn't see, but it's possible you saw something I never even considered and you figured something out. So don't be afraid to leave me a message recording their tryst, or anything else!  
**

**Oh, poor poor Jack... **

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The minute class let out, Morgan was at her dorm again and filling her laundry basket with the whole bedding set. She ran down to the laundry facilities and pulled open an empty machine, throwing all of the contents in at once, finally breathing when the machine started to move. Her fears alleviated from her, she wobbled back up to her room and casually opened the door to find the familiar figure of the king of frost reclining on her empty mattress. She gawked at Jack, and then looked up to the window she had left open. Then she looked back at Jack. There were many things exploding in her brain. The most minor of them was that she had left the window open. Then there was Jack on her bed. Jack, whom the last time she saw him, she had broken up with. Jack, who she was still madly in love with and thought had forgotten her birthday. Jack, whom she believed just moments ago she was never going to see again because he hated her so much. And now he was settling on her bed where she and Cupid had spent over an hour quietly getting to know each other a little better. Cupid, who he sometimes despised.

"Hi," she said. The sound of her voice, no matter how brief or strained it was rang a thousands bells in a fence around his heart. Jack could not believe how hungry he had been for that voice, how his eyes had ached to capture her image again, standing there with keys in her hand and leaning against the bookshelf with an expression too shocked to understand what it was for. He thought about all of its meanings. Was it anger that he had dared to come back, despite what she told him? Was it fear that he was going to try and plead for her back? Was she still in love with him? Was it genuine surprise? Or was it everything? Her skin was too white for it to be one particular emotion.

"Do you really just have pillow on your bed?" he greeted trying to find something to talk about to break the awkward tension between them.

"Uh, they're... laundry," Morgan quickly stuttered. He tilted his jaw once for a nod. Paranoia set in Morgan. Only three hours ago, she and Cupid had been going at it and no matter how much she pampered and tried to set everything back in its proper place to cover up as much as possible. Things that Morgan probably did not even need to take care of had gotten cleaned up. Even Gertrude's stuffed animals, that was on her bed and not Morgan's, she had been pretty sure were all a mess and she would never notice she had reorganized. The desk had been reorganized, the clothes in the closet. They didn't even get near the closet, and only left the bed once when Morgan had not noticed how close to the edge they were and landed on the floor. She felt like everything on her person just screamed what had just happened with her and Cupid Her trembling fingers touched her face and she felt her clothes down to rid of any wrinkles, even though by now they would have fallen out and kept touching her hair, that had been brushed before class. None of her classmates had said anything and she figured that meant she was safe, but Jack knew her better than anyone else and he would be able to see what no one else could.

Her strangeness was endearing. The way she kept on trying to readjust her clothes and looking in the mirror ignited hope in him. Her frantic state and concern for her appearance was similar to how a girl would act if someone she really liked had turned up unexpectedly, and he took that to be a good sign. He smirked and leapt from her bed, leaning against his staff.

"Morgan, you don't need to worry," he said, her bulging eyes turning towards him. "There's nothing wrong with a t-shirt, sweatpants, and a ponytail. Isn't it kind of the college look these days?" She relaxed in front of him and he grinned wider, amused that she needed his approval to feel like she looked okay.

Morgan had not needed his approval. His comment told her he had noticed any evidence of her being involved in her affair. She watched him hold out his arms to her and melted, her legs moving towards him before she could will them too.

"Happy Birthday, Morgs," he cooed, clinging to her longer. Her warmth just made him feel right, like everything was just the way it should be. The hot and cold mingling had created the temperature the both of them needed to be be stable. Morgan found her smile that had been missing and Jack rested his chin in her hair, stroking behind her ear.

"You came..." she giggled.

"Did you really think I forget?"

"Not forget, just..." Jack frowned.

"I will always want to be there for you. That is never going to change. You're the one who controls whether or not I am actually here, and because you said you would still need me..."

"I do! I do need you! Oh, Jack, my life has gone out of control, wait until I tell you-" The sound of rapping against hollow wood interrupted her and the two of them looked to the auburn haired girl, a couple years older than Morgan, who was standing outside her door.

"Morgan?" she said before she finished knocking. "What's going on?"

"Just, um..."

"Whatever, you're weird anyway," she interrupted, deciding she didn't want to know. "Look, you're the last person I would expect to have a boy in their room." Morgan looked back over at Jack, who shared the same expression of an open mouth and furrowed brow. They were both wondering if this girl could see Jack, but then she continued. "But Gertrude is never here when I want to speak with her, so I am going to tell you, instead, mkay? So, yeah. Don't think you can hide your roommates secrets, but um... we heard her. Now, we don't care what she does, but if she really wants to go and have a little fun, she could at least be considerate and do it somewhere else and not in the morning when the dorms are the most filled. Tell her that, dear, will you? Thanks, you're so sweet."

"What do you mean, heard her?" Morgan repeated, relief shaken by her peers surrounding her. Morgan swore they had been quieter, but Cupid was probably not used to dorm rooms and Morgan's experience with keeping quiet with a boy was very limited. Jack raised an eyebrow and watched the interaction between the.

"Just small things, like moaning and some, I don't know... interjections. Most people call out to God instead of Cupid-" Morgan but her lip and refused to turn back around to see Jack and what he was doing. "-But I don't know. Maybe Gertrude has some weird religion or whatever and that's how she thinks. Maybe she believes in mythology and is thanking the god of love."

"He's not a god, he's-"

"Whatever he is, tell her not to do it again!" She scoffed and pulled the door shut so it slammed. There was no longer anyone to gawk at and use as a distraction. Nobody else was standing there and speaking to her. The door was shut and it was simply Jack and Morgan.

After the girl had spoken and mentioned Cupid's name, Jack looked back down at the bare mattress that held the pillow that belonged to Morgan, deducing the bottom was most likely hers. Cupid had said before that when she was of age, he would like to "get to know her" and it had been the perfect time. She was just out of relationship and therefore not only available but also vulnerable. Cupid never did anything someone was not willing to do, but he also excreted certain pheromones or something like that which made some people impossible for them to resist. Morgan, an unattached, vulnerable, heterosexual female with hormones going crazy and known by Cupid better than other he had acquainted himself with made her the perfect target. How was she to resist his advances?

She watched his eyes fit together everything and the flashes of anger to jealousy to sadness to confusion and then back to anger. When they finally met her own, she tried to look sympathetic but also remind him with her gaze she was old enough to make her own decisions ad understand what was happening.

"Jack, listen..." she started.

"I am going to have so much fun hurting him," he chuckled, gripping his stick. "I thought he had finally started to come around. You are the one person I honestly believed he would never touch, you know? Silly of me, thinking I could trust him."

"Jack, you're making it snow." She ventured over to the window and closed it, very light flakes falling onto the crisps golden leaves that fanned from the branches outside.

"Cupid just took advantage of you and you're concerned about it snowing?" he barked.

"It's too early to snow."

"So what?! Who cares if it snow's early?! What exactly is the problem everyone had with winter?! Everyone looks at winter as death, but it's really making way for new life! Why is that?! And why do you care?! Morgan, do you know realize you have been violated?" His eyes turned toward sadness and now Morgan clicked her tongue impatiently. He seemed to believe Morgan had nothing to do with it and it was all Cupid's fault and he wasn't completely horrible.

"I think you're a little prejudiced against him."

"How can you say that? After what he just did?"

"What he did? What he did? He didn't do anything except help me!"

"No, no, no... No, Morgan don't This is what he does. This is how everyone acts when they are sexually assaulted-"

"I wasn't assaulted!" she screeched, sure someone would be able to hear her now.

"He just makes it seem like -"

"No! He never does anything without consent!"

"Yes, I know, Morgs, but he makes you-"

"No. He doesn't." She scowled. "I begged _him_, Jack. He didn't want to. He said it wasn't right, considering my emotional state. He agreed to it when he asked if it would help me. I wanted it. I asked for it. I know exactly what it was I was expecting, and yes, he ran out of here just before I went to class! But I knew that was going to happen. I just wanted to be loved a little without the doom of the danger of being in love!"

"You asked for a one-night stand? Or a... one-morning stand..." he carefully tried to get explained.

"Yes, Jack, I did! I am nineteen and I can make my own decisions! You just assumed it was Cupid because you think he's always a jerk and you think that his ways are manipulative. It's just his presence, he can't help it. And okay, he's a little flirtatious, but at least he always wants the people he flirts with. And he can't have a relationship. He does not have the capability of one. He's not a jerk, his job is really stressful! But he was there to check on me... before you even were!'

"I was in England!"

"Am I not more important than the weather?!"

"_You_ broke up with _me_!"

"Yeah, because you didn't care enough about my future and the life I wanted to do it first!"

"You said that's not what you wanted! I was trying to give you what you wanted! And then when you said that you didn't... I gave you up! Do you have any idea how hard that was to do? Damn it Morgan, that was the single most painful thing I have ever experienced. Ever! AND I DROWNED! I freaking died! I lost my sister and my parents! They are buried, but giving you up hurt more than anything else ever has! And I did it because that's what you wanted!"

"You obviously do not know me as well as I hoped you did then!"

"If I broke up with you, you would be in misery because you wouldn't think I loved you! You would be blaming me for something else entirely! And this isn't even about us, this is about you and Cupid! I am not convinced-"

"It is about us, because it led to Cupid!" Morgan growled, face growing redder with each shout. "You don't think I am strong enough to resist him-"

"You're right, I don't, because of the state you're in and your attraction to men and you're young-"

"Are you calling me weak?!'

"Everyone gets weak under Cupid's gaze! Even I do, and I have no interest in any type of man! For someone who does like men, I can only imagine it's a hundred times worse!"

"I am not weak, Jack! I chose it! Cupid actually didn't want to! He was trying to respect me and kept asking me if I wanted to stop. And every time I said no. I wanted to keep going! Look, I am just as hurt this didn't work out with us as you. Mad, even. I still love you a lot, okay? And it hurts every single day! And I know you're jealous and angry and... but don't take it out on him and call me weak! It was me, Jack! Just me!"

"If you were so lonely... and needy... why didn't you ask me...? I mean, Cupid..." Jack mumbled. "You know I would have-"

"You would have been the worst contestant," Morgan huffed, taking the seat in front of her computer. "You are what I wanted to forget, the thing I needed coping with. It wasn't just sex in general I needed. It was loveless sex. Meaningless. Just something to give me the desire that someone wanted me and not deal with the dangers that went with it. I can't do that with someone I for some reason cannot fall out of love with. But Cupid took it a step beyond. He didn't just jump in. He wanted to make sure I would be okay. He was concerned and only went ahead with his urges because it helped me. It was selfless, meaningless, and loveless all at once. And that was the best damn combination I could have had." Jack could see he was very easily losing this argument. He did not see the sense in what she was saying, but she was a consenting adult and they were no longer together. He sadly looked at the empty spot on the desk and placed the small purple bag on it. Her eyes flickered with some sort of recognition but she hadn't wanted to speak.

"Happy Birthday, Morgan..." he muttered. "I love you." He pushed open the window behind him, looking out into the snowy weather that was only going to get thicker. He crept on the sill and looked back. "It's impossible, you know?"

"What is?"

"If it was selfless, it can't be meaningless. And if he did it because he was concerned and believed you when you said it would help, it wasn't loveless. And when you really think about it, how can be being intimate with the spirit of love be loveless? I'm not telling you what to do... just something I want you think about."

"Thanks, I guess." Jack nodded and jumped back into the wind. Looking out the window and seeing his figure disappear, Morgan untangle the drawstring back and pulled out the bottle of her favorite perfume. She stroked it adoringly and then picked up the bottle of the cheap stuff from the drug store. She shoved the old perfume into the trash and used a wet wipe to clean off the smell around her neck, spritzing herself with the new bottle of Elizabeth I. Morgan looked over at herself in the mirror and she felt like some parasite of herself had vanished and was now welcoming in her real identity. The real Morgan would never have done that, she would have been truthful all the way through instead of telling lies to others and herself. She would have said to Cupid that she didn't want meaningless sex, she wanted to make love. She would have told the girl at the door it wasn't Gertrude, it was her. She would have told Jack she hoped it would have helped her to fall for someone else and fall out of love with Jack. And more than anything else, she would have said she loved him back.

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**Okay guys, I'll be seeing you around tomorrow night/morning for some. Work in the morning, and it's a horrid all day shift. Love you my rosettes!**


	108. The Side Not Seen

**I'm really sorry at the awfulness of this chapter but today has been really rough on me and I am really sleepy and I need to get up at seven tomorrow and ugh... so you get a chapter but I'm afraid it's not that great.**

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_~Jack~_

Linda had jumped at the opportunity to spend some quality time with Jack. She seemed starved for some kind of attention, and it had been a while since she had really seen him. Their plans to see each other every other weekend were very quickly falling through. Most of the time it was Morgan who would drive to Harrisburg. Linda had only had the chance to go to Philadelphia once and that was the first weekend. Her tiresome job as a cashier at the local drugstore scheduled her many weekends and it was hard to get time off to spend time in Philly. Besides that, it paid very little so it was hard to afford gas. Now Morgan was getting caught up in her work, and Linda was struggling to make sure she did well. They talked every day, at least for ten minutes because it was important to them they at least have some contact. Even so, Linda's overenthusiastic reply to Jack wanting her to spend time at the Bennetts saddened him. He was sure part of it was because they were such good friends and she had missed him a little during the winter, but it was clear that most of it had to do with her separation from Morgan.

"I haven't seen the Bennetts in forever, I really wish they lived closer it would be so much fun to be able to have dinners with them-"

"Linda, you really need to watch the road," Jack said, shifting uncomfortably at how she was chattering animatedly while she pushed the speed limit very dangerously.

"I am watching the road. Oh my goodness, you know I never thought that much about it before because he seemed so much younger to me, but Jamie's going to be an adult soon. I wonder how that makes you feel! Oh, and Sophie, she's twelve now isn't she? Isn't her birthday in September? She's going to be a teenager you know what that means! Oh I wonder if she's had her period yet-"

"Linda!" Jack growled. Hundreds of things were blowing around that making his muscles ache with the tension that squeezed them. The way Linda had disregarded her speedometer so easily popped his anxiety. He kept looking over, preparing himself to grab the wheel even though he had no idea how to drive. And then she kept on talking, never stopping to breathe which he nervously supposed might be another distraction. And then there was the simple awkwardness of the Bennetts growing, especially the part about his little Sophie entering into womanhood. He didn't want to think about all the other things that went with that, desiring her to be a child forever. Once she started dating that would open many more complications and there was not a single guy in the world who would be so deserving of her.

"Oh my God, Jack, you don't have anything to worry about. It's not like you're going to die!" she huffed. Jack winced.

"The reminder was painful," he said. "But explain to me why I have to wear the seat belt then?"

"It restricts you to your seat so you don't try to control my driving habits."

"Have you seen the way you drive?"

"Yes, and it is wonderful! I am proud of my driving skills."

"When was the last time you talked to Morgan?" Jack finally said with seriousness. Linda frowned at the octave change, hating the way he suddenly sounded so somber.

"Uh, well we talk every night."

"Did she mention when I visited her on her birthday?"

"No!" Linda said with surprise. "Actually, she didn't talk about anything that happened on her birthday, just talked about how much she liked my gifts and her favorite parts in the films. She didn't go out with her friends. She told me it was a normal, boring day."

"Huh."

"Did something happened between you two?" Linda wondered, looking in opposite directions before she merged with the highway. The crease above her sunglasses in the mirror told Jack she felt a little worried about what he was about to say to her.

"Maybe I should wait."

"Why?"

"I just only want to say it once and I was going to talk about it at the Bennetts because I need lots of advice." Linda actually whipped her head around so she was looking at the passenger instead of where her car was headed. "Linda, the road!"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"How did you pass your test?!"

"I'm not usually this distracted, that's all... oh, good finally! A gas station. Hey, where's the fifty you were going to give me for gas?" Jack ripped a few bills from his sweatshirt pocket . Linda cringed at the wave patterns of frost on the bills "... thanks. Is it bad... what happened, I mean?" Jack rested his bare feet on the dashboard and looked out the window.

"I guess it depends..." he moaned. "If you're me, then... it's like committing murder."

"So it involves a boy. And jealousy. Yeah Morgan definitely did not tell me then." Jack grew quiet, fiddling with a tiny ball of ice he was forming in his hands. Linda kept glancing up in the mirror, carefully surveying his emotions. He presented a tight smile and kept looking into the window. She cranked up the radio, trying to fill the tightness that was quickly inflating the vehicle.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"SHE. DID. WHAT?!" Linda screamed at the dinner table. Her voice shook the kitchen and Sophie lifted her plate when she felt the table's surface vibrating her plate. She blinked with awed surprise at Linda, impressed she had such power in her lungs. Jamie looked between Jack and Linda, their interaction frightening him. Ms. Bennett's concern aged her and she tried to slip behind the shadows of the room.

"I already repeated myself twice," Jack said.

"But that's... Morgan's not... I mean.. what?!" Linda could not form a thought to even begin her sentence.

"She wanted to be a little reckless to forget her troubles," Ms. Bennett concluded. "Plus, college."

"But it was Cupid, someone she knows and... I actually think he may be concerned for her. That's not really reckless, that's a mimicry of recklessness. Besides it's... I think Morgan had a moment of weakness and Cupid wanted to do whatever he could to help her," Jack defended, trying to convince himself of some plausible reason. Linda's hands were shielding her face, aghast at Morgan ever doing such a thing.

"How do you feel, Jack?" Jamie wanted to know. It was recently shared that over the summer he and Pippa had broken up. She had become so fearful of any kind of intimacy and he decided he couldn't have a relationship like that. Still, the sting of it was still fresh and he was considering Jack's own feelings, relating his pain.

"I..." Jack tucked away his balled fists. "I can't even... put into words how... every angle of it looks bad, but maybe Cupid's heart was in the right place and... oh, but I want to hurt that... snickering... glowing... charming grin of his." Flakes drifted outside as Jack began to boil right in front of them. Ms. Bennett reached over to slap a hand on his arm, softening her eyes so he calmed down and the weather quickly cleared up.

"This is... Morgan though she doesn't... and Cupid... I mean.. oh my God, I can't..."

"Is Cupid really that hot?" Sophie asked, having caught snippets of information before how Cupid was able to lure people into his embraces. Now, having a full grasp of knowledge in regards to sexuality, Jack had not censored much with her around. Still, it felt a little weird having her listen in and now she was asking about Cupid.

"You're never going to find out," he plainly said.

"Why not?"

"Because this is the type of thing we want to avoid with you."

"You said Cupid wouldn't try to do anything until I was eighteen!"

"Soph, I'm not going to encourage it," Jack sighed patiently. Linda was still shaking her head, lost in a whirlwind of confusion and pummeled by the shock. She pushed away her plate and crossed her arms, staring at the now empty space before her on the table.

"Well, she obviously didn't think everything Elizabeth was famous for were the ways to live, Virgin Queen dethroned." Jamie laughed, while Sophie tried to understand the punchline. Jack wrinkled his nose.

"Don't make jokes like that..." he asked, throwing a napkin down.

"It helps me calm down... Jack, you need to get back together with her!"

"Oh, yes, I'll just go fly over there right now, beg her to take me back and she'll do it in a heartbeat and everything will be saved!" Jack remarked snarkily with his voice dripping with sarcasm. "She won't. She keeps saying about how she wants this way of life, but I can't understand why she would choose to live as miserable as she claims to be over an incomplete but happy life with me?"

"Because it's an all or nothing world, Jack," Ms. Bennett offered, scooping up the steamed broccoli. "We have come to believe we need to have everything, the complete package or we won't be happy so we prefer to have nothing and have something to be unhappy about. Morgan wants you, but she wants human you. So she decided she didn't want you at all."

"Why would you do that?" Linda asked. "That sounds so... painful and stressful."

"She's just changed so much..." Jack said. "I think this is all traced back to when I took her to Europe."

"Jackson Overland Frost Bennett!" Ms. Bennett's stern voice sliced the air quickly with her aggression and everyone seated around the table straightened to the voice of a mother's chastisement, automatically taking form as good, obedient children. "You are not going to sit here and blame yourself for this! This has nothing to do with you at all! Morgan was the one who broke up with you! Morgan is the one who slept with Cupid! Going to Europe has no link to this. This is not your fault!"

"Jack, it has nothing to do with you," Linda repeated, smiling up at him when he lowered his head in front of his plate. "She's reached a point in her life where everything is piling on her. There's the stuff like college, living with her own responsibility, having to work to earn money now to live, getting assignments done on top of that, being away from home, and separated from her friend. Then you add the fact that she just got out of a relationship, and one that had it's own stresses most people don't deal with. And she can see people no one else can see, and now all of Pennsylvania knows who she is and at college everyone believes she is mentally unstable and it's probably hard to make friends. She wanted to do something crazy to even out the craziness in her life. Honestly, though this... this is not what I expected."

"Why don't you all go play a game or something... I'll take care of cleaning up supper, it's all right..." Lina, Sophie, Jamie, and Jack all retreated from the kitchen and Sophie bobbed about, begging for them to play a board game. They decided that sounded like a good idea and the four of them found one all of them could play, but it was hard to focus on taking turns and moving pieces around the board when Morgan was out there, falling down a slope with no one at the bottom to catch her. Sophie cheered when she took the led and Linda giggled but Jack's mind still remained with Morgan, wondering what she was up to and if she thought about anything he had told her. Jamie kept nudging him to take his turn in the game and one time Sophie screamed at him to go. The more he thought, the further the game slipped from him and he decided to just leave and let them finish. Jack went and rested on the daybed, staring up at the ceiling thoughts swimming in front of his mind. Having his heart broken would not have been so hard if Morgan did not continue to keep breaking it.

"Do you think she slept with Cupid because she knew it would anger me?" Jack asked when Linda walked into his room. She rolled her eyes at his stupid question.

"You keep making this about you."

"I just can't make sense of any of this. It doesn't really seem like her, does it?"

"Do you remember when I tried to kill myself?" Jack tensed at the memory. His stomach tightened with the same sickness he felt when he had found out.

"It's not an easy thing to forget," he muttered.

"Sometimes we all have things that hit us in life – mental, physical, emotional... so many things. Mine was genetic but it was triggered by things. Sometimes even your best friend doesn't understand who you are until things trigger you and you turn into this completely different character. Maybe there's a hidden side of Morgan, one that struggles... and we're finally seeing it. But we're seeing it now because it's the first time since puberty she had been without a boyfriend and she cannot cope with that on top of everything else. Maybe this is Morgan. And quite honestly, if I had Cupid in my room, I would plead with him to be on me too."

"You are a horrible person sometimes," he chuckled. She gritted her teeth proudly.

"Now get out of my bed. I'm sleeping there tonight. You don't need to sleep therefore you don't need it." Jack shifted and stepped away from the bed. Linda, in her fuzzy pajamas of a bright blue dramatically wriggled under the blanket and pulled the pillow under her head. Jack raised an eyebrow at how much of a show she had made getting into bed.

"You're rubbing it in that I can't understand how it feels to get into a warm, cuddly bed," he guessed. Linda held up two fingers. "A little?" She nodded. Jack shook his head and twisted the knob on the door as he prepared to go down the hall.

"Are you going to corrupt the weather?" she teased.

"Of course. In fact, I'm going to send an early small snow storm in Philly!"

"Isn't it a little early for snow yet?"

"Eh," he remarked. "Besides, Morgan may have trouble knowing she's not with me. But I can still show her she will never be without me."

* * *

**I don't work as late as I did tonight so I will give you a much better one tomorrow. Thanks for understanding guys. Until tomorrow!**


	109. The Voice of Reason

**YOU GUYS THERE ARE REALLY FREAKY THINGS GOING ON WITH MY LIFE. AND LIKE A GOOD BUT WEIRD FREAKY. MOST OF THEM REVOLVING AROUND MY STORY, BUT A COUPLE OF THEM JUST IN GENERAL WEIRD. Today at work, my friend from high school showed up and got a job where I work which is exciting. And then, when I was working a woman approached me an asked me a series of questions, recognizing me somehow. Turns out she's the mother of the guy I was best friends with when I was FIVE. THAT WAS 16 YEARS AGO. AND SHE RECOGNIZED ME. Apparently I have a baby face that hasn't changed a bit... O.o not sure what that means but it was cool.**

**In regards to my story... So I have a very strange complicated situation with roommates this summer. Basically, there's going to be a few people moving in and out until August, but my roommate for a month I just met last night (I know, I didn't meet her until I moved in, but what evs) but she looks EXACTLY what I pictured Linda to look like. I MEAN PERFECTLY. And she talks exactly the same way. It's really freaking weird.**

**Today at work (more work stories), something kinda funny happened. Our work clothes have to be blue on top, and brown bottoms. So I was wearing like a light brown set of yoga pants, a little tight to my skin. I had a blue t shirt but it was raining and I'm in the garden dept, so it got cold on the patio s I put on the blue sweatshirt that I bought (specifically to make a Jack sweatshirt out of) and we were restocking the shepherd hooks (the metal rods you stick in the ground and have hooked tops to hold hanging plants) As my boss was clearing the rack, I had one of the hooks and I was leaning against it, smiling at something she said. The girl on the register, who had earlier rung up a copy of ROTG (and I was going ballistic over how awesome of a film it was) looked at me and laughed. I asked her what was funny and she said. "You look like that guy on the cover of the film you always talk about! Jack Ice? Is that his name?" I looked down at myself and realized I was holding a shepherd's hook and started laughing. "You mean Jack Frost?" And then I chased her with the hook until my boss yelled at me to bring it back.**

**It gets weirder guys. I got a text from my roommate (the other one. The one that doesn't look like Linda. The one who will be my roommate the whole time.) saying she felt a little sick so when i got home I check on her and she was huddled in blankets. She kept asking for hot stuff and I kept asking her stuff about her temperature and then she told me she had a touch of hypothermia. I looked at her and went "HOW DO YOU GET THAT IN JUNE?"**

**(she's in and out of those giant freezers all day and she's been going three days straight working really hard in them, that's why. Don't worry, she's fine. it's nowhere near as bad as Morgan's was. It's like... barely hypothermia.)**

* * *

A new customer walked to the counter and Morgan hastily threw the book over her shoulder onto the back counter. Flushing brightly, she took the small trinkets, the prints, and the book, ringing them on the old register in front of her. The customer smiled sympathetically, but Morgan continued to turn even redder. This was not the first time she had been too engrossed on the historical details of where she worked and it would not be the last. The problem with working in the gift shop of a historical museum was that half of her paycheck went back into her job.

"Thank you, please come again," Morgan rattled off her tongue. The woman nodded and stepped away. Morgan's head fell into her hands, her coworker giggling beside her. She peeked between her fingers to the ginger-haired girl crouching on the floor, in front of an open box where she had been unloading the newest merchandise.

"You are so lucky Phyllis did not see you," she said.

"She's already caught me so many times..." Morgan remembered, a groan flying out of her throat. She beat her head against the counter. "The reason I got this job is the reason I'm going to get fired. You have no idea how glad I am you took my shift for me this weekend, Drea. It's been so long since Linda and I have been able to coordinate weekends, and a long time since I have been able to go home."

"I know how it is," Drea smiled, placing a hand on the well rounded bump on her stomach and pushing herself up. "When I was in college, I worked two jobs, lived ten minutes away from my parents and still had trouble seeing them. It pained me to see you in such a situation. I was available, I felt I had to do it." Morgan screwed up her lips thoughtfully and reorganized the display of pens and mints in front of the till. She made to take the book back, but Drea had snagged it and placed it in its holder among the other books. Morgan narrowed her eyes while Drea wagged her finger at her.

"Buy it on your lunch break."

"I've already spent so much money here..." Morgan whined.

"It's not even that amazing history, I can only guess how you would be working at a place like the Valley Forge Encampment store."

"It's all amazing!" Morgan gasped. "It's all vital! How can you say that?!"

"You forget my dear I did horrible in history. I just work in the gift shop. I don't know the details of the things that went on here. That's why I make customers talk to you. You've learned nearly everything within a week and still you insist on reading all the books we have in stock."

"They might have new details," Morgan pouted. "I want to know as much as possible." A man in his late twenties stepped up to the counter and placed a pencil sharpener and a silly rainbow slinky in front of her. Morgan rang them up and furrowed her brow, thinking it was a little strange to be purchasing the plastic toy when there were no children with him. "Um, sir, that would be 13.98..." She looked up, realizing she had seen the man's face before, but it was not a recognition of true familiarity. She didn't know the man's name nor who he was, but there was something about the unevenness of his jade irises and the mocha coloring of his hair which was brushed back hurriedly that recalled some deep space within her mind. He smirked at her, a way too familiar to the way Jack smirked to be comfortable to her. He put his hand into his coat, a green denim Morgan had noted. Now she knew he was familiar. Not many people wore green denim jackets. He pulled out a skinny stack of bills and, instead of sliding it across the counter top as most customers who paid in cash did, he pressed it into her palm, holding the tips of her fingers with both of his hands. His chin jutted sharply with his nod and he took the bag she had put together before walking out.

"Sir, wait your... change and recei-" The five and the ten dollar bills let go of a crumbled piece of paper between the two of them. Morgan unrolled it, Drea snooping over her shoulder to take a peek at the wrinkled sheet she was holding. When she took notice of what it was, she let out a boisterous laugh, the bulge below her chest shaking as her voice rose and fell with her amused delight. Morgan dropped the paper, feeling it burn into her skin with the strange exhilaration that was growing within her. It was a different feeling, something so familiar but far too new to truly understand what it was. There had always been the whistle as a car passed by, the shoutouts, but not from anyone she had seen again. There were times in high school when Linda would say a guy had been trying to flirt with her, but they had always been incredibly subtle, or at least Morgan thought so. Linda had always joked they could kiss her and she still would never understand they liked her. This was, however, was extremely direct. The only interaction she had ever had with this man was selling small, silly trinkets at the shop. He stuck out in her memory so not simply because of the green denim, but also because she had rung up small things four times for him the past two weeks. The small note was simple, but it told her so much. It had his name, Liam, written hastily and below that, very clearly was the nine digit phone number.

The lettering and numbering seemed to be backed by a strange luminescence, and it radiated into he center below her throat. She choked on the dizziness her sudden burst of pulsating energy was exploding through her. While her heart was flying with the way he smirked at her and his obvious intent, her stomach felt as it was beginning to atrophy. The idea of considering someone who wasn't Jack gave her a guilt so wretched, she could feel her stomach contorting. Half of her was jumping up and down while the other half was preparing to run away.

"That is amazing!" Drea celebrated. "It finally makes sense!"

"What makes sense?"

"He's been here the days you haven't been. He comes in here, looks around, and leaves. Phyllis and I were getting a little suspicious of him but this is a lot more exciting and a lot more plausible! I can't believe I didn't see it before. He is a bit of a hunk, isn't he?"

"I guess," Morgan shrugged. "I mean, his smile was certainly... I liked it anyway..." The center of her abdomen pushed into her when she breathed, it's tightness driving a wedge into her that was pleasing somehow.

"Oh, how do you not see that?" Drea touched her round belly, which began to move as if popcorn was popping under her skin. "Look, even Thomas is happy!" Morgan watched the faint outline of a foot move around her stomach, chuckling at how precious it looked to see the imprint of a life forming, even if it was a little out of the ordinary. She glanced back at the paper again, taking care to not smear the ink.

"And he's human?" she whispered to herself, but Drea heard her.

"If he's not, you can find out what it's like to date an alien, I guess."

"No, I just... never mind."

"When did you break up with Jack?" For a second, she seemed to snap back into the world surrounding her. She broke her fixation on the paper and the name of the boy of winter launched her hand so she tossed aside his number. Drea cried out and salvaged it from the wastebasket, tossing it back over to Morgan. The name awoke something in her mind and it seemed to be the trigger for everything she did. In Morgan's eyes she was still dedicated to Jack and to accept this note was a mark of betrayal, but Drea was flashing it in front of her eyes so she had no choice but to take it from her. "Listen, I know that your relationship with Jack had lasted for five years, and that is a really long time for teenagers. But don't think that means you're doomed to be lonely or that you shouldn't be with anyone else! In fact, just the opposite. That tells me you will remain faithful and any strains you have with your future man will not break you so easily. It's admirable Morgan. You deserve to have someone else." Morgan sighed and shoved the note in her pocket.

"I'll think about it," was all she could promise her pregnant coworker. Drea appeared annoyed with her but smiled all the same. Morgan drummed her fingers on the desk and gnawed on the inside of her cheek, mulling over what this meant for her. She was not against the idea, however it was hard for her to decide if it was a sign of a creeper that he had been in there every day looking for her or if he simply was just so interested in her he was trying every moment possible to catch her. There was something to him, just by his presence that pulled her towards him. It was almost like an odorless fragrance. He had not smelled any different from the rest of the room, but it had the same effect on her the way a sweet smelling perfume did to a person who walked by it; stopping slowly to take in as much as possible and thinking about when you obtain it, if ever possible. Then there was the fact that Drea could see him, and had seen him. Of course that meant he was human and fit all the criteria she needed to have that dream life of hers. Her hesitation on saying no to him was crushing her heart with the reminder of Jack, and she was being strangled by betrayal. This was the first time she had considered a man who wasn't Jack and the seriousness of it was really messing with her internal organs.

"Damn you, Liam," she growled to herself. "Damn you and your good potential."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"And you know absolutely nothing about him?" Linda said from the other end of Morgan's phone. She paged through the paragraphs in her book on Anthropology, written in a way she imagined a narrator with a monotone reading it aloud. The voice she had conjured for her textbook was giving her a headache and now she was really hoping the pictures would give her enough knowledge for the short quiz on Monday.

"Nope. Just how he looks and his name and number."

"That's what dates are for!" Linda laughed. Gertrude was stretched across the top bunk in their dorm room, her eyeballs blinking down at Morgan with unashamed intrigue, no matter how many times Morgan wordered to her to get her nose out of her business.

"No, dates are for building a connection," Morgan replied. "For catching each other's interest. I want to get to know someone first, become their friend. Maybe play a game."

"Then play a game of Twister... naked."

"Ugh, you are so volatile sometimes."

"And I'm the one who's a virgin."

"I will murder Jack for telling you that."

"Well, God, when were you going to tell me?! Your best friend!"

"I wanted to tell you that in person, Linda! That was face to face news!"

"Because that happens so often..." Linda muttered with a sorrowful voice. "Well, I'm pretty sure you weren't a virgin before that anyway. Both you and Jack have kept your lips tightly sealed on everything that went down in Europe... ow!"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Are you going to call him?"

"Uh... I just... no... I mean, maybe it's a good idea... yeah I will... maybe I shouldn't," Morgan battled, flipping over the note with the number she already had memorized in her head. She just didn't get it. He was probably about a decade older than her, which she was okay with. It was definitely a lot younger than three hundred, but it also meant he had a maturity she wanted. He might even already be stable as far as a career and housing situation. And he was human. Linda paused as if she was waiting for something to be said.

"Morgan, you shouldn't be lonely forever. You deserve to be with someone, and if you have even the smallest interest, do it. Give the guy a call. Find out about him. If there's something there, pursue it."

"But what about me and Jack?" Morgan rasped.

"If there's a connection with this guy, you will... slip out of love with Jack and you'll... you won't be so heart broken about it anymore. You will feel better and you will get everything you ever wanted. You won't be in so much misery..." Linda faltered off when she spoke, emotion grabbing at her.

"Linda?"

"Oh, I'm fine."

"But Jack? I mean I can't hurt him... if I did this..."

"Morgan." Linda snapped. "You need to worry about yourself now. Not Jack. Jack will be okay?"

"You really believe that?"

"I... I know it," Linda's voice distanced off once again. Morgan crushed the paper in her hands and moved her finger to the red image on her phone. She swallowed any of the sharp pins fluttering in her throat and filled her chest with the air of confidence, however fake it may have felt.

"Okay," Morgan decided. "I'm going to give him a call." She swore she could hear a nod over the phone.

"Okay."

"Bye Linda."

_~Jack~_

Linda tossed aside her phone onto her desk, staring at it with disapproval. She had not been okay with being a part of this, but it was not her choice and she was not involved in the matter. Jack reclined against her bed, having prepared for the icy look of death Linda had rolled to him.

"You know I'm against this," she scoffed.

"You have no reason to be," Jack said.

"Yes I do! You and Morgan need to be together. It is very clear."

"Maybe we're not," said Jack. "And I want to give her the opportunity to find out. If we are, she will take me back and it won't be... so hard for her as it was before. If not... then I hope she had that life she always wanted."

"But you made me lie!"

"Linda, if her ex wanted her to move on but her best friend didn't, Morgan never would have done it. She would have said I loved her so much I was willing to let her go and believes you to be the voice of reason. If I pretend to know nothing about it and she believes in everything you said, then maybe she will finally move on." Jack jumped off her bed and picked up the tennis ball he had thrown at her moments ago when she yelped with pain.

"You had me lie, Jack. To Morgan. You of all people should understand why that is a bad idea." The tennis ball grew a thin layer of ice in his hand and he smirked at his simple creation.

"It wasn't a lie though," he chuckled. "Every word of it is true. I simply had you repeat what I said. If she thinks it was you saying that, well that's her own imagination."

* * *

**FINALLY A DAY OFF TOMORROW. I had four days before, but I did major moving work so this is going to be nice. I worked six days in a row, and then I spent four days moving, and then I worked for two days. THAT WAS 12 DAYS WITHOUT MUCH RELAXATION TIME. BUT FINALLY. I GET TO RELAX. YES. Anyway, I've been up since 7 am so there's not going to be another one up tonight. I hope you liked this chapter! Good night my rosettes. I love you all.**


	110. The Assembly of Hearts

**Guess what I got today?! The three Guardians books! Finally! I had trouble finding Nicholas St North so I asked the librarian and she did end up leading me to it (it was on a shelving cart) But she talked to me and was really excited about me reading them! She said she had read all of them and actually had read the children's picture books too and kept telling me I should read them. So it was pretty cool to meet someone who was a mom and really into the ROTGverse as well. I now have something I can do on my breaks at work! Yay! **

* * *

"I swear to you, I am not a creeper," Liam assured with his smirk that was a startling likeness of Jack when he himself had smiled. Morgan looked down at her plate and shifted the shrimp around in its cocktail sauce.

"You just admitted to going into a shop to see me every day for the last two weeks," Morgan giggled, finding the orange and pink seafood less dangerous to look at. There was a comfortableness around Liam and it wasn't so hard to be relaxed. She hated that feeling. She did not want to look back up at his face and experience the electric shock spreading through her body, but she also loved the sensation it created. So she did dare to take a small peak at the dance of the dim light in his smoke colored eyes, heart quickly enraptured by his never wondering gaze. She wished his eyes would wander, but the remained on her, taking in every part of Morgan that she chose to tell him, and at the rate of his questions it seemed like he would soon know everything. On top of her policy about not hiding a thing, she desired for him to explore every crevice and passage of her intellect, and peer through the doors of her life and resurface the tiny details of her past. The more he talked, the less her internal self fought with her about sharing too much, The voice within her to remain faithful to Jack grew quieter, and it terrified her. But the softness of his intriguing voice flattened her fear with each opening of his mouth. She was loving this time with him and couldn't stand herself for it.

"Haven't you ever seen something so wonderful and impressive and beyond what you ever thought you just have to know more? You need some type of closure, need to find out what it is that is giving you such wonder? Even if it could end badly?" Morgan blushed, feeding herself so she had something to do to fill the silence.

"Um..." she started as she swallowed. "When I was nine, I stood outside in the middle of winter and started to get hypothermia because I wanted to see Jack Frost." Liam smiled at her response and nodded. Morgan stuffed her face again and was thankful for the dim lighting hiding her eye well.

"That's how it was with you," he explained as he decorated his burger with the tomato and lettuce off to the side. "I went there because my sister was bored and we went together at her suggestion. I first saw you and I thought you were... well, particularly attractive." Morgan felt the need to cross her legs in a ladylike fashion even though he couldn't see them under the table. Liam smiled at the dust of pink to her face, amused by her reactions to his story. "But I could tell you were quite a bit younger than me. Now, when I date women, I don't like to exceed five years. I am twenty-seven so no older than thirty-two and no younger than twenty-two. But, I was going through the gift shop while my sister was finishing her meander through the museum. I think you were talking with your coworker, the guy?"

"There's five men."

"The... blonde one."

"There's two of those."

"Glasses?"

"Daniel!"

"Right, him," Liam chuckled and tipped his soda to his lips. "You were sorting through a new stack of pamphlets you received about historical buildings and you kept on about the structure of old buildings and how they're just bricks now, that no one cares to put in elegant details and couldn't care less about making a building not only strong in its foundation but also its physical appeal. And I just found that... amazing. Not only do very few people think that way anymore, especially someone so young but with a passion for it as well!" Morgan shrugged. "I kept on listening and you had this unusual love for you job."

"Okay, I don't know where you got that," Morgan mumbled, waving her fork around in front of his face. "My job can be real hell. Phyllis is not the nicest of bosses. She's incredibly rude and expects you to finish your project before she even asks you to do it."

"No, I just mean... you have an excitement in speaking with your customers about the significance of the things you sell and you enjoy opening the boxes to find new merchandise and dive right into learning about it. You really care about what you do."

"History is an important, probably the most important array of knowledge to have," Morgan recited from having said the same thing multiple times before. "It teaches us about our past, helps us to understand it and prepares us for the future. It helps to give us the tools to understand issues in society and help with the issues of the world. It also helps us to understand people and to help them. The problem lies in weather or not we actually utilize it." She sadly sifted around the potato wedges.

"That is exactly what I am talking about!" Liam laughed, straightening his back at the table as he leaned in towards her words. Morgan warmed at how his body language told her he genuinely thought her flair for history was attractive rather than annoying. "The fire you have, it's just so... inspirational and the way your eyebrows move as you talk gives you more life than the average person and I just want to..." He cut himself off. The way he was going, Morgan was pretty sure there was a "kiss you" at the end of that sentence, but it had only been their first date. Not even a date, Morgan had refused to call it that but at this point there was no doubt that was exactly what was happening. It shocked her that she had suddenly become so willing to call it that, but finally telling herself the truth of what they were doing gave her a sort of relief. More than relief. She felt free and happily situated with it being one. Then she remembered how the waiter had addressed him before, could see him, and she could speak to him without anyone believing she was speaking to herself. It was a real date. Morgan was out with a boy who found her funny and passionate and amusing and exciting and he loved it. And everyone could see it too. That was the most exciting part, that she was finally able to be out with a boy and seen. Everyone was able to see the truth of Morgan on the journey to pursue a real relationship.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Okay, that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," Morgan finally admitted as he walked along side her from his vehicle to the steps of her dorm building. Liam raised his eyebrows at her while she turned her head, looking through the window of the door to her building.

"You thought it was going to be bad?"

"You try accepting a request to go out with someone who you just discover had been watching you!"

"Okay, you have a point," he chuckled. He reached for the tips of her fingers hesitantly. Morgan pushed her hands forward, letting him take a hold of her. The edge of her lip twitched with pleasure at the electric tickle of his thumb caressing her palm. "I would really like to go out with you again."

"I think I want to be taken out," Morgan answered brightly. He eyes wondered up to the fluorescence of the haze around shining orb in the sky. For a second she thought she could see the image of a face in it, but it was unclear what the emotion was. She bit her lip, wondering how he looked on the situation of her with Liam. All of the other Guardians had never really been in favor of the relationship she had with Jack, but from what she gathered, the Man in the Moon was different. She thought for a second about what the Man in the Moon thought about them. They had never received any approval or disapproval from him, so she wondered what he thought then and what he thought now. It sickened her to think of the possibility about him shaking his head at the way she was surrendering to Liam's touch. Perhaps the Man in the Moon expected her and Jack to be together. Maybe he didn't like what she was doing.

"Morgan?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." he apologized, tucking her hair behind her ears and shyly look back over to his face. By the standards of the average person, he would have been simply adorable, but nothing particularly impressive. However, the tilt of his head geared in her direction and the shifting of his eyes as he studied her face paired with the gentle curve of his lips sculpted his face into an image extracted from the beauty of the sunrise and a the glow of starlight. "I was just thinking about how when I was little... I used to tell my problems to the moon, and I would comforted and protected."

"Problems?" Liam frowned. He contorted his face into one of interested concern. She shook her head to tell him not to worry.

"Oh, I was just thinking about how I'm a little conflicted right now that's all. I'm still hurting a little from the relationship I was in before. I mean, it was several months ago but... it lasted for five years. That's the entire time I was a teenager practically... It's still fresh to me and you're the first person I've... dated since then." She was very careful not to include the time she had been with Cupid.

"I get it," he answered kindly. "Telling your problems to the Moon. I guess that's not something I've done for a while. I don't really believe in it anymore."

"Sometimes just believing in something makes it a reality," Morgan said. Liam looked up at smirked at the brightness that watched the whole world.

"You might be right about that," he chuckled. "Okay then Mr. Moon. Here's my problem. So this amazing girl right here is beautiful and fascinating and compelling. I'm upset she's still hurting about her ex so I want to be a gentleman and take it slow, but I am also fighting this incredibly tough battle with my urge to kiss those soft lips of hers." Morgan laughed out loud at how he looked with his arms reaching towards the sky, preparing to take a hold of the moon so distant from the earth. He looked sideways at her, a subconscious seduction etched into his eyes.

"Oh, stop fighting!" Morgan demanded, and carefully her lips fit into the curves of his own. He drank her, clutching her body so their chests were rubbing against each other and Morgan curled her fingers around his arms. She tore away from him and laughed gently before resting her forehead to his nose. The feel of warmth radiating from him to her was one that seemed so foreign compared to how she was being held, but she was enjoying how it made her feel. "I should go..."

"Then I shall let you go..."

"Call me tomorrow, around five. My classes will be done then."

"Of course." He kissed the top of her head and his fingers were reluctant to leave her, but eventually there was a gap between the two and it only grew the further he walked to his car. Before getting in, he nodded back to her and Morgan wriggled her fingers in a gentle wave. Watching his car head down the street, there was a bomb of rapturous joy that hugged her tight. She smiled at the night staff behind the desk in the lobby, finally recalling what being truly happy was like.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgan did not yet have the chance to shut her car door before Linda was already throwing herself at her and spinning around in their hug. Morgan cackled at her friend's pent up anticipation finally being released.

"Ihavebeencountingdownthedaysnadnowyouarefinallyhe re!" she squealed. "I have so much stuff to tell you! And you have a lot of stuff to tell me! How did you do on your exams?" Morgan moaned, but it ended with a satisfactory octave. "Oh, well you'll do better next time! Come! I've been over here hanging out with Brad, and your parents asked me to help cook for Christmas dinner so we've set things up!"

"Who's all here?" Morgan said, lifting a large suitcase out of the back of her vehicle. Linda heaved the back end of it and then the two of them walked towards the front door, Linda's arm looped through Morgan's as she wheeled the case behind her towards her house.

"Aubrey, Ryan, and Lawrence will be here tomorrow. Peter just got here yesterday, Todd's been here a few days, but he's leaving right after Christmas to go to his fiancee's."

"Oh," Morgan breathed, forgetting the news she had received a month ago. Linda was a little more well informed about the things happening with her family than she was, and that pulled her heart down a bit. Linda pushed the door open and Morgan was greeted with her parents rushing to hug her. Peter walked into the kitchen but did not hug her. Todd spun his little sister around while she giggled like she was five years old again. She landed and caught the counter to stable her dizzy mind. The happy chatter of her family saturated her with a buzzing glow. There was that trace of what things used to be like forming in the center of the kitchen and it made her weepy with her reminiscence.

"I can't wait to hear all about your new boyfriend!" Mrs. Kenter said. "I was so relieved when I saw that picture of you two online! I am so glad to see you finally found someone, and he exists! Oh, maybe it will help you Morgan, I hope he does, he's so dreamy..."

"Thank you mom for turning a happy situation in an awkward one," she told her, but with more amusement than snide. Mr. Kenter took his daughter up into his arms and kissed the side of her cheek.

"Good to have you back, Morgs. I wish we could have met this new guy of yours."

"I'm not ready to bring him home dad. Maybe Easter," she admitted and he nodded with understanding.

"This is going to be so wonderful! Everyone we love is finding people!" Brad glared at his mother, a reminder that it was much more difficult for him to find someone of his interest. She was too engrossed in the other relationships to notice the way he had looked at her thought. Morgan however did, and mouthed a couple of words to Brad. He shook his head and waved it off, a gesture to not worry about it. But Morgan's eyes bugged and he simply said "later."

"Wait, could you repeat that?" Morgan asked hurriedly. She had a pretty clear idea of what had been said but it was so shocking she wanted to make sure she heard every word right. Linda bounced in her step, teeth showing through the split of her lips.

"I said, I can't wait for you to meet my boyfriend when he arrives tomorrow."

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**I really wish I didn't have to get up so early :( I really want to type another chapter but I need to work for mah money! Grrr... Have a good night my lovelies! Rosie out.**


	111. A Personal Guardian

**I've been working so much lately. I need a nap. Like sometime. Ugggghhhhhh...**

**So my roommate is awesome. Instead of spending my time typing this so I could get it done earlier (sorry) I spent a good two hours just talking with my roommate. She is a dear and I love her.**

**This chapter wasn't supposed to be emotional, but it was. I'm sorry. Although the way it worked out helps with what I wanted to do. So yay!**

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Morgan could not stop looking up at Ross and Linda throughout dinner. Ross would catch Linda's attention and the minute she turned towards him, a bright beam of some sort of celestial light traced her smile. Her cheeks were fat with the deep set magenta glow and her eyes danced over the way his brown eyes zoned in on her, and her alone. His sandy colored hair had been brushed aside to try and make himself look presentable, but it kept on falling out of place and it's waves curled on the surface of his forehead. Morgan had been struck with awe when he first walked through the door. Not just because of how he looked, Morgan actually did not find him to be all that handsome, but he was not terrible on the eyes either, but she just couldn't believe it. It was as if everything Linda had ever wanted in a man had formed together and birthed this man.

He was silly. A strange silly, like he was incredibly random. He was incredibly well-read and could recite the plot summaries, famous lines, relationships, and the most important facts of many classic novels. He was invested deeply into TV shows and reacted to Linda's comments about the latest plot twist of some new show they had become involved in with the same passion and emotion; obsessively and dramatically. Linda bragged about his musical abilities, although he stated he did not like to sing. Which, Morgan realized, had been something on Linda's list but she didn't seem to mind that much. As they ate their dinner, Bradley asked the most questions of him. Fascinated, he threw every single thing he could possibly think of and when the two discovered the topic of a shared interest in a particular video game, Ross went on about it with his, rattling off statistics and the times he felt like a novice because he had done something completely ridiculous and Brad laughed at him, boasting he had figured it out right away. Linda laughed and then rolled her eyes.

"I guess even the perfect man has things they do that you have to learn to live with," she said quietly to Morgan. "But even listening to him speak is wonderful."

"You play video games," Morgan reminded.

"No, I button mash and scream at the character to do the opposite of what I am doing," Linda stated. "Because I have no idea what I am doing." Ross was losing some sort of battle on the best weapon in one of those online role playing games and when he discovered Brad's argument made more sense, he casually pulled away from the table to give the appearance he was retreating while slipping his arm around Linda, who leaned in dreamily.

"You two have been together a month?" Morgan whispered.

"Isn't it great?" she sighed and her eyes shifted up to Ross, her eyes glazing over with a sort of hopeless sorrow. "It's going to end terribly isn't it?"

"Why would you think that?" Morgan asked, shoveling the green beans into her mouth.

"Because it's perfect and happening to me. That doesn't happen."

"Linda..." Morgan scolded slowly. Her dark-haired friend moved her eyes upwards to tell her what she thought of her comment. Whether or not it was going to end was something Morgan could not tell, but her judge of the situation was that it would at least last a good while. Even whilst discussing everything that felt in the category of being an incredible nerd, he would steal glances at Linda. And each glance had a smile at the end of it, charmed by everything she was. She was upset she had not been told, but she hadn't told Linda about her interlude with Cupid either and that was probably more important to discuss. Their moments were little, but they exchange through their eyes said far more than ever could be said, and Morgan rooted for the two of them in their minds. Linda has gone through so much, perhaps not through the outward appearance but her internal struggles burdened her more than anyone could guess. A string pulled Morgan's chest upwards with the pained hoped that Linda would be able to acquire a true happiness. The hum of her phone caused her look down and pull the glowing brick from her pocket. She bit her lip to hide her smile at the message from Liam. "Hope you are having fun. I know you want your time with your family and Linda so I won't pester you too much. Just wanted to let you know I'm enjoying my time, but it would be a hell of a lot more fun if you were here on my arm. As promised, I won't drink before driving home. Miss you." She suppressed her giggle while she read the message through Liam's voice of silk in her head. She dipped her phone back into her pocket before someone broke conversation to chastise her for using her phone at their Christmas dinner.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was strange for her to think of how a room she slept in for eighteen years had become so foreign. Linda had gown home for the night and Ross went with her. The embrace of her bed was just so odd to her now. Not only had she spent so much time sleeping in the ancient pads of lumps the university had provided for the students, but also it just felt so warm. She had grown used to the warmth and was even beginning to like it. The smell of the heat on Liam's arms when he held her tight and the way her skin felt against the searing of his fingers made her skin crawl with anticipation and her mind was left in this tingly fog that more than once had drugged her, but this bed always held that refreshing nip. Now, it was gone. Jack's negligence had made it warm over and it was out of place. So Morgan had laid in bed for three hours, waiting for that pathway of gold to surround her mind, but the Sandman had not come that night, and she was growing impatient with him.

Beating at her covers until they finally released her from the prison of a heat only the tropics ever knew, she crawled over to her window and flung it open, pleading towards the nearly full circle of a shade of white to brilliant to exist on earth. She took a moment to sigh at herself, feeling the foolishness of a child pushing her towards what she was to do. She held her hands together as if a prayer, unsure if this was how it was done.

"Okay, Mr. Man in the Moon," she started with an embarrassed rogue on her face. "I'm not sure if this is the right way to do it... I'm nineteen this isn't... but I know you exist... somehow you do. I'm not quite sure, since it's been proven the moon is a moon and men have walked on it and it's not possible for the entire thing to be a living being or have a face on it or in it or... what have you. But I don't understand. At all. I mean, Jack is a huge part of my life and always will be. But is this all there is for us? I mean... I'm happy without... I mean, I'm not... I am always going to need my Jack. But I feel really content with Liam. He's just... so special. I want him, and... I'm unsure about how I feel for him. I definitely like him but I am not sure if... I might be falling in love with him, I don't know... but I am a point where I am concerned for Jack. He was lonely for so long and he's beginning to... well, I haven't heard from him for a while and that's what worries me... he was so madly in love with me... is... I'm not sure... and now this whole situation with us... I feel guilty. Is that wrong? I feel horrid about it but how can I have a life with him? I'm a _human_. What do I do? How do I make everything okay?" The moon remained silent. She sighed, expecting as much. "Well, thanks for not arguing with me at least." She shifted from the sill and crawled back into bed bracing for the heat the blankets provided. She flipped onto her side and scolded Sandy for not sending waves of sand to knock her out. There was a strange shuffle and then the sound of papers and pencils scraping against the floor. Morgan bolted up to spot the boy of frost of snow in the flood of pale blue light through the window.

"Jack!" she smiled, hopping over her bed and exploding into him. He laughed and spun her around. Her excited voice launched him towards her and the sun was rising in his throat, spreading out its rays of light so he could drink in the incredible saturation of elation. She stared up at him and he longed to kiss those black brushes on her eyes and feel the electric buzz he received whenever he kissed her. It seemed so long since they had last kissed. He was comforted by the rosy musk that wafted from her neck and it pleasured his olfactory senses. It was Elizabeth.

"Morgan," he chuckled. "I'm sorry I haven't been around."

"I understand... I assume the deal with Cupid it..." The mention of the incident mauled his heart, but he didn't wish to discuss it.

"It's water under the bridge."

"What have you been up to?" she wondered, casually sitting on her bed and crossing her legs.

"Spending time with my family. Jamie's almost an adult and Sophie's er... developing..." he carefully chose. "When she ran out of the bathroom with the concern she was hemorrhaging, I called for Helen and have... kinda stuck around here." Morgan's eyebrow went up with amusement. "I didn't want to be there to hear about those things. I don't like the idea of any of them getting older."

"Yeah..." Morgan whispered.

"I've been with Brad a lot."

"Oh?"

"Well, I've stayed a way from Linda," he shrugged. "I found out about her boyfriend and-"

"You knew about Ross before me?!" Morgan belted a little too loudly. Jack hushed her and she glared at him while he smirked. "That makes me feel awful. Does she really think so little of me?"

"No, I think..." he sighed. "I think she didn't really want to gush. Even though you appear to be happy with Liam she's not... never mind."

"Not what?"

"Nothing, she's perfectly glad and happy and wants you two to make it."

"Jack Frost, are you really trying to lie to me? Lie? To me," she scoffed with obvious disgust. His eyes gave him away and she nearly pulled herself back under the covers.

"No, wait,... okay, listen. Linda thinks you're being dumb and that you have all these hidden feelings for me and you're being emotional..."

"Ha!" Jack's spirit sunk a little with her remark.

"I... I want you to be happy, Morgs, and try as I might I cannot find anything bad about Liam. He seems to think about you all the time and he dotes on you. I really think he's the best thing you could ever have. People can see him and he treats you as if you were... Queen Elizabeth." Morgan smiled. "He holds only the best for you and I... support you. More than that, I want you to be together."

She was very quiet. He decided to move back onto something else.

"You haven't spoken to Brad much."

"I haven't spoken to anyone much."

"He doesn't want to say anything. He won't say it to me, even. But I can see it. Everyone else is pairing off with everyone else, and he's... here. Alone. He's never dated anyone, never kissed anyone. His friends are straight so he has no one to relate to. Anyone who is gay and out is effeminate and he has no one to relate to in that way, and he has no interest in them because apparently they are not the nicest. He has no idea if there is anyone who is a little more masculine who is gay because they are so good at hiding it. There are a lot of girls he can relate to in some ways, but they're girls so he has no interest in them, and then he receives the insult occasionally. It's not as bad as it was the first year, but I can still see how all of these things affect him."

"If he won't talk to you about it, then how do you know about all of it?" Jack shrugged at her question.

"I'm a Guardian, Morgan. He worries me. I follow him around school. Nobody else can see me. It's not hard to spot. He's so quiet about it but he really wants someone to love, and there is nobody here. He can't even make a connection strong enough for Cupid to shoot anyone. I've talked to him about it, I know." Morgan glanced sideways, a grinding into her stomach from her guilt at having no idea any of this was happening. She sniffed and pushed back the ball that clung to the back of her throat.

"College sucks. Growing up sucks," she said. "I need to speak with him. I can't even imagine. I'm picky with men but at least I have my pick. Brad though... I hate this world. I hate that we're so backwards and so many people suffer because, even as far as we've come with accepting homosexuality... there are still so many people out there who treat it as an evil and that sets everything back, so we can't move forward and people get hurt and excluded. God damn it. Damn... my baby brother. He shouldn't have to be so lonely like this... nobody should have to be so lonely like this..." The way her voice trailed away and how distant her eyes had become, Jack could not decide if she meant just Bradley.

"Do you love him as you loved me? Liam, I mean."

"Jack," she snapped. "Come on now."

"Please, just answer it."

"It's too early to say..." she moaned, looking at her nails. "I think I am falling for him."

"Do you think you would have a truly happy life with him if you married? Family?"

"Jack."

"Morgan, please." She sighed again and stared at the corner in the ceiling.

"I think I could."

"And this is what you really want?"

"... Yes. I want this. I want this more than I have ever wanted anything ever in my life." Jack nodded and used his staff to push himself against the sill, staring up at the moon with some sort of hidden conversation seeming to occur between the two of them.

"I'm not going to chase you anymore. I won't pursue you. I want you to have the life you want. Please... live. Live your life. As you want it. Have everything you have ever dreamed of, including the things I could never give you. I'll still be around. I'll always be around. I'm not just a Guardian. I'm... your Guardian. And your husband's, and your children's, and their children... I am forever going to keep a close eye on your family. I will make sure you are all protected." Jack's tone sounded foreboding to her and she pulled her knees to her chest, wringing at the blanket with perspiring fear, a shot of cold flying through her arms with the recognition of what he was about to say to her. This was the second break up. The real good bye forever.

"Jack, what are you..." Her breath quickened. Jack strode over to her to catch her as she leaned forwards. "What is it you... I can't breathe... Jack, you can't... I can't... don't leave me..."

"I am not leaving you, Morgan!" he said to her firmly, patting her back and rubbing her wrist to get her to gulp down some air. "How many times have I said it? I am never going to abandon you. But I think... with the way your life is... It's better for me to be the friend who pops in now and then, rather than the friend who you spend days having marathons of TV shows and you stay up talking to til 2 am. I will come in to visit now and then, check on you. When you get married, I will be at your wedding. When you have kids I will have fun with them, and join your whole family for snow days. But it seems your life is pulling together, going the way you always dreamed. So I think I need to step back. You need to be there for Brad. You need to be there for Linda. You need to pour all your love into Liam. Think of me from time to time, but don't let it haunt you. I will come in to say hi, but... maybe only three times a year." Morgan laughed to herself, her voice distorted by the tears that were falling into her mouth.

"It's so funny..."

"What is?"

"This is _Peter Pan. _Just as I said it was... it ended just as it did. Including me, wanting to grow up and live my life. I never thought you would deviate from the story." She looked up at him. "Peter didn't want to let Wendy go. He just lost track of time. He didn't want to let her be who she wanted to be. He was the one who wanted her to never grow up. Wendy convinced him this was the way things were, not the other way around."

"But Wendy still lived a happy full, life. Peter was still around, and she never forgot him."

"My personal Guardian, then?" The tears were clouding her vision now, but she could make out Jack nodding to her.

"And your family's." He stepped onto the sill and raised the window again. Morgan scrambled back up to take his hand. He bowed lowly, as if he were a gentleman. She giggled, finding it inappropriate he looked so chivalrous but was so mischievous. She curtsied before him and then dropped her hand.

"See you around soon, I guess," she whispered.

"I'll come by again before I'm off to Antarctica," he promised. "There's an awfully big adventure ahead of you."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"Good bye Jack. I'll see you in the spring."

"Until then, my Snow Angel."

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**Oh and guess what! I finished the first Guardians' book! I'm on the second one! The only story I have to give to you guys tonight is one about how awesome my boss is. I followed her to the back of the story where we were going to inventory stolen items (since June 1st, 159 FOUND items were stolen. asdfghjkl people make me sick) And on our way there, we passed by the magazines. She goes "Okay, stop." "Um... what?" I was concerned I did something wrong an she points to a guy on one of the Men's Health magazines. "See that? That right there?" "Yeah." "That is a very attractive man. He is beautiful and I want to marry him." "Aren't we supposed to be working." "Yes, but you are allowed to take five minutes to stare at a sexy man. Which is what I am going to do. " And so I pointed to a magazine and said "I like him better." "Nope. Wrong, You fail. Go back to work." It was the strangest thing ever but I have never had a boss like that before and it was so funnt! Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. even it was a little emotional. See you tomorrow night!**


	112. Pink Slip

**Today was just a shit day. Like horrible. I can't even talk about it it was so bad. I apologize for the sad chapter, but sometimes my mood is reflected in what I write. Ugh.  
**

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There was very little about Jack that Morgan had ever told Liam. He knew there had once been a boy named Jack whom her parents, notably her mother, did not like to talk about. Mrs. Kenter seemed to despise him, and he wondered if maybe he had been some sort of disgrace and was rude or perhaps a bad boy. She did not like to talk about him much either, but from the times he had gone out of his way to ask her, the small bits she did say led him to believe they believed she had been corrupted and conditioned in misbehaving in her high school years and she blamed him for that famous incident he recalled about the girl who went to Europe. He remembered her face on the news and he wondered if that had been a small bit of the reason he slowed himself down in the shop, and he remembered how she had been reported to be mentally unstable. He was starting to wonder if the doctor's diagnosis was wrong. Clearly, this Jack had gone against Mrs. Kenter's wishes with Morgan and that's why she hated him, or at least that was what Liam decided.

Mr. Kenter, however, did not seem to really hate Jack, but rather what he did. When Jack was brought up, he got really firm and didn't seem to want to say much, but Liam suspected it was more secretive rather than discomfort of discussing Morgan's ex. The closest he ever got from him was something about him taking away his daughter's innocence, and then Liam wondered if that meant Morgan lost her virginity to him and he found out. It would make sense. Fathers were oft to despise the man, or men, their daughter slept with when they were young like that. Morgan never told him who her first time was with. She always got really quiet about it and turned this inhuman shade of a lush pink and said something about how it was a terrible idea and she didn't wan to get into the details about it. He never wanted to push the matter so he dropped it. But this Jack was becoming a huge mystery. He didn't know his last name, he didn't know what he looked like, he didn't know what he had done to Morgan. All that he knew was her family despised him, Linda refused to share information, Bradley loved him, and he had done something – something he believed to be recent – to Morgan for her to become so easily distracted and give her a dismal mood that saturated everything around her with a sickly gloom.

Morgan still smiled. She still laughed, and she still remained a warm light in Liam's life, but she was very different. Her grace was lacking. Her smile appeared unnatural. Her laugh was distorted by a blockage of pain. She ate more slowly. Everything she did, every breath, every movement, every look of her eyes were changed by something that could only be described as a true loneliness. Finally, Liam couldn't take it anymore. A night he had cooked dinner for the two of them, their conversation was spread out by large gaps of drowning awkwardness. This type of silence and Morgan's distance had been going on for three months and it had long ago become too much for him.

"Morgs, what's going on with you?"

"Um..." she started, shifting her eyes with uncertainty. "As far as what?"

"Something happened at your family's place during Christmas," he remembered, and her eyes lit up. She knew what he was talking about. "I don't know what happened, I wasn't there. But something did happen. Linda won't say. Brad gets really nervous. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Jack." Her eyes expanded at the sound of his name. Morgan did a terrible job of hiding it under a fake cough.

"It's nothing, Liam," she sighed, turning over the chunk of lemon chicken on her plate.

"It is something," he observed. "And big enough to render you nearly speechless. Since you came back, so much of the stuff we do is not as fun as it was. I mean, we still have fun but there's a passion missing in you. So many things you do seem deliberate and you just seem like you've replaced who you are. I can tell it's not you. And then when we make out, sometimes you start crying a little – I can see it, don't try to hide it, and then you get... a little more feisty than normal. Don't get my wrong sometimes it's hot, but it's as if you haven't been touched in so long, that you've been neglected and you're starved for love." Morgan moved the fork around, surrendering to his words with her guilty expression. "I kept wondering if you had... cheated on me with your ex..."

"Liam, I would never-!"

"I know, sweetheart, I know," he interrupted. "That just didn't seem right. Every answer I gave myself didn't seem right. Nothing seemed to fit. Except for one." Morgan's eyes jerked back towards him and the wetness in them glittered while she anxiously waited for his observation. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "I think you're still a little bit in love with him and he stepped out of your life for good. He doesn't even want to be friends anymore and you can't live with that." Morgan's mouth dropped, flabbergasted by how accurately he reached his conclusion. She cleared her throat and did her best to appear emotionless, but a tear snuck out of the apex of her eye.

"Jack is my past. Yes, we were still friends. And yes. What happened over Christmas was exactly as you said, but it has nothing to do with being in love with him. I thought he was always going to be there, and be my friend forever. He was always going to be the one person waiting for me. We are – were- the best of friends besides Linda. But with you in the picture and our history that we have, he couldn't do it anymore. And it hurt. It truly did, and I'm dealing with... the best way to describe it is grief. I just never thought..." Morgan's voice fizzled away from her sentence and Liam continued.

"But why all the secrecy? I don't know who he is or what he was. Everyone seems to hate him, and you won't talk about it. You won't even confirm if Jack was the first guy you ever had sex with." Morgan flinched.

"Everyone wants to know that..." she moaned. "It's getting really boring."

"I'm just worried!" he yelled. "The way you act with him, it's like you two did something illegal! Why is everyone so angry with your past with Jack, why was it such a big deal you two were together, and why have I never found out his real name or seen his picture-" Liam was hit with a realization of the potential of the whole scenario. It was a wrong realization, but one that made perfect sense to him. "Oh my God... oh my God, Morgan. How old is he?"

"Uh, he's..." she stammered.

"Is he older than you?"

"Um... how long did it take for you to cook this chicken?" Morgan asked, attempting to steer the conversation away from one that was going to explode. These were questions she could not answer. She truly wanted her relationship with Liam to work, so the entire time she had done what she never condoned doing. She kept details of Jack's true identity under wraps and only told parts that were important to knowing her past. She never lied, she just hid, but every time it got harder for Morgan to keep his real identity a secret. There were gaps in who he was because she did not want Liam to know who he was. She wanted him to believe she was sane despite what everyone else said. Morgan cared about Liam that much and if he ever walked out on her, she wasn't sure she would survive this time. Now here he was, demanding to know things about Jack that would be difficult to tell the truth on, but would also be difficult to hide.

"Morgan."

"Yes, he was older. But you're older than me!"

"By eight years," he groaned. "And we're both consenting adults, so it doesn't make much of a difference now! But if you were what... you said you dated Jack from when you were thirteen to when you were eighteen? If he was even older than me when you were that young... Oh my God, Morgan. Is he that much older? Is he _older _than me?" Morgan's frozen silence seemed to tell him everything he needed to know. He moaned and let his head fall onto the table, scrunching up the green tablecloth in his palm.

"He's older than me..." Liam breathed in a panic. "How much older than you is he?! No, wait. I don't want to know. I know get why you hid so much." He stood up from his chair at the end of the table and rounded it to where Morgan was sitting. He crouched before her and caressed her palms. His smile was deformed by sadness. Morgan looked at him with confusion at annoyance. "Morgan, I don't want you to think you have to hide this stuff from me. We can get him convicted for rape-"

"He didn't rape me!" Morgan screamed, so loud she cringed at the idea of his neighbors in the apartment hearing her.

"But with his age, even if it was consensual, it is considered stat-"

"No, legal matters aren't going to matter! He didn't do anything wrong, we didn't do anything wrong! We just... shouldn't have been together."

"That's exactly it, isn't it?" Morgan scoffed and tried to pull away from him. "You don't want to give him his name or his identity because you don't want me to take his name to the police and get him on the registered sex offender list."

"He is not a sex offender!"

"And that's the other piece of the puzzle. This is why your parents are so adverse to him. This is why you refuse to talk about it. This is why you have been considered mentally unstable."

"You are so wrong!" Morgan cried, growing hysterical as he continued to not listen to anything he said. "In so many ways! I was in love with Jack, he was in love with me and we did nothing wrong! You have no idea what the real story is, you can't know what the real story is because if I tell you you will never love me!"

"Morgan, you have it all wrong!" Liam was close to laughing, He put his hands on either side of her face tenderly. "Sweet, brilliant Morgan! I know there has probably been trauma in your past, but I promise you whatever happened! Whatever some horrible ordeal you went through I am here to listen!"

"It wasn't a horrible ordeal!"

"Whatever it was," he commented. "It wasn't right, but that's on him! That is not on you! You are not to blame... you were just a young girl, and probably naïve. No matter what is in your past, I do love you." Her tears seemed to halt with her whole body. Everything around her stopped. Every molecule that had zoomed past them had slowed and froze in its place. Morgan's soul was cracking open some sort of cocoon and waiting to flourish, concerned about what was really awaiting for her.

"Wait..." she hushed, turning her head still held by him. "Did you just tell me you love me?"

"Did I?" Liam chuckled. "I guess I did."

"Is it true?"

"Well, you tell me. You're the one who can see the real truth where no one else can." Morgan squinted and examined the position of his pupils, aimed right for her face and holding her visage with an endearing pride.

"You love me," she cried, falling into his embrace. He laughed as she hugged him. "You're in love with me!"

"It would be impossible for me not to fall in love with you, Morgan." He pressed his limbs into the top of her head.

"I never thought you would love me back..." she giggled through the dance of their tears. "I never wanted to say it, but I love you too." Liam flipped her up into his arms, kissing her nose. She shivered at the sensation, but quickly forgot how Jack used to her nip her in that way as well. He twirled around while she clung to his neck, her laugh bouncing off the walls and infecting the air with the joy and beauty that she often emitted. Liam noticed how it sounded like it did before – filled with life and truth.

"Let's abandon our dinner and go right to dessert," he suggested with a sultry shadow in his eyes. Morgan's smile widened and she nodded meekly, snuggling into his neck as he ventured towards his bedroom an shut the door tight.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Cupid, normally you're so eager to get me in here!" Jack strained, trying to beat down the door to the main hall of his palace. Cupid kept his back to the door, gulping down every meek anxiety that would show through him. He was afraid to let Jack see the radar on his screen. Things had gotten rocky with him and Morgan, but there was no doubt in his mind he still was in love with her. The map made that clear when he pulled up Jack's profile and the link between him and Morgan was a deep red. But that was with Jack, not Morgan. "Come on! Okay, if I go out with you, will you let me in?"

"Is that a promise, Jackie?" he taunted.

"... just let me in."

"No!" he laughed fiercely, struggling to hide his fears. "You hesitated and didn't promise. That tells me you won't really do it! If you promised, you would have to follow through then. Jack Frost keeps his promises!"

"Okay, so I'm not going to go out with you! I don't like men, sorry!"

"But we would have had so much fun!"

"You would have."

"Same thing."

"Cupid!" And then the door blasted off its hinges, a burst of icicles jutting out of a core. Jack had used his staff to create an iceberg and it expanded upon impact, splintering the door wide open. Jack ran inside, finding that he also had knocked the spirit of love down as well. He smirked with pride and then looked over at the radar. Morgan's profile had been pulled up, with two lines expanding from her little blip. One line was very short to show the distance between her and the person. The other was really long and extended to where Jack was at that moment. He curiously examined the coloring of the lines and frowned.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Cupid muttered, a crystallization gathering around the edges of Jack's eyes.

"I don't understand," he lied. "Look at that line. It's really bright. He still cares about me very much. She still has an interest in me. There's something still there."

"But the one with Liam is a bright red. She's falling in love with him, and very quickly."

"Mine's bright too!"

"Jack..." he started carefully. "It's bright. But it's pink. Yesterday it was fuchsia, but it's not even that anymore. Now it's more of a cerise."

* * *

**I said it was a shit day, but there was one good thing that happened. I found out I got a week off work so I can go visit my friend for a week ( we get to see each other very little because she lives three hours away. In the school months she's in Vermont and I'm in Minnesota so that sucks even more) I don't know how much writing I will get done then, so just be aware that's coming up. I may not update the whole week. :/ Anyway, I'll see you again tomorrow! Night, my rosettes. i hope you didn't cry too much.**


	113. Truest Goodbyes

**So fanfiction was being really dumb last night and chapters couldn't update. So you're getting this chapter today instead of yesterday! Sorry, but it wasn't my fault.**

**To AnonomousGirl: I do not consider myself to have a sad, tragic, and depressing life. I have had horrible things happen, but I think I have led a pretty good like thus far and there are upcoming things that are even more amazing to come. It's just sometimes really shitty things occur and lately they have been happening all at once. I also have anxiety disorder. Some things are worse than others. Most days I'm fine, but some days it's really bad. I was medicated for a while but then I got off it and I think for several months I was okay, but lately it's been coming back a lot lately, and waves of several bad things only makes it worse. And for the past few days there have been some pretty bad things. The last two days of work I had just been screwing up royally, and yesterday I was 22 minutes late for work, and this is a job I've only been at for six weeks, and that just set off a new wave of emotions. I overheard a conversation from my neighbor (We haven't officially met yet) and he was in tears because he was involved in some sort of legal monetary matters that could very likely get him arrested and that stressed me out all day because I don't like not being able to help people. Father's Day is coming up and that's a really tough time because my dad is no longer with us. Last nightg I burnt my arm and so it hurts to type this a little. Today I got stung by a bee, the first time in 13 years. And the newest, most infuriating development is that I LOCKED MYSELF OUT OF MY ROOM. And when I say room, I mean that our house has these massive huge locks on the door that you can only open with a key, and that key was in my purse, which is in my room. So not only am I without any of my money, but I don't have my keys, and nobody is in the office until Monday to let me in! I don't even shut my door OR lock it, but it slammed against the wall, turning the lock and then slammed shut. If I wasn't at my friend's house this would be a HUGE problem. I think my life is actually pretty good, but... lately it's been sucky. It will get better, things are just frustrating.**

* * *

_~Jack~_

Jack gawked at the screen, refusing to believe the difference in the shading of colors. When he let Morgan go, he held onto his belief that, though they may never be able to really be together like he wanted, there was a love she was always going to hold onto for him. Now, however, it was fading. And quickly, running parallel with her growing love for Liam. He forced his lips together, eyes darting around form some sort of explanation as to why this was and how.

"She's falling out of love with me," Jack choked out.

"I didn't want you to see it..." Cupid sighed. "It's been building for several days."

"Does Liam love her back?"

"Yes, yes of course!" Cupid switched the profiles so it was on the blip beside Morgan's. His line was an even darker shade of red. "I daresay he loves her even more."

"Good... that's good." His voice tapered off, trying to find some way to make sense of how the source of his life was starting to slip away from him and into the love of someone else. He shoved his hands in his pocket. He could tell from the change in him that his emotions were beginning to shake the heavens of a late snowfall. "While I have you here, um..." Jack searched for something to distract himself from the recent turn of events. "Tell me... about Brad."

"Brad?"

"Please tell me there is someone in this world who longs for him. He's silently suffering... All he wants to be loved, but there's... there's no evidence of anyone like him who cares for him that way..."

"Oh, hold on." Cupid punched in several keys at the console and then moved a lever. "There is." A blazing heat cupped the cavity behind Jack's ribcage with brilliant relief. He blinked at Cupid, waiting for more information to be shared. He smiled and continued on. "He's a freshman. Bradley doesn't seem to even know he exists. Max Wesson, is his name? Bit of a shy kid. Likes comic books."

"Thank you, thank you!" Jack laughed, but winced at the effort. When the expression of his delight was pushed forward, repeated poundings of hundreds of pin-like pricklings were bruising him. So there was a hope for Brad, and it made him very pleased. But there was nothing for him now on. He let Morgan go, but he never released the hope she may still harbor a longing for him. Now he needed to release that too. Summer was coming. It was the best time. It was the time to let her live.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With the spring approaching, he needed to make some last minute stops. The first stop had been at the Bennetts, where he had shared an emotional goodbye with his family, warning Jamie to stay forever seventeen. When Jack returned he would be an adult and he felt very strained at the idea of his first believer being so old. Sophie was getting really pretty, and Jack was not fond of the way she had been growing into her figure. He hated the idea of her being a woman and was soon the face the worst kinds of pain that went with the greatest of human emotions. He didn't even want to think of his little Sophie getting her heart broken. He told her in a joking manner to not get a boyfriend while he was gone – or ever. She laughed, but Jack partially meant it. And then there was the newly single Ms. Bennett. He hated to leave her like that when she was so vulnerable, but Jack knew she was strong. The aging that was becoming more apparent on her face was not a sign of the weakening of her body, but all the tough things she had to battle in her life. She was going to be okay; her children were the source of her strength.

Then it was off to Harrisburg where he he acquainted with Linda. She was trying to multitask, pouring over an open textbook while getting really giggly over the phone with who he assumed was Ross. When he rapped at her window, she told Ross that she needed to finish up her homework (which probably wasn't a lie) and that she would return his call. A couple of quick "I love yous" were exchanged, and Jack furrowed his brow for a moment to ponder when that happened, and the bubbling Chinese girl threw the window wide open for him.

"Jack!" she said, twirling him in a hug.

"So you and Ross have started saying those little words now, huh?" he chuckled. She flourished a bright red.

"Yeah," she muttered. "He's perfect. And wonderful. Every day I wake up and giggle because I am just... so happy he's with me." The dim lighting in the room dance across the shimmery sheen of hopefulness and mirth that was reflecting from her.

"Linda, listen..." he hugged her again, and she was caught off guard this time. "I am letting Morgan go for good. She's... she's in love with Liam."

"Whoa!" Linda shouted while she pushed herself back from him. Her hand flew up to her mouth. The eyes rounded with wrongful disbelief. Jack screwed up his lips and nodded to confirm. "They're actually in love?"

"I'm afraid so. I can't keep her near me anymore. I could never do that. I'm still going to be around and her protect her. That's my job, anyway. But I'm not going to chase her anymore. Maybe some spirit will fall for me..."

"Jack. No, no, no, no!" Her foot smashed into her flooring. "This isn't how it was supposed to be! You and Morgan were supposed to be together forever and live happily ever after!"

"Linda, this isn't a fairy tale. This is real. This is how real life is and we need to move on."

"You sound just like her right now!" The frail looking girl looked even weaker in her response to her defeat. She had been their biggest supporter for so long and now everything was being cut off at the limbs and toppling before her. "Look, she's even changed your way of speaking and thinking! And Morgan does the same. She doesn't look on fiction with the same disgust anymore!"

"But exes do that too."

"Don't say that word! You two.. no, Morgan can't be with Liam, it's only ever been you two!"

"This isn't a TV show of yours..." Jack said to her with impatience, but her protests were growing violent. Concerned for how taking this news was going to be on her mentality, he muffled her cries in his sweatshirt when he pulled her body into his arms. She wept, the tears falling and taking form of ice when they met with Jack. He ran his fingers through her dark tresses and then sighed, shushing her as if she were a child. "I wasn't the best for her. I need to accept that."

"Jack, you are the best that was or ever will be."

"Don't let Ross hear that."

"I mean for her. If only you could understand how she has changed so much..." He kissed her forehead.

"I need to leave for the winter."

"Now? At the time when it's most important you stay here?"

"I think it's the other way around..." Linda sighed, but kept a hold of Jack, shuddering in his grasp but refusing to cry anymore. "Linda, think of this way. In your TV shows, when a character leaves, it hurts, right? You don't see it coming and you've grown so used to them being there that you don't know how you will be able to handle their departure. But eventually you get used to that character no longer there. You still remember the character, you still miss the, but it's not a huge gaping wound anymore. And you are still okay with the show. That's how it will be with me. I'll still be around. I'll always be around. But Morgan... we had our time, and now it's over. And it was fun, but now she can't have the life she always wanted." Linda made a strange demonic noise. She was not happy with how everything was panning out. This was not the way she imagined it. He broke away from her., knowing he was not going to get anywhere with her now. Leaned on the ledge and waved to her, waiting for some sort of response. She gave a very casual wave, but her face was anything but casual. She looked solemnly at the floor and her shoulders would shrug with every sigh.

"It will be okay," he whispered. A sliver of a grin made him feel less guilty and he took off on the wind. He needed to make a last stop. He had a promise to fulfill.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

She shrieked at the sight of her ex seated on her bed, the covering around him iced over with a thin layer of frost. An explosion of fright burst in her chest, but once she had gotten over the surprise of seeing Jack in her dorm, her heart lifted. It had been so long since their last encounter and the hole he had always filled was getting much deeper in his absence.

"I'm sorry," he remarked with a guilty sadness, after she clapped her hand over her chest and was getting over the heavy shrugs of breathing. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I just didn't expect to you see you..." she couldn't help but smile, and then dropped her voice with the reminder of the sleeping Gertrude on the top bunk.

"It's nearly two am," he commented, looking at the glare of the evil red on her clock.

"Yeah, I was, uh... out."

"Not drinking I hope."

"No, no. Too young."

"I've heard that doesn't stop a lot of college students." Morgan offered him a smile. One of amusement that she had always reserved for him, and the muscles in all of his limbs tighten with the yearning to feel the warmth of every cell on her skin brushing against his frozen state. He was going mad with so long without touching her.

"I was with uh... Liam..." The color in her face helped Jack to understand she was not fond of telling him what had happened to keep her out so late, but she let her mouth spread to show off her teeth in a goofy sort of way. It wasn't hard to guess what they had been up to.

"Don't be ashamed, Morgan. You love him and that's okay." He said.

"How do you know I love him?" He turned his head to give her a knowing look. She groaned. "Cupid."

"He's been keeping tabs on you. He does care, you know. He didn't become the spirit of love for nothing."

"It's just a little embarrassing he knows everything... including how... active... I've been."

"I'm not Cupid. I prefer to not know the details of your sex life."

"There was a time you did," she taunted. He laughed with the surprise at how easy it was to react that way with her, despite everything that happened with them.

"When it involved me!"

"Have you come to tell me good bye?" she guessed. He nodded. Her face fell, but there was a small bit of expectation. Morgan dropped her purse and crawled to where he was on the bed, interlocking her fingers around his neck. She breathed in the aroma of cool mint and stale ice, recalling every memory that went with it. She still itched to be held by him and cradled, but all he could ever do was keep her cold. There was always going to be something about his freezing touch that melted her heart, but with Liam things were much different. He could set her on fire and captivate her with the heated touch of his skin. She wanted warmth in her life. She didn't want to be frozen.

"You come back," she said to him, rubbing her nose against his cheek. He grinned, fighting against the biting of his desire. "Just like always, come back, okay?"

"I'm done chasing you, okay, Morgan?" he said. Her eyelids flipped open with her first shock, but then her face softened with being soothed.

"I know," she said.

"But we're going to be forever friends."

"Of course." He shifted from the bed and leaned against the window. Before he fell out of it, he looked back at the girl he once loved and was still enraptured with, presenting a mischievous grin

"One more thing. Next time you talk to Brad... give him the name Max Wesson."

"Max Wesson?"

"Name courtesy of Cupid." Her eyes brightened with the jittering excitement that was welling in her.

"You mean...?!"

"Have to find out." He laughed. "See you, Morgs." He jumped out, leaping into the wind that cupped him like a baby bird fallen from a tree. Morgan barely took notice of him vanishing into the horizon, whipping out her phone to look at a text message that was a little less than innocent from Liam.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Jack~_

It wasn't Antarctica Jack was making his way for. He would be heading there eventually, but he had another place he wanted to go to first. He thought about seeing Bunny, but he didn't want the warrior rabbit to see him in that state. There was someone who would understand. So he changed his course for the jeweled palace, flying in and being greeted by several thousand mini fairies with the visage of hummingbirds. The largest of them all and the most elaborate adorned waved up to him and flitted towards him. She was already several feet away from him before she noticed the hunched stature of his shoulders and the dropped head meant something was very wrong. She collided with him, embracing him before he could even lift his head for her to discover the tears clinging onto his lids. Toothiana guided him back to the main center of the palace, and there, Jack wailed. He was embarrassed that he was falling apart so dramatically like he was, but it was hard to keep himself together. Tooth squeezed his fingers in her delicate palm and brushed her other hand across his back.

"Tooth, I don't want to do this, I don't want to let her go, I don't want to give her life, I want her with me forever..." he sobbed into her shimmering feathers of azul, emerald, and turquoise.

"I know, I know Jack..." she compassionately replied.

"But I don't think I could handle giving her anything less than everything she wants..."

"Jack, dear, I know..." Toothiana didn't even need to ask what had happened. She didn't need to. And she didn't say anything else to him. She just sat with him and just was there.

* * *

**There's a lot of things that are going to happen soon in the story. I can't wait for you to read them! :) Til later, my rosettes!**


	114. Separate Lives

**You knew it was coming...**

* * *

_~Jack~_

He was lounging on the icy cliffs when the ground rumbled unexpectedly. Occasionally, there would be a vehicle of scientists and researchers passing by, but this did not feel like it was wheels rolling across the ground. Instead, it felt more like something was exploding from underground. Penguins scampered away from the west, which was the direction Jack decided the noise must have been coming from. For the few seconds he didn't know what was happening, a small part of him quivered with fear. But, then he saw the cavity that opened in the ice, it's lining of dirt and moss, accented by the occasional flower. He breathed and then followed his relief with the stirrings of a grin, leaning against his staff that he propped up. The grey furred humanoid animal lifted his head above the surface and wriggled his nose before reluctantly slipping out of his warm tunnel.

"Bunny!" Jack laughed, watching the warrior Pooka twitch from the chilly air. He was amused by how inexperienced he was with cold weather.

"Blimey, Frost, why can't you go somewhere nice in the summer? Like the Bahamas!"

"If I went somewhere nice then it wouldn't be nice!" he joked. "Well, at least... not what you would consider nice." He pulled his smiler wider but Bunnymund was able to read on the corners of his faux happiness that his spirit was strained and he held thousands of emotional bruises and scars. Bunny frowned and sighed.

"Look, Jack. I'm here because Tooth told me." Jack released his show of an appearance. "We're worried about you! North is afraid there will be winter this year, Sandman can't even send you sweet dreams. Something about how even good dreams makes you feel horrible. And Tooth said you visited her and just broke down!"

"Sometimes I think if I had never met Morgan... but then I don't know how my life would have been if I never found her..." Jack dragged his staff across the ground so a trail of interlocking crystals feathered out behind him. "I just really believed we were going to be together forever."

"Do you regret being with her?"

"No!" Jack answered quickly, and Bunny raised his furry brow with surprise at how adamant he was with his answer. Jack himself even looked a little confused about where his answer had come from. Then he looked up firmly. "No. Never. Morgan showed me a side of the world I never would have known. In so many ways. She helped me discover who I am. Who knows? Maybe someday there will be a spirit I can connect with emotionally. But Morgan... is always going to be special to me. Until the day she dies, I will be there for her unless she tells me to get lost for good."

"I was wrong, mate," Bunny admitted. Jack jerked his head in his direction, the words striking him a little odd coming from the stubborn Pooka. It wasn't usual that he freely admitted to being wrong. "I think she did something to you. She changed you, helped you. And I think it was important that you two were together. Even if it didn't last." Jack looked up at the expanse of the deep blue that took over most of the earth.

"I just hope that... this Liam is giving her every ounce of happiness she should have."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

She had wanted to spend every two weeks at Liam's place. So every other two weeks, Morgan would drive up to Liam's place and spend time there. That was also when Linda would spend all her time with Ross. When Morgan came back up, she and Linda were as close as every before and were together nearly every day. It was clear to everyone around her, especially Linda, that even though she seemed really content and excited to have Liam in her life. When he was around, she could not keep her hands off him, but there was a disconnect in her, and Linda and Bradley both attributed it to Jack. Even at Todd's wedding, she seemed unlike herself. She had brought Liam along and they shared in several dances, but when he was out of view, there was always a tear hidden away in her eye that she thought nobody could ever seen. But Bradley and Linda always saw her every emotion.

"Morgan..." Liam impatiently addressed to her, during one of her stays with him. He was standing at the sink, scrubbing at a saucepan Morgan had not rinsed out the night before. "How many times have I told you I want you to rinse out the dishes when you are done with them? Now I have to scrub this..."

"I'm sorry, I walked away and forgot about it. I live in a dorm, remember? I don't really do dishes often."

"But you do dishes at home."

"It's not like I really cook though. I'm a college student, I live off of soup and hot pockets."

"But I've said it hundreds of times!" he began to yell. His voice tickled her veins and her blood pumped faster. Her esophagus began to itch with a creeping need to start screaming back at him.

"I forgot one time, okay?! One time! That's not something you should really yell at me for! And I apologized!"

"This is just one thing on top of many things though! You seem to forget a lot of stuff lately! You're distracted by so much! I get it when you're in school, you have a lot on your plate, but you're not in school you don't have a job anymore! You sit there and do the same thing you've always done; read your books, watch your documentaries, sketch and draw-"

"Are you saying that stuff is stupid, that I shouldn't do any of it?!"

"I'm saying you have no reason to act so aloof! Even when we're together, it's like you don't even want to be together! You don't really want to talk, you don't want to go out, I have to plead with you to go to even the movies, but the minute I make a move towards you or I touch you, you've latched on to me quicker than a lake leech and if I bring up sex, you're in the bedroom before I even have the chance to finish my question!"

"And you don't like that?!"

"I love how excited you get to be with me and how physically attractive you find me, but it's also a little hurtful. Sometimes I think you are physically into me and you don't want to connect with me on any other level. Do you even love me?"

"Of course I do, Liam!" she blurted with offense. She had balled up her fists and was holding back her most hurtful phrases in her curled hands. Drops of her pained anger were clinging to the ends of her lashes. "I can't believe you would ever think that!"

"But there's something going on with you! You won't tell me everything that happened with you and Jack, you won't fill in the gaps of your childhood. You were together for five years, and it sounds like it was an incredibly horrible relationship."

"It wasn't horrible!"

"That's what he brainwashed you to believe! I'm your boyfriend, Morgan, but I only know of the one relationship you had, before Jack! And from what I gathered, you had a couple of very short flings as well! Who was this dark man who possessed you the summer between Tristan and Jack?"

"No one I ever want to tell you about!" Morgan screeched loudly. Her face had burned with fury at the mention of that incident that never seemed to go away. "He was disgusting and gross and I never should have associated with him!"

"You've admitted to a one night stand with someone you know pretty well, but you won't tell me who it was or if I even know them! You won't tell me anything about any of your exes! If you ant a good, solid, relationship you don't keep secrets, especially regarding past lovers! And your family seems to know nothing about them. Linda does, and so does Bradley! But Bradley won't tell me anything and Linda doesn't seem to like me for a reason I don't get. I think I deserve to know what happened in my girlfriend's life!"

"Well, you better get used to disappointment!" Liam slammed the pan he had been trying to wash into the vat of soapy water. Morgan stood firm, not wanting to show how terrified she was of the way he was aggressively advancing towards her.

"Morgan, why don't you understand I want to know about your past because I love you?!"

"If you loved me you would let it be!"

"No, Morgan..." His lip curled over to push back every seething emotion that was fueling into his core at that moment. "That's not it at all!"

"If you can't deal with it then I guess we should never get married!"

"Whoa, hang on, I never said anything about getting married!"

"... what do you mean?" Her furious instincts had abandoned her the minute he said those words and were replaced with bewilderment, sadness, and the slightest pinch of hurt. Her quiet shock tamed Liam and his eyes eyes softened. He ventured towards her caressed her fingers tenderly.

"I thought you understood..." he said. "I am not the marrying type."

"How are you not the marrying type?"

"I am fully committed and faithful to every relationship I have ever been in. But I don't understand what's the point of marriage. It's more of a religious institution anyway. And I'm an atheist."

"It's more than that! I'm not quite sure if I believe all the stuff about God either, but it's the most precious promise anyone can make! It's a promise that is witnessed and even if you don't believe in anything, just the ceremony makes it feel sacred and precious! It's pomp and circumstance, the certification, and the witness... everything working together with the completion of the vows between two individuals just creates this beautiful eternal promise."

"Why can't a promise to live together and raise a family mean just as much?! Why do you need to spend all that money and waste so much and have it all happen in a church where you don't even worship?!"

"It doesn't have to be in a church! And it's not a waste! And it's not the same thing!"

"All the legal struggle with it though, and then what if we divorced? It would be so much more difficult."

"You just want the easy way, do you?!" Morgan screamed, slamming her foot on the ground. "That's what it is. You think we're just going to have a nice, simple relationship."

"Obviously not if I'm with you!" her voice caught in the deepest part of her throat, his response targeting her ribcage and ricocheting off the organs beneath it. She choked on the steady stream of saltwater flooding from her eyes and used her hand to push into her stomach.

"What does that mean...? Am I so... hard to deal with?"

"No, baby, I didn't mean that..." he went to hug her but she ripped away from his grasp, turning towards the window so she was no longer facing him. "It's just that... I mean you keep things from me and that's not always the easiest thing... If you just... listen for once and had a conversation... you would know that I don't want to be married."

"Do you want kids?"

"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world but it's not something I would like to plan for." Morgan's breathing became deeper and she focused on the dark colored bird pecking at something on a tree branch. Liam crossed his arms. "Can I ask why it's such a big deal to be married? It's just a piece of paper..."

"It's more than that... it's... it's a part of the..." Morgan swallowed, shocked she was going to say these words. "I want a fairytale romance."

"You're always so unrealistic," he chuckled. Morgan spun back around and Liam felt this tearing inside him from how tortured her face looked from all their yelling and stressing. The last thing he had ever wanted to do was hurt her.

"We don't know each other very well..." she finally said.

"Not outside the bedroom, no..." he agreed. Then there was that settling of an ominous heaviness. Something that had perhaps been building for a while with Morgan's growing distance and her secrets and Liam's expectations of her and his tendency to jump to conclusions. Now everything about they wished of the relationship had started to come out. Morgan had not doubted she felt some sort of love for him, but she wasn't sure anymore that it was as strong as she had expected. She had no idea about any of these revelations of him, and though she was sure he truly did care for her and wanted to be with her, she would not be able to be with him if he could not give her everything she wanted. It was the same story all over again.

"Maybe this isn't going to work..." Liam said to her with devastation.

"I don't think it's going to..." Morgan cried. "I so wanted it to."

"I did too."

"Does it please you to know I am going to spend months crying over this?"

"Not really..." he sighed with a grin. "I mean, it's... I don't like that you're hurt over this, but it at least gladdens me to know that you care so much about me. I'm not going to recover easily from this either."

"Yeah," said Morgan. She welcomed the kiss to her forehead, crushed by how his affection had quickly turned to more of a fatherly care from what had once been passionate desire. How quickly it had all changed for them.

"I guess that's it then," he groaned, sliding his thumbs into his denim pockets. "It's too late for you to drive home. You can take the bed tonight, I'll sleep on the couch. I'll help you get your things together in the morning." She giggled and was very careful to only hug him in a friendly way.

"Stop being so wonderful, it's making this so much harder..."

"Would you rather I throw you out?"

"No!" He smiled.

"It was fun... I'll finish up the dishes." He left her again and there again came that sink of several stones bleeding out her heart. Once again she was single, and once again she was in pain and lonelier than she could ever know. "I hope you get married and have children someday. And I hope you can have that fairy tale romance you want. I still think you're going to be the greatest historian the world has ever known."

* * *

**I may not get one up tonight because I work late and then I have to get up early to go to work. But I will get one up tomorrow! See you later my lovelies!**


	115. Less Than Innocent

**I GOT MY DOOR UNLOCKED TODAY YAAAAYYYYY I HAVE A BEDROOM AGAIN!**

* * *

_~Jack~_

Antarctica had quickly grown too cold for Jack. He retreated back to Pennsylvania early in August, deciding it would not be the end of the world if Autumn came early. He tried not to think too much about Morgan and her boyfriend. Even the smallest passing thought pierced him through. He calculated the time, figuring that Morgan would be heading into her sophomore year of college when he arrived back at the Bennett house, then reminded himself to focus on his family and not anything that would trigger another lash of tears.

"Jack, you're here early!" Sophie screaming, the musical tones of her laugh inflating him with a rising heat of pride. He smirked and caught the girl who flung herself into him off the porch. She squealed when his arms wrapped around her and the frost coating bit at her skin. The summer had been especially warm, proven through the way she was dressed. Jack pulled her back and gave her once over. He frowned when he saw her white jeans, not only tight but shorter than her fingertips and and a violet and periwinkle camisole top showing the slivers of her bra straps. He pushed his lips together with displeasure. Sophie's smile faded with his and there was a faint pulse of worry fogging her brain. "Jack? Are you okay?"

"Hmm... it's... just... is that what twelve year old girls are wearing today?" he carefully worded, only to be given a response of a sigh and an eye roll.

"First of all, I'm going to be thirteen in a couple of weeks. Second, it's summer. I'm allowed to wear a little less. It's hot!"

"You wear that kind of stuff inside the house," Jack lectured.

"I don't understand how this is any worse than wearing a bikini at the pool."

"You do not wear a bikini at the pool!" Jack was mortified at the idea of her doing such a thing. She was not even twelve yet, and as far as Jack was concerned, she should be wearing sweatpants and turtlenecks until she was twenty-five. His skin wriggled when he pictured Sophie skipping around in clothes belonging on a doll. "Sophie, in my time-"

"Oh my God, Jack, that was the eighteenth century! Not everyone is as obsessed with it like Morgan is!" He winced. "She may think all those coverage and layers are beautiful, but I think I look adorable!"

"You do, Sophie, that's the problem!" Jack moaned. "If you... show more of your... adorableness it might... I don't want guys... you're not even thirteen!"

"Mooooommmm!" she called. "Jack's trying to substitute for dad again!" Ms. Bennett walked out onto the porch and Jack embraced her lovingly.

"Hey, Mom," he chuckled. She tousled his frosty spike. He smiled, but was disheartened by the curves around her mouth that had gotten much deeper since he last saw her. He tried not to make it obvious he was looking over the silver that streaked through her hair, but she caught on and pushed it away.

"I know," she snorted with embarrassment. "I'm getting old."

"Hey, it's not so bad. When I was fifteen, all of my hair turned white," he teased. "And I get told a time or two I'm still pretty good looking."

"Mom, tell him I'm not dressing like a whore!" Sophie yelled. Ms. Bennett snapped up her disgusted expression and Jack shared the same sort of shock as her.

"I did not say that!" he defended.

"He doesn't like the way I dress!"

"It's just legs and bra straps, Jack..." Ms. Bennett giggled and Jack followed her back into the house.

"But it's... have you seen... Sophie is growing, Helen!" he argued. Ms. Bennett picked up a bowl of some creamy liquid she had been stirring furiously. She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to finish. "I mean... she's... her figure..."

"He's trying to say I have breasts, hips, and a butt," Sophie came in saying bluntly. Jack looked down t her with sheepish frustration. She laughed.

"She's not revealing anything," Ms. Bennett said. "I dressed the same way at her age."

"But you're not her... brother... er... uncle... male role model in her life that watches her grow up into a young girl!"

"She has a father."

"Who sees her a total of five weeks out of the year!"

"And Jamie?"

"He's growing up with her, and he's at a time when he's more concerned about girls and driving around with friends and having fun! I've watched this world change and by... showing off... too much of themselves some girls have gotten really hurt."

"If Sophie was wearing a shirt with her cleavage hanging all over the place then I would say something. But she's not. Even the school dress code would probably let her in the school with what she has on," Ms. Bennett informed in a long winded breath. "Jack, I understand completely how I feel. But Sophie knows to not let herself be treated horribly, and if a guy does something to her or hurts her, that is one hundred percent his fault and he is going to get his ass whooped if he does." Jack couldn't hide his smile at Ms. Bennett's fierce maternal instincts. She glowed when she observed how she was being admired.

"That isn't what I meant at all. Of course I wouldn't believe any of it was Sophie's fault! But I don't even want guys thinking about Sophie in a way that is anything less than innocent!"

"Well, it bothers me too! But you know what, when you grow up, you lose your innocence. Guys think about sex, girls think about sex." From the corner of his eyes, Jack saw Sophie quietly slipping out of the kitchen when she heard her bother say the "S" word. "You think about attractive parties, you lust after them."

"But Sophie is... she's like my little sister!"

"And Morgan is a little sister to two men as well!" Ms. Bennett shouted. Jack cowered under her tone, guilt inching in on him. He swallowed, feeling the ice trickle down his throat roughly so it created some discomfort. "And if you try to tell me you only ever thought of her innocently, it would be the biggest lie I ever heard." Jack gnawed on his lip. She finally offered a sympathetic grin. She walked forwards and hugged him. "Jack. You've got several things overlapping for you right now. You never got to be that older brother to Emma, you're connected to Soph in a familiar way, you're watching her grow up when you can't, you have a strong desire to be a father that you can't fulfill, you were raised with the values of the 18th century, and most of all you are a Guardian. Honestly, I would concerned if you didn't act this way towards her."

"I still don't like it..." Jack grumbled, kicking at something invisible.

"Never said you had to. But you need to accept that she is getting older and can make her own decisions." Any silence that was building between them had been broken by the shrill screaming of the phone. Ms. Bennett reached for it, and her light conversation informed him that it was someone he was very familiar on the phone. He tried not to listen in, and it was unclear what she was talking to Linda about, but she got a little somber and her voice stretched into something depicting grief, but not quite one of something tragic. She hung up the phone and turned back around, twitching her crossed legs.

"That was Linda," she said.

"Really? I wasn't sure when you called her by her name," Jack said sarcastically. Ms. Bennett shook her head. "You said I was here."

"I did... she heard about the cold drafts over the east coast and decided to call up and ask if you were here. She sounded really relieved you came early. Morgan, uh... she and her boyfriend broke up a couple of weeks ago, and it seems she's breaking out of her denial stage, at least that's how Linda put it. Morgan refuses to take her out of school when she's doing so well, but she keeps saying over and over again about how she's in a lot of pain and she really wishes you were there. Besides Linda, you're the one person she wants with her." Jack had already made his way for the door. "Linda said you would remember her dorm."

"I do," he said, beginning to pull the door shut. "Tell Jamie I stopped by. I'll see you later."

_~Morgan~_

A week into the semester and it was dawning on Morgan there would be no more helpful late night study sessions, complete with coffee and strudel as Liam quizzed her on the information for the next test. He was not going to swing by to take her out to lunch between classes, and he would not be there to do what was impossible for Morgan; distracting her from everything about history and instead focusing on gaining knowledge on every detail of the human anatomy. Gertrude would stop in with tissues and chocolate and some documentaries she found, many of which she had seen before, but she was otherwise always at class, or working, or gone to the bars. She kept asking Morgan to go with, but the answer was always no. She didn't understand how someone could drink as much as she did.

The thing she wanted the absolute most was something she would not get past her birthday, if even. It was unclear if he was even going to come back for her. At the time when her heart was bleeding was when she started to truly become aware that Jack may never come back for her. As she aged, it pulled the divide between them so it thickened. The Elizabeth bottle was completely empty now and except for deodorant, of course, she would not bear to wear anything else. Gertrude had told she smelled very different and it was getting into Morgan's head that she could be beginning to smell like a heartbroken schoolgirl who had refused to show a few days. However, Morgan liked the shower. It was the one thing that seemed to dull much of the pain these days. She had skipped yet another class and jumped into the empty stall. Morgan cranked the cold knob, the icy jet shooting out all over her body and she took to the fetal position. Her eyes closed while her body swallowed up the slicing nicks of freezing water. She was licked by the stream, and traveled by it, caressed and fondled. It had become the closest things to feeling Jack on her again, and it seemed to liven her heart some. In the cold, she was finding a little bit of warmth.

Of course, she would never be able to get away with being in the shower all day and did eventually have to step out. Prolonging the amount of time it took her to stand and switch off the water, she cast back the curtain and fastened a robe around her middle. Morgan picked up her small shower caddy and unleashed a cat-like yowl at the spirit of winter standing on the outside of the bathroom. His eyelids went up when he took in the fuzzy lavender bathrobe and the bareness of her legs beneath them. Morgan, however, took no notice nor was she too offended at him being there. The bottles soaps and the razor and the towel spilled out onto the floor when she chucked aside the caddy and pinned Jack to the wall with her suffocating embrace.

"Jack!" she screamed, and the scream extended into a sobbing yell. "You're here early! You have no idea what happened, I need to tell you everything... me and Liam... we – he's not... and now I'm single again and... and... there is no one who cares for me like that and w-will accept me for my... strangeness and I can't... understand – how can he not want what I want? I'm stuck here, Jack, with no friends and few acquaintances and no one who wants to dare associate with the crazy girl and -"

"Morgs, Morgan, hey there, Angel, look at me!" he chuckled and tightened his hug. Morgan lifted her head and he nipped the tip of her nose. He nodded to the caddy on the ground. "I saw it was gone from its normal spot beside Gertrude's and figured you must be in the shower. Tell me, when did you stop dressing _in_ the shower?"

"Since there have been strange girls I don't know and there haven't been any boyfriends in my room to take a peep at me as I am changing. Well, okay, Liam was different, there was a time or two-"

"I don't want to know." A flare of jealous flickered in his abdomen. Morgan seemed to agreed. He let her change while he stayed outside her dorm and then entered when she was given the okay. Morgan curled herself up on the bed while he sat at a distance he considered safe for the two of them. But she slid closer to him and pulled his arm around her. Jack prayed that she would not be able to feel the rapid tapping in his chest and the heat that was building around his belly button. Feeling her touch him like this and pull herself into him was something he had itching for. Even in small doses, it was helping him to get a major fix. He relaxed his muscles against the wall and focused on the pressure of her ear pushing against the left side of his chest. Ever so slightly, his breath quickened. But every response of his hormones was put to a halt when she sobbed again, screaming about how hadn't wanted to be a failure and there was never going to be anyone so compatible as him. From the story she told, she seemed to suggest they were incredibly incompatible and he would not give Morgan what she wanted. He was a little confused about how girls thought in relationships and after them, but he was there to listen to what she was to say. Always he was going to be there when she needed him, and she needed him now.

"It's okay, Morgan. He wasn't for you. There will be someone else."

"No, no there won't! Jack, I'm tainted because of you!" she choked. He stopped stroking her shoulder.

"Tainted?"

"No one has ever been as perfect as you!" She paused to heave and cry out a few more tears. "Nobody! But you are not human! Why can't I have a human you?!"

"Because human me is dead, Morgan!" he told her, a little exasperated with this topic. "I know you love the past, and that's okay, but you can't focus on it like you do! You have to move forward and you have to care about the future just as much as the past. When things are past, they're dead. You can't want what's dead." Morgan clawed at his sweatshirt, turning her fingernails into it with a hungry need. "If you want me, you have to take me as I am..."

"I can't do that!" she wept. "I can't hold a relationship, I can't find a guy that suits me! I am such a failure..."

"You are not a failure!" Jack barked suddenly at her, but she had curled in his lap again, bawling hysterically. Jack ground his teeth together, only thinking briefly of what Tooth would say to him about taking care of his beautiful teeth. He shifted her so she was closer to him, then Morgan grazed her lips against his neck in desperation. Jack's body responded to the situation with glee, but then he ripped away from her. It was a quick decision that every instinct in him went against, which the exception of the loud one in his heart. He refused to have any sort of relations without being in a relationship. Not even kissing.

"Morgan..." he said patiently.

"Just for tonight..." she moaned, and then the edges of her thumbs fiddled with the hem of his sweatshirt. It wasn't hard for Jack to figure out what she was doing or what she was after. Her pain only increased her ache for the desire to lie together. In a second she could be his, really his. Every limb, every inch of skin on her emitted an intoxicating aroma, and her willingness stirred it more so his senses were going overboard. Somehow though, he was finding his control. This was a part of what he had been wanting, but it was not the way he wanted.

"No!" he shouted, pulling her hands away. "I will not be your one night stand! Cupid may have succumbed because he thought it would help you. He is also Cupid and doesn't know you as well as I do. He doesn't not have the past like we do. I am not doing this, Morgan! This is not it. I will not be a rebound just because your loneliness is amplifying your hormones."

"Jack!"

"No, Morgan! This is not right! I won't do it!" She slipped her hands away from his shirt, her face washed with rejection. She sniffled and forced herself to sit on the other end of Jack. Morgan no longer even sobbed. Just sniffles, staring at the empty coffee mug on the desk.

"My mother was right all along..." she whispered. "I am really crazy."

"No, Morgan, never crazy. Never ever. You're hurt, you're broken, you're lonely. But never crazy."

"You'll stay with me?"

"Are you going to try to strip me again?" Morgan managed a giggle.

"No. I just want you with me. I don't want to be alone." Jack turned towards her again and expanded the distance between his arms, waiting for her to go back to him. She crawled across the bed and circled her arms around his waist. When his arms rubbed her back again, she smiled at the strange feeling of cold heating her up. And they remained in the quiet.

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**I really have very little to say to you guys I am about to pass out so I will speak with you later I guess. Another chapter tomorrow, as always! :) Good night!**


	116. Finalizing

**Hello there! So here is my new chapter! And it's happy! I think you guys deserve some happiness!**

**And I need your help! When I type, I listen to music to help inspire me. But I have gone through some of the same stuff over and over for this story so I would really like some new stuff! You should message me and give me some suggestions! So, if you have come across any type of music that reminds me of ROTG or any of the characters, my story, or any moments in my story, or my OCs, or if you just had a song that is fun, or something that you think is just wonderful and gives you amazing feelings, let me know! It's possible I have heard it, but it's also possible I haven't. If you even just think i'll like it you can tell me! Any language is also allowed! (Note: I DO speak German so I listen to some German)**

**My favorite types of music: MY NUMBER ONE FAVORITE IS SYMPHONIC METAL. I LOVE IT TO PIECES. I like alternative, rock, some heavy metal if it's... you know, not TOO heavy. 80s music Some pop is good. I like broadway or musicals in general. Christian Rock stuff. And of course Disney.**

**Music I love but can be picky about: Folk, celtic, country (this I am VERY picky with. I generally like stuff down the Carrie Underwood avenue. For more... traditional country style Keith Urban stuff), classical.**

**Music I don't like as a general rule: screamo, hip hop, r and b, rap. Unless it's REALLY mellow I don't like this stuff. With screamo, if a song is sung but has a few words or lines screamed that's okay. Just not the whole song. And I am not a fan where every other word is a swear word. if it has more than five swear words in it, I tend to get turned off by it. While I do swear, it's hard to focus on things with that stuff thrown all over the place. And I mean... there are exceptions. Like "Gives You Hell", which has the word hell in it like twenty times and damn said five time or so. Those words are first off, really mildly and they're in the chorus. But I mean, don't fret, feel free to send ANYTHING you want and I will just let you know if I like it or not.**

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A pair of freshly clean jeans, still mildly warm from the dryer slapped Morgan in her sleeping eyes. She lifted her head, startled by where they had come from. She shifted, pushing aside the tousled and unkempt gatherings of hair that had been messed by her slumber. Before her, Jack was shuffling through a laundry basket, one of four, and threw a pair of underwear at her. Her eyes glanced at the red lines on her clock that seemed to wiggle in her still awaking state. Gasping at the time, she hid herself under the comforter again and her body arched so she created a mountain under the blanket.

"Get up," Jack said. She felt the thump of a pair of socks and peeked through a hole under the edge of her covers. He didn't look up at her. "You're going to class today. You're not skipping again."

"Whatever happened to snow days and missing school?" she moaned sleepily.

"You chose to go to college. Besides, I want you back to your life. You can't let a break up knock you down."

"Did you do laundry?"

"Yes," he smiled. "It looks like you neglected it for a month. I really don't know if that is you being depressed or if it's simply you being lazy. Either one makes sense."

"Shut up..." she said, burrowing under her pillow again. A lacy, vintage blouse landed on top of her pillow and Jack snickered at the guttural growling noise she was creating.

"Are you going to make me dress you too? Because I will... I was a gentleman last night and let you sleep in your clothes. I won't be so kind today." Morgan tossed aside her blanket and her aggression was only pushed further by the bra Jack tossed over to her. She caught it and slammed it back on the ground. The more furious she grew, the more please Jack seemed, and that only made her more furious.

"I don't want to go to class, I have that stupid Philosophy class. I don't get the point of general education classes, half the stuff we never use in our lives anyway. And other countries don't have them!"

"You should have gone to college abroad then," Jack commented while she finally rose from her bed. She caught a glimpse of herself in the small mirror and contorted her lips into an unnatural ripple, grimacing at the sight of herself. Jack rolled his eyes, knowing that look of hers too well and becoming annoyed, as usual, at how much worse she always seemed to think herself looking.

"What would have become of me if I had gone to Oxford?"

"You would have fallen in love with the campus!" Jack chortled, but Morgan did not find it funny.

"I'm in no state to go to class," Morgan responded as she began to tear through the mats and knots weaved through her hair. It always surprised Jack how some people just managed to get every strand of hair looped in impossible knots just from sleeping, like some creature came in the night and tangled up their hair. With each rip of hair, Jack bit his lip. She didn't even bat an eyelash which each jerk as she ripped through her hair, but Jack kept cringing. How could that not hurt? "The whole time I am going to be distracted and not take notes. Besides, have you ever even been to a philosophy class? You have to really love it to even let yourself pay attention. It's not even the stupid, deep thinking philosophy where you get great quotes from. It's the stupid stuff that is pointing out the obvious, and the stuff that causes arguments, like the chicken and the egg."

"Ha! You should hear Bunny on that subject!"

"He said egg, didn't he?"

"Of course he said egg." The two of them each let out a comfortable, harmonious laugh. It was the laugh of old times, one of innocence that echoed of period that had very little pain in it. Their voices billowed with reflections of sunny times filled with chasing dreamsand and snow days and lazing away watching documentaries and having drawing contests and eating as much as ice creams as they possibly could. Before Morgan grew up, back when she was younger and love did not seem as complicated. Before they could actually see forever and the furthest future that occurred to them was what to have for breakfast the next time. It was their exchange of laughter that told the both of them they were going to be okay. They would be all right just to be around each other, and Morgan could still have her life and Jack could have his. The sting was still there, but knowing Morgan was around him and was going to be okay made it throb considerably less.

"Do you want to join me?" Morgan asked. "It would be less boring... and it may help to get me going to class. If you're there I'll be too distracted to think of Liam and what a failure I am."

"You are not-"

"I know, I know, freeze your mouth shut or I'll staple it shut."

That was how things came to be. That was how Jack and Morgan's relationship slowly began to restore itself. Once again, he was back to staying around her for several days of the week. Gertrude was around, of course, but mostly at night as hers and Morgan's schedules conflicted a lot, so she was very rarely thought to be speaking to herself. It became a friendship not much different than the one they had before they were together. Still, they were older, physically, mentally, emotionally. Jack had done more growing up over the past five years than he had in nearly his whole life. The traps and struggles and obstacles Morgan had helped lead him through taught him more than he could ever think to learn. Morgan gained a lot about life not just from Jack, but her other instincts of romantic interest. Plus, there was that past of them. They had a close friendship that was more intimate, more personal, deeper, and more mature than it had ever been. It was getting easier to be around each other. The hardest part for Jack was when he would slip out at night. He didn't want to be tempted to crawl into bed with her when he did not have her permission, and he could never bring himself to ask. Jack sometimes would sit in on her lessons and every once in a while even he fell asleep. Morgan usually hit him for doing so, but he couldn't help it. Some teachers just had no passion for the thing they taught. They shared a little joke about Jack finally getting a college education. He had quickly grown into a part-time college student, a part-time roommate of Morgan's, and he was invisible to everyone on campus. Of course, he didn't have homework but he talked Morgan through her homework so much it sometimes felt he did. Morgan would always beg him to stay, but it was easy for her to get distracted or she would get lazy and not do it. When that happened, Jack would threaten to leave, concerned about her grades, so she could study in silence. On occasion, he did leave, but it helped. Her concentration was growing. Morgan's smile began to appear more often. The color on her cheeks have her a healthy glow, and it was not given any sort of cosmetic help. Her love of history continued and when Jack could not longer get her attention from her books as she jostled her pencil around on the newest drawing of V-J Day, he knew she was nearly completely herself again. The more like herself she was, the more distraction by everything she became. When Jack had finally made this uplifting observation that she had found the lost soul of Morgan, it was the first week of December. The absolute worst time for Morgan to be herself and pouring over everything she loved; it was finals week and she should not be wasting her time watching _The Tudors_ – but she was invested in a way Jack had only ever seen in Linda.

"No! No no no no no!" Morgan screamed at the lap, fondling the edging of her blanket. Jack pursed his lip and crinkled his brow at the smallest of tears wetting her apex. "You are an idiot! You will regret claiming her illegitimate! That is going to be the greatest queen in all of England, and all of the world in fact and you have the audacity to declare her... oh you will regret it! How _dare_ you!"

"Morgan..." he told her slowly, lifting his hand from under the blanket and tapping her knuckles. "You've known for over ten years that Elizabeth was declared illegitimate!"

"But seeing it... hearing it... oh, it makes my blood boil! Elizabeth was-"

"I am very clear on how you feel about Bess," he stated. Morgan's eyes sparkled with impressive adoration.

"I just love it when people refer to her as Bess!" she cooed, relaxing casually against Jack's arm. He no longer tensed at her touch. It had taken a while to get used to her suddenly freely touching him, but it was just another thing of hers. They were good old friends once again, and it was true that referring to themselves as just friends impaled him every day, and every minute but he had gotten used to the impalings. Now, it was almost a comfortable impaling. He mentally embraced each fleeting moment she laid her hands on him, captured every moment she fell asleep on his shoulder, recalled the moments she would grab his hand at the most exciting bits of her historical fiction shows she was getting into, and had to hold back his desire to kiss her every time she beat him with a pillow when he told her she was much more like Linda than she ever thought.

The moments they had spent when they went back to Harrisburg where just like the days of old, except that Ross was there. Morgan would join the two of them at the diner and Jack was there, but Ross couldn't see him of course. Ross would be over for dinner, he go to the movies with them. But, Linda and Morgan would be alone, and that was when the world felt the most perfect. It was good to feel that everyone was fifteen again.

"AGGHHH!" Morgan screamed, breaking Jack out of his thoughts of how things had just settled so neatly, and that if this was how life was to continue for them, he decided he could be perfectly okay with it. "THEY KILLED HER!"

"Morgs..." His laughter grew until it was nearly hysterical. It's infections nature leaked into Morgan and she was flung into a fit of cackles. Someone banged loudly on her door, telling her to stop acting so crazy because everyone else was studying. It only made the two of them laugh harder. Jack leaned back against her pillow and Morgan's body gave way to the conquering of hilarities. She collapsed onto him and rested her head into his chest. Jack breathed in the scent of her mango and vanilla hair, a scent of the rose and damask of Elizabeth wafting through it all. The knuckles on his hands curled as he controlled himself. She couldn't tell, but inside he was trembling with the heavy weight of wanting. He just wanted to remember vividly the glide of her lips and the softness of her cheek. He had not really forgotten; it's hard to forget the sweetest thing you have ever tasted, but he knew the exhilaration was a much thrilling ride than what his mind played.

"You're not allowed to get emotional over this show," he told her.

"Linda does it all the time!" she defended.

"Over shows that are written and have not had their endings or content released previously. This is history. You know what happens. You knew Anne was going to be beheaded. You even watched _The Other Boleyn Girl_ a week ago!"

"But it's always so... real."

"Uh, well, the thing with history is it was real," Jack said to her. She rolled her eyes and playfully punched him.

"No, I mean I imagine what it was like to be there, to witness and how I would feel. And I really get into it. I picture myself as a sixteenth century woman, and channel my feelings into the time era and I can awake everything as if it were happening the first time... so seeing everything, even though I already _know_ what is happening, it's like I react like I never saw it before."

"You do that?"

"Yeah. I mean, when I let my imagination run with history I become a part of it."

"And you said you didn't have an imagination," he teased. "It sounds like a really strong one, honestly."

"I mean, I never had an imagination in the normal sense..." Morgan corrected, shifting her arms around his waist again.

"Pfftt. Normal. Everyone is different so all our imaginations are different. There's no 'normal' for imagination."

"Well, it's weird, anyway."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he chuckled. "Okay now, you promised. You finished season two. You told me that 'when Anne loses her head, you will become well-read.'"

"'First I want to go to bed,'" Morgan added with a laugh.

"'Do it or you will be dead,'" Jack finished. Morgan rolled her eyes and grabbed the thickest book about Mathematical Statistics. She scanned over the strange array of numbers and her high-pitched moan sounded closer to a sob. Jack sighed, finding her to be a little too dramatic until he looked at the numbers. He patted her shoulder unhelpfully and then innocently hummed to himself. He picked up her laptop, but had not even opened it when the bed shuddered under the buzz and call of a simplified version of some classical piece, performed on the lute. Whenever it went off, everyone knew it was Morgan's. Only she would use a song from the Elizabethan era as her ring tone. Too quickly, Morgan violently closed her book and snatched up her phone.

"Linda!" she squealed, beating her legs against her bed happily. "Hey, how are you?! How are finals going?!"

"I'm a little distracted... I haven't really done them..." Linda's voice was sheepish, like she felt a little guilty, but she also had this heavenly tone of bliss to her. To Morgan, it sounded like she did not really care that much about getting it done, but it had been bugging her to do it.

"I know what you mean. Jack is driving me to get it done."

"Can he spare five minutes more to be away from the books?! I really need to speak with you!" Morgan's heart pulsed with worry, but Linda's voice was far too elated for it to be anything dangerous or terrible.

"Jack, I will get to studying after this call with Linda!" she said with defiance. Jack sighed with reluctance but nodded an okay. Morgan giggled at his pained expression.

"Turn the speakerphone on!" Morgan tapped the small button on the screen of her phone and dropped it between her and Jack.

"Hey there, Linda!" Jack greeted, smile heard in his voice.

"Hey!" she laughed. "You both can hear me then? And I'm not too crackly?"

"Nope, crystal clear," Morgan said. Her toes were twitching with heated apprehension. Something really good and amazing had happened and she could not wait to know what it was.

"Guys... Ross and I are engaged!"

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**I have not watched the Tudors, but it's on my list. I have SO MUCH I want to watch. Currently I am getting through Torchwood. SO MUCH TV. SO MUCH JOY. SO MUCH SORROW. SO MUCH PAIN. SO MUCH LAUGHTER.  
**

**For those who live in places where General Education classes in Universities don't exist, which is basically EVERYWHERE EXCEPT NORTH AMERICA (I mean there may be a couple other countries but most don't seem to have them), General Education classes typically take up the first two years of your classes. And they are stupid. It's like in primary and secondary school, where you have certain core classes everyone HAS to take. I mean, not that everyone has to take the same classes, but it's something alone the lines of (every university has their own system, but it's generally the same setup), you have to take like... say one math class, two science classes, an ethics class, a diversity class, two reading classes, one writing class, etc... it goes on like that. Even though they may not fall into your area of study YOU STILL HAVE TAKE THEM. of course since you have to take classes that fall under that subject, you still have options under that subject BUT... one of my requirements for me was a math based science class. I suck at ALL math based science class (I mean like LOADED with math... like chemistry. I know there are equations in others but... you get it) and I had to take math class, and I suck at all math that does not actually include me eating a fourth of a pizza or something. if there's food I'll do math.**

******The thing about the chicken and the egg happened in the Toothiana book. I'm currently half way through it and I read that today so I had to make a reference.**

**Philosophy is cool and stuff when you're getting really deep BUT OH MY GOD the Philosophy class I had was the STUPIDEST thing ever. That's the class Morgan is in. For example we were discusses belief, disbelief, and unbelief. And here was my prof's example: "Thinking there is a God is belief. Thinking there isn't a God is disbelief. And being unsure about if there is a God is unbelief." AND EVERYTHING WE DID WAS LIKE THAT. REALLY STUPID OBVIOUS STUFF. My brain melted.**

**The song on Morgan's phone is "Can She Excuse My Wrongs?", a song written for Elizabeth I, with lyrics! It's pretty if you like really classical stuff (Here's a hint; I do, but I'm picky.) And if you don't like classical stuff but you're still curious, look it up anyway. And I do suggest, if you don't like classical or opera - look up Richard Wagner. Please. When his stuff came out, it was so... not like anything else people thought it was almost demonic. It's awesome. Don't forget to give me songs! Night, my readers!**


	117. Dedications

**No notes for you tonight! Just remember to give me song suggestions! :) Thanks to those who did!**

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Morgan took her role into stunned silence, staring at the digits on her phone as the dead air grew louder from Linda's side. Jack watched Morgan, waiting for some sort of positive reaction as a best friend would give. All she did was stare with her mouth dropped.

"That's wonderful, Linda!" Jack laughed, taking over for Morgan's job. "We're both so happy for you!"

"Morgan's staring at the phone agog isn't she?" Linda mumbled knowingly.

"... a little."

"Give it a second." They waited. Morgan's mouth closed and the edges of her lips curled into a goofy smile.

"Linda! That's so great! I am so happy! Oh my God, you have to tell me everything!"

"There we go, that's what best friend's do!" Linda giggled. "Okay, so for my birthday, remember when I said Ross gave me that book I had been dying to read? The third one in that series?"

"Yes." Morgan turned her face away and tried to push down her smile a little more, but her happiness for her best friend was much more weighty than anything she had to use against her. Lonely Linda, who used to pine after so many men and had cried herself to sleep over the idea of never having a guy like her was going to be married. Just reminding herself of that pleased her. And Ross was a very good guy, even if Morgan was annoyed with how many times he had stolen her away from her. Jack smirked pleasantly, a strange sort of fallen snow shimmer to give his face a faint glow. One of the greatest joys of adulthood, and Linda, his dear friend, was going to experience it, and everything wonderful that went with. She deserved this, possibly more than of his friends.

"Okay, well, I hadn't yet had the chance to pick it up, but I did and I started reading it. And I was really sucked into it and it was beautiful and everything and then I got to the acknowledgments because Cecil Booker likes to write three pages of acknowledgments, it's ridiculously awesome, in the middle of the paragraph, hidden very well, it said 'To a Miss Linda Tan. I would like to thank you for being such a wonderful fan, so dedicated to the series, but most importantly Ross Lichter would like to thank you for being even more dedicated to him. He wishes you would remain dedicated to him for the rest of his life. I truly hope you will say yes. Linda, Ross wishes you to marry him and give your answer the minute you read this.' I flung the book away from me and Ross was on his way to my place at the particular moment in time. As soon as he reached the house, he met me on the porch and I flung myself around his neck. All I said was 'I finished the book! It was amazing! But not as good as the acknowledgments! Do you have something to say to me?!' He chuckled and that was when he knelt down on one knee! My ring, Morgan! I have never felt such a fantastic and beautiful weight on my hand in all of my life! Oh wait, hang on! I'll send it right now!" There was a moment, as Linda struggled with her phone to get a good picture – they could hear her complaining how it was a bad angle or it was fuzzy or it just looked bad – where they exchanged a look. A simple one, that could not have said much, but everything was understood. Morgan tensed under his sadden reminiscence. There was a time when they discussed marriage, and Jack looked disheartened about never getting the change to make her this excited. He didn't get to plan anything as adorable as that, even though it was simply, and he couldn't pick out the perfect ring. Morgan shifted her legs in her awkwardness. She lowered her eyes at Jack to remind him to behave. He forced a smile and the beeping of the phone told them to look back up.

"There!" Linda laughed. "Lookatitlooklooklookienooowww!"

"I'm getting it!" Morgan guffawed, opening the newest message. The both of them could not hold their gasp. On Linda's chipped nail polish hand was a glittering gem stretching around her hand. The band weaved and bent like a vine would, with tiny ovals of what looked like was supposed to be leaves on a vine. The diamond, the central part of the ring was a circular cut one, or the most beautiful clarity, with overlapping petals forming in silver and the smallest diamonds possible to form a diamond, shaped like a rose.

"Linda..." Jack involuntarily breathed.

"That's so beautiful... and so unique. It's just... gorgeous..."

"I know!" Linda giggled. "I'm so excited! Morgan, you have to be my maid of honor! Please, you must! Oh, and Sophie's thirteen right? I can get her to be a bridesmaid, maybe! This is going to be so fun! Agh! Morgan, I am getting married! Linda Lichter. THAT IS SO MUCH FUN TO SAY! I am going to start practicing. Oh, wait, what if I am going to be famous? Maybe I want to hyphenate. Linda Tan-Lichter. Nah. Just Lichter." Morgan shifted her eyes over to Jack, who was laughing at the way Linda kept on going about details, finding herself going back and forth between excitement and stress of everything suddenly falling onto her. Linda seemed to forget either one of them was there, losing herself in her world of blissful stress. Jack and Morgan forgot about her two. They kept their eyes on each other, once again finding they seemed to be able to have a conversation without saying a word. Jack wrung his hands, trying to occupy himself so he wouldn't snatch up Morgan's hand. She tucked her elbows in so her hand were closer to her stomach. The tension was thickening between them. Morgan swore to herself, annoyed with the twitching of her hands. She folded her arms, trying to get the sensation to stop. As Linda kept going on, the two awkward exes eventually kept their gazes away from each other while they let their friend chatter away about everything needing done.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was barely even a chance for her to enter her house and tell her parents how well she had done on her finals – C- in Philosophy, C in Math, A+ in both history classes, and a B- in her English class – before Linda was pulling her out the door, No excuse worked for harm she just kept saying they only had five hours to hit the best shops on try on dresses. Morgan yelled, remembering their prom all over again and how Linda had gone nuts trying to find a dress. And that was just prom. This was her wedding day, the day Linda had been dreaming about around the time Morgan had just discovered Good Queen Bess. It couldn't be less than any perfect. Morgan gave a quick hello to Max, the boy Bradley was currently trying to woo and it had seemed to be going really well They had become attached to the hip but nothing more physical than the friendly hug had occurred as of yet. As she was being ushered out, Morgan raised her eyebrow. Brad smiled devilishly and gave a thumbs up.

"This is going to be amazing, we'll pick out bridesmaid dresses while we're there, Morgan I am getting married Ohmygod this so fantastic, oh look!" Linda stabbed her wrist in the air, awkwardly pushing her left hand over herself and wiggling her ring finger. The rose diamond danced the light through its facets. Morgan smiled at it and Linda pulled her hand back, dancing in her seat behind her wheel. When the car did finally pull into the lot at the nearest bridal boutique, Morgan slumped in her seat, letting the moment of dread pull her under before Linda rounded the vehicle and dragged her friend out. The two of them headed inside and Linda seemed to already know what to do. She asked for the discontinued dresses, and the ones off the rack. This was where Linda was happy to be her miniscule size. The mannequins were always about as small as she was, so most of the ones on display would fit her waist well. Morgan sighed at the fluff and elegance of the whites and ivory skirts flowing out and taking over the hem of other dresses. Occasionally there was one with a bit of color that caught her eye. She spotted a vintage collection and looked over that, decided that most of them just have a few vintage inspired pieces and did not much reflect the certain eras of the time. Three or four seemed to capture a lot of the past. She was most amused by the dress, claiming to be an accurate style similar to a wedding gown ladies would have worn in 1912. She laughed, finding it's lack of material and focus on the bodice a little less than convincing.

"Morgan! Look at these!" It was hard for Morgan to focus while the speaker overhead playing Christmas music about a broken heart. It was an overly played song so it was already worn out and she had grown to hate it, but a song about a broken heart was the worst thing to play at a bridal store. She groaned, but tried to tune out of thee music and pay attention to what Linda was screaming about. Draped over her arms were three largely skirted gowns. "I'm going to try these on! Oh my God, you found the vintage section... Oh, Morgan! You should try some on with me!"

"I don't think so..." she said sheepishly, trying her best to pull away from the offending garments.

"Come on!"

"I have no one to try for! This is you, not for me!"

"Please, I would feel so much better! It would make it so much more fun!"

"Linda..."

"It would make this day perfect." Morgan pursed her lips and stared at the glistening eyes of her miserable looking friend. She whipped two dresses off the wrack in her size and gestured towards the fitting rooms. Galloping, Linda dived into one and Morgan followed behind her. The rooms were huge, with room for six, plus ballgowns can be pretty difficult to get into, and Linda had found some extenuated gowns. Lina kept popping out in the gowns, twirling at displaying the way they fit around each one, Morgan was waiting very patiently, praying Linda would forget all about her and just spend the time on herself. Each one looked lovely on her, but not a single one of them reflected what she truly wanted. She kept accepting other dresses based on her interest and trying them on. Linda did eventually notice how Morgan had been waiting around in the corner and would only emerge to fluff her skirt or zip her up or help peel the dresses off her.

"Morgan!" she snapped. "Come on! Try them on!" Rolling her eyes, she jumped into them, gagging at the herself in a dress, the top with long sleeves and lace of white and nude color, and the skirt of miles and miles of tulle fabric. Deciding she looked like an upside down muffin, she quickly escaped it and jumped into the jewel dress, criss crossing of lace and trumpet shaped. It had a lace shrug that tied around her neck. She swished the skirt around a little, liking the way it her feet. This dress would be tolerable, should she ever need to wear it. The saleswoman was feeding of Linda's excitable energy and decided Morgan needed to wear another dress, despite all her protesting. She returned with another overstuffed bag, showing off an ivory gown. With the promise this would be the last one, she did try it on. And was mortified to find what it looked like on her, and what it made her think of. It felt beautiful and right. The top was full of lace, the neckline sweetheart, and the sleeves capped. The ribbon tightly around the middle have Morgan a thinner look, but that was not the part that left her gnawing on the inside of her cheek. Instead, it was the several trails around the skirt of designs similar to frost and snowflakes, creeping up through the fabric of the dress. The salesperson glowed a bronze at the way she was staring at herself in the mirror, fingers fondling the edge of the fabric that made the frost pattern. When Linda addressed her, she seemed to come back to where she was. She was a little too rough in stepping out of the dress and handed it over to be taken care of.

"I hate it," she said.

"It looked like you loved it," Linda told her suspiciously.

"No, no, I hate it. It's all... wrong, I mean what is that? Snow? Who puts that on a wedding gown? And I mean, it's not vintage... so..." Linda noticed how her hands were shaking while she tried to hid them behind her back. She frowned. "Let's just look at the bridesmaid dresses and get out of here as soon as possible."

"I haven't found my dress yet!" Linda pouted. "We can't get the bridesmaid dresses til I find my dress!"

"You better starting searching quickly then," Morgan barked rudely. "And I will not try on any more wedding gowns today. You cannot manipulate me to fall in love with something when I can't have it!" The dark haired girl looked strangely to her friend.

"Is this about the dress?" she asked. "Or about someone who controls winter?" Morgan hissed silently, and turned away at her comment. Sighing, Linda turned back to searching through dresses. Morgan pushed open the door to the shop, the small belt tinkling. The snow was drifting on the surface of the air, fluttering to the ground below. Morgan held out her hand, a distorted snowflake dropping into her palm. Her eyes scanned it's shape, a crystallized pattern of a heart. The sight of the heart soothed her. She felt like it was telling to calm down. She smiled and fondly thought how Jack had probably formed it just for her. She swallowed down that strange warmth that always came with thinking of him and crushed the snowflake before marching back inside.

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**Wedding dress shopping sucks. I mean the idea of it seems fun, but sorting through those dresses and you have this particular idea in mind of what you want and it... no. Ugh. So glad I found my dress. No mores. Anyway, I'm going to pass out now. Night my rosettes!**


	118. Cinderella and the Truths of Masks

**I love this chapter! And I loved writing it too! It's a fantastic chapter! But I do apologize for frustrating you all. Still, i hope you'll enjoy it anyway!**

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The winter break had to be cut short for Morgan. January 2nd would be when classes started up again and she wanted to get everything unpacked and well rested before then, and the University was to hold a New Year's ball Morgan had really wanted to attend. It was to be a masked ball, and that caught her interest because masquerades held some historical charm to them. They had been popular from the 15th through 19th centuries, especially for celebrations for royalty and during the Carnival season in Italy. They had phased out in popularity in the 19th century, however people seemed to enjoy throwing cheap ones that weren't as lavish as they once were. Jack had been telling her to get out and enjoy herself a little more, and it was possible this dance was going to be moderately exquisite and bear some similarities to the way they had been in history. It was a good opportunity for her to reuse her prom dress and accessories. All she needed doing was to purchase the mask.

Of course, Jack had said he would join her, on his solemn promise that they were going as friends. Like her, he was recycling his wear from prom. She emerged from the bathroom in her eggplant dress with black trim, it's unique Victorian folds once again boosting her self image of her appearance. There was never any doubt that she always felt more comfortable and beautiful in antique dress. She adorned her same antique purple jewels that she had at her prom and the same shoes. Allowing herself to go a little more dramatic in her make-up since it was a masquerade and being elaborate to the point of gaudiness was allowed, the fanned out the smoky black into the lavender shading on her eyes, pulling black winged eyeliner around the edging of her lids, and then a bright shade of red to her lips. Gertrude professionally applied her own purple glitter mascara to Morgan's eyes and then worked on her hair. She fluffed her hair to dramatize her already naturally wavy hair and then pulled it back into a side knot. As hard as she tried to get Morgan to add more cosmetics, such as body glitter, she was having none of it and had to finally let it go. She borrowed Gertrude's shiny black clutch to throw her money and phone in and then affixed her mask. It was a bright purple mask, circling her eyes and covering three-fourths of her nose. A layer of black lace had been spread over it and along the outside and along the edging of the eye holes was a detailed black embroidered trim. At the top of the mask was a jeweled black half of a starburst. Off the side of the mask was a corsage; a purple four petal lily, gold edge and amethyst jewels on the points. A black rose was centered in it, and from the corsage black lace and ribbon cascaded down a good six inches.

"Hello, Cinderella," Gertrude laughed. Morgan rolled her eyes and pulled the mask off.

"Cinderella is a story," she groaned. "This is a masquerade ball... or what serves as one for a college. They were common in history."

"Fairy tales can still have some realistic elements." She shook her head and placed the mask back on, waving goodbye to her roommate. She stepped out, finding Jack waiting for her in his black slacks, black tailcoat, and the same purple waistcoat and burgundy ascot. Just as before, he look like he had stepped right out of a painting that documented a dance of a wealthy lord in the 19th century. She took in a hard breath, holding in every desire to take him into her arms. Her blood pulsated with the need to take his hand and there was a tingling on her lips that buzzed with the anticipation of what his chilled lips would taste like once again. She could lose herself in his grasp. Morgan clenched her fists. Seeing him like that had put her head into this massive whirlwind that clouded her sensibility. The itch of want quickly became hard to bear and she stood at a good distance from him. Any closer to him and she would have flung herself to him, begging to be held. The hardest part is that he would do it in a heartbeat. Morgan chomped on the flesh of her lip, biting back her need to be cradled. The most seductive part of him was the mask he was donning. His old-fashioned suit conjured enough weeping madness in her, but because the mask was doing its job in hiding away many of his features, it was easier to think of him as a different kind of man and not Jack. It was that mysterious allure that often came with a handsome man in a mask and it was making her crazy. His was not as embellished as hers, but it still had equal beauty in its design. The base color was a shimmer of a very soft, incredibly light blue. An embroidery of silver bored the mask and the inner eye edges. Jagged daggers of pointed white curled and sliced through the blue on his mask, the faintest of glitter on them. Morgan did not know if the frost designs were a part of the mask or if Jack had used his power to put them there himself.

Jack himself was fighting back the chorus in him that called out for Morgan's embrace. It had been years since she had been dressed like that. Her fancy dress, her bright make-up, her adornments, her hairstyle, and the busy décor around her eyes changed her into a completely new person. He always carried a dotage and desire for her, and knowing it was her, that was there. But then there was the excitement of her seeming completely new that only stirred up those feelings even more. He pushed down the part of him that was roaring loudly to just let his dominant side take over and force himself to push her up against the way and kiss her as hard as he possibly could. Of course, Jack old world nature of gentlemanly ways spoke against that, and his concern for Morgan's own feelings as his number one priority made those feelings vanished. He locked them away in the crevice of his soul, where he kept such devilish thoughts and feelings that were to never rise, but could never be fully put out. Most of them actually concerned Morgan. If he could blush, she would have seen him turn the deepest red for every wicked thing he wanted at that moment from her.

"I can't decide if you look seventeen again, or if you look like temptress of twenty-seven," he joked, taking her hand and bowing lowly. She turned away to avoid his action. Her heart begged to turn her glances towards hi again, and she hated how she wanted him back in her arms again.

"That's dangerous, there may be others who think the same thing," she laughed.

"Would it... be a problem for you if I offered you my arm?" he worriedly wondered aloud. Morgan took a moment to consider this and shook her head.

"You are my escort, right?" she laughed and he bent his elbow towards her. She lifted her skirt to allow for more room for her feet to walk and the two of them scurried down the hall to head out the front lobby.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a comfort that the school had not tried too hard to make everything reflect the parties of history. It left things untouched, which meant it also left things unmarred. It was still beautiful in its own way, with icicle lights of yellows and reds streaming across the ceiling and gauzy ribbons of red and white spiraled around the poles and pillars. On either side of the dance hall were round tables with white tablecloths and centerpieces of red and white roses in short glass vases, small votive candles surrounding the roses. Morgan was shocked to find that the band had not played mostly contemporary music. Much of it was folk music, some mellower music of their time, and some classics thrown in. Instrumental versions of modern music also echoed across the hall. It relaxed Morgan. They did what they could and what they couldn't do, they had left alone. Most people had arrived in old prom dresses and tuxes, but some had gone out of their way to find older styles of clothing. Some were modernized versions, some actually looked pretty antique, some were made, some were probably rented and there were most likely less than five that bought authentic looking attire. She was greeted by several people and complimented for her look. She had always thought that a mask would not be able to hide a person that much, but she felt like she could not recognize a single person, even though some people seemed to know who she was. A couple of voices sounded familiar but it was hard to make up who everyone was under the fabric and the masks. The hall did not need much decoration to make a change. The people themselves seemed to change it all. They looked different, and their looks also made them act different, sound different, and carry themselves differently. It felt like a different time without much decoration.

Like an aristocratic lady, Morgan pinched the side of her skirt while she twirled with Jack among the music, conversing with him over how she was pleasantly shocked by the way the simplicity of everything pulled it all together. He laughed at the way she talked, dropping his guard a little and it was easy to read how he was feeling. Morgan blushed and her knees melted beneath his telling face. He was pulling her into him. It was getting easier to let her vulnerability show and Morgan's cares were flying away from her. At that moment everything was becoming Jack. The world around her blurred, the dancing couples disappeared in the background. His face had never become clearer to her. The masks were trying to hide who they were, but all it was doing was showing their true selves. She didn't want to do this anymore. She didn't want to hide who she was. It was Jack she wanted in her life. It was him she needed. He frowned when she stopped going with his dancing motions. She looked over at the grandfather clock that was reading eleven-thirty. Cinderella, Gertrude had called her. Perhaps it was far more right than she had ever though it was. Over and over again she had quickly discovered things were not always black and white. There was not always a separation between fantasy and reality. Sometimes one slid into the other, sometimes they fused. And right now, Morgan felt more outside of reality than ever. Things around her were too perfectly wonderful to be real. This boy in front of her was too perfectly wonderful to be real. Her realities had merged into her own fantasies. At midnight, there would be that change into a New Year, and that made bring about other changes. Cinderella's own realities felt too good be real when she went to the ball, and she expected that change at midnight, but she was too lost in her own fantastical reality to notice when it happened until it was almost too late. And then when it was all gone, she wanted more than anything to have it back. That was what Morgan was afraid of. She was concerned for midnight. She was afraid of not being able to seize the opportunity before her and then the clock would strike twelve. Everything about this night that was a fairytale was what was revealing the truth about she wanted, and that was a very strange thing to think about. Cinderella had that fairytale of dancing with the prince and revealed her own truth about what she wanted. Seeing her carriage, she was not going to be able to go back to just a pumpkin.

"Jack," she breathed, dropping her hands from him. She stole back two steps. Her eyes searched the floor. The heaves in her chest revealed her deep breathing and her panicked epiphany.

"Yes?" he asked, reaching for her again but kept his hands away. The blue topaz in his eyes widened with apprehensive surprise. Her eyes darted about like she was searching for the right words to say to him. She spun her face around and when she looked back at Jack, he had removed his mask so she could discover the whole of his face again. Morgan raised her hand, hesitant about doing so but her feelings were tugging at her to take a hold of him again.

"I think I finally know what I want."

"Yes?!" he asked, hopefulness drawing excitement out of his tone.

"I think I-" She was turned, arm jerking away by the gentle urgency of a man's own hand. He pulled her towards him so she spun towards the silky black waistcoat. Her brain swirled into a state of confusion. It was hard for to piece together what had just happened, but when she realized she had just been stolen away just at the moment she was finally going to confess the most important realization of her life to Jack, she fumed silently and quickly her harsh words boiled in the farthest reaches of her throat. For a quick second, the craftsmanship on the gold plated pocket watch swung over the buttons pulled her away from her vengeful thoughts. Her eyes wondered to look at the rest of the man's clothes, only mildly impressed by his dark colored dress pants and the billow in the sleeves of his dress shirt. When she spotted his black cravat, she cocked her head with impressive interest. Then she remembered she had been rudely interrupted and snapped her head back up at the one who had taken her away.

"Excu-" she started, but the winning glow tucked in the dimples of his handsome smile short circuited her response. Morgan loudly swallowed. She didn't remember what it meant to breathe. There seemed to be no point in breathing. He was going to take away every ounce of oxygen from her anyway. He was so average looking. There was nothing about him that stuck out in her mind that would particularly draw her too him. But there was something that was illuminating him so she went the wrong way her brain told her go. The front of her shoe caught the back of her other one and she stumbled forward. She sucked in air til it was painful on her windpipe as his fingers pushed into her waist when he caught her. Morgan glanced up, tracing the shadow around his jaw. His smiled pulled up again, and the dim lights gave his mask a brighter glow, extending up into his short cut dark brown hair. His mask was black, with a gold border and then a jagged line of what seemed to be lightning almost seemed to flicker and flash on its own across the masks and around the eyes when it caught the glint of the overheard lights. The mask went well with his eyes. With the illumination from above, a gold glimmer danced in the grey shadowing of his irises.

"Careful there, Elizabeth!" he laughed.

"What?" Morgan asked, choking on it. He called her Elizabeth, but what reasoning did he have for that.

"Oh, sorry... that's not your name is it?"

"Nooo..." she muttered carefully, eyebrow going up. Jack walked over to them and brandished his hooked staff. He placed a hand on his shoulder, ready to push away the man who had taken Morgan away from him, but she motioned to him to let it go, that it was okay. Jack furrowed his brow with bewildered anger.

"I'm sorry, it must have been a natural response. You just strike me as an Elizabeth... Maybe it's because you carry this strength and confidence like she did."

"And Elizabeth is who?" Morgan wondered while she tried to fit together the puzzle of this mystery girl.

"There I go again, confusing you. I mean Elizabeth the First. Yeah, that's got to be it. You're as radiant as she was too. Easy mistake, but a mistake nonetheless."

"Oh no no no no..." Jack whispered, gripping his crook until new jets of frost shot down it. Morgan breathed out a disbelieving smile. An unawakened joy exploding in her heart, both traumatizing it with fire and then comforting it with a frozen hug. Her body curved swayed with dizziness, but she was safe in his protective grip.

"Queen Elizabeth the First?" she squeaked. If he had not had a hold of her she would have fallen right in front of him. His voice was weakening her and it took her a moment to even remember Jack was there. "Um, you uh... took me away that was... that was not very, um...?"

"Nice? Oh, I'm sorry! You weren't dancing with anyone, and it was kind of strange to see you out on the floor by yourself. And I have been trying all night to summon the courage to ask you for a dance."

"'Summon... the courage..?'" Morgan repeated breathlessly. His charm was so powerful she was becoming intoxicated and dizzy with glee. Her self esteem was buzzing and she was getting high off of it. Jack fiddled nervously. He had some idea of what Morgan was going to say to him before and now it was quickly vanishing under this stranger's allure. He kept staring at the well-spoken boy with infuriated heat. Morgan spotted Jack's tight look at the boy from the corner of her eye and vaguely remembered she had come with him, but she could not bring herself to pull away from this boy in front of her. He pulled back and bowed lowly, Morgan's fingers firmly in his grasp still.

"May I have this dance with the fairest lady at the ball?" he smirked. Morgan could not fight her smile and took his hand, giving him a very firm "yes." Jack rolled his eyes. Everything he did assured Morgan's acceptance, and all he could did was was sit against the wall and wait. He was a wallflower, and it never occurred to him he would be a wallflower at a dance. Even worse, he was truly invisible so it wasn't like he could rely on someone else to dance with him, or get anyone else to dance with him.

There went the clock. It chimed loudly and everyone shouted loudly with the ringing in of the new year. The new boy spun Morgan around happily. Then his smiled dropped and he lowered his head against hers.

"Might I kiss the fairest lady at the ball?" he carefully asked. Jack slammed his face into his hands. His intestines tightened with grievance. He hadn't expected there to be a spark between him and Morgan again, but for that spark to be quickly erased by a new guy was even more of a shock, and it was tearing Jack up and causing him to bleed where he didn't know someone could bleed. He lifted his eyes to see Morgan accept and they shared an innocent exchange, a very light brush. The boy smiled, obviously satisfied with the way her mouth performed. Then, he dropped his hands and waved quickly to her. When he took off, Morgan's head turned in his direction.

"Wait!" she called after him. Jack followed her out of the ballroom, yelling at her to let him go. But she could not even hear him, it seemed. Her focus was on the ball running down the hall. She watched him descend down the steps and he finally stopped when she screamed over the banister down at him. "You're just going to do that? You're to take me up into a dance without really asking, dance with me, make me feel... so special... kiss me, and then leave at midnight without even a name or taking off your mask? Like... Cinderella? Unless you carriage is going to be a pumpkin you better have a good explanation!"

"You don't believe in fairytales!" he laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" He laughed again, and then kicked off his shoe on the step before running back down. "Shit... wait!" Morgan rounded the steps but he had seemed to sudden pick up speed. She chased him through the door and the boy had vanished somewhere among the zipping of the cars, the ambiance of the streetlights and the black curtain the night brought. In the distance, shouts and yells of excitement for the New Year were heard. Morgan surrendered a solemn sigh and then dragged her feet back into the building. Jack was seated at the bottom of the steps, giving Morgan a pained look.

"I'm sorry..." she apologized. "I don't know what happened..."

"He related you to Elizabeth the First," he chuckled morbidly. "I knew the minute he said that you were lost to him completely. How in the world could you resist that?"

"What the hell was that?" Morgan moaned, picking up the black leather shoe he left behind On the inside there was taped a small note, with a scribbling of a very familiar name. Jack arched his neck over his shoulder. The man's identity was also clawing at him, but more so he could attack him with his staff rather than general curiosity. "He obviously knew me... and knew me well. But I don't know what..."

"Nathan Hale?" Jack read from the small sheet of paper. "Is that his name?"

"If it is, it's very strange. If he knows me that well, why wouldn't I know him that well? And there's only one Nathan Hale I know. And he died in 1776."

"Oh, yeah, the American Revolutionary hero. That's why I know him..." Jack remembered. Then he looked back to Morgan's face, still glamorously masked. He smirked and leaned towards her intimately. That hope he had before flared up again. "There was something you were going to tell me?"

"There was?"

"Yeah. Something about how you know what you want."

"Oh. I want to find this guy..." Jack groaned.

"No, before that. When were dancing. Before Mr. Nathan Hale took you away."

"Oh. That... um, must not have been important if I can't remember." Morgan kept turning the show over as if it were another part of the mystery while Jack fell onto the steps and listened to the shattering of his frozen heart.

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**Okay, so what do you guys think? Who do you think he is? (Hint: he is a brand new character and we have not met him before but I mean like how do you think he knows Morgan?) What is he doing and why? GIVE ME SPECULATIONS THEY ARE FASCINATING. Okay so I have a couple other things I want to do tonight so I'm putting up another chapter... but you POSSIBLY might get one tomorrow before I got to work. Depends on what happens. But of course, you are going to get one at the usual time :) See you guys tomorrow! Love you! And don't forget those song suggestions and you can always be free to talk with me!**


	119. Advancing

**Near the end of this chapter I got a little sleepy so I am sorry if the quality slips. Last day of work tomorrow for a week! Just a reminder, on Monday I am heading North 3 hours to see my very very very dear friend who has probably slacked on reading this story because she can't keep up at all, so there will be an update tomorrow night and the day after, but I am unsure how much updating I will get in the whole week I am up there. So please don't be nervous if I don't get to it as much. I promise I will return to my normal updating rate when i get back (It's a long bus ride so i may type a lot on the way there too)**

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During speech class, Morgan propped her chin onto her left hand and kept glancing down to her sketchbook as her right hand carefully curved lines on the paper. In the empty desk beside her that Morgan often made sure no one else would sit in, Jack was stretching out his legs and bent his elbows behind his head. He kept taking glances from her and every single time she had her focus on her artistic doodles instead of the presentation on the importance of enunciation.

"Morgan," Jack hissed. The distracted girl turned towards him with impatient weariness. Jack sighed and then switched her sketchbook out for her notebook, gesturing to take notes. Morgan grinned doubtfully and then flipped back to her sketchbook. "I thought you wanted to learn."

"Speech is the most useless class there is..." Morgan whispered, barely audible. "And I do. But I need to figure this out."

"It's been three weeks!" Jack shouted. Every time he yelled in class, it had always made her wince. She was always afraid of getting caught, forgetting he could not be heard. He snickered at her unnecessary anxiety. Morgan looked down at her sketch, a recreation of the face based on her memory. She had drawn first the mask and then tried to pencil in the rest of his features based on the shading and figure of his face. However, she discovered that trying to piece it together was harder than she thought, especially since this mystery man had fogged up so much of her brain that night she surely forgot most of what he looked like even with his mask on.

"I just... I mean his voice was kind of familiar," Morgan pondered. "A little bit, but it was different. Was the tone different? Or was he using words differently?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Jack muttered, trying to get her attention when her eyes ventured somewhere other than the classroom.

"I would have remembered eyes like those... They were almost... smoky. And soothing."

"I didn't think he was impressive looking..." Jack grunted.

"I'm not saying he really was. But he just... I don't know... I want to know who he is and I wouldn't mind dancing with him again..." Morgan wistfully said. The teacher stopped the class and turned his attention towards Morgan. He crossed his arms and coughed obnoxiously. She groaned under his unpleasant glare before flipping back to her notebook. Jack smugly laughed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jack, you're hogging the laptop again," Jamie Bennett pointed out when the winter spirit had positioned himself on the couch and stretched over the digital device with his gloved fingers tapping at the keys. Having gotten used to the way technology was, he was sure if he could ever go back to his pioneer days. Things just got so convenient. Of course, sometimes browsing the internet made him see more of people than he ever wished too, but things on the whole were a lot quicker to discover.

"Sorry," Jack apologized guiltily. Jamie chuckled and took up the spot beside his friend and family member. He pushed over the computer and Jamie smiled gratefully. Jack looked over his shoulder to watch him take a glance at what he had been researching.

"Dude, why are you looking up information on this guy? According to his death date, you would have been around when he died. You're actually older than him." Jamie changed the web address so a site dedicated to proving the existence of cryptids took its place.

"Oh, it has to do with that guy Morgan danced with-"

"I know the story," Jamie reminded. "I just don't know why you're looking it up."

"Because Morgan wants to know who he is..." Jamie extended his hand and made a whipping noise. Jack plunged his icy hand against Jamie's face who yelped at the shock of the cold. Jack jumped up so he was towering over him and placed both hands on the side of his face. His victim kept crying out, but was bursting with staggered fits of cackles.

"Jack, don't murder him, okay?" Ms. Bennett could be heard smiling from the banister at the top of the stairs before heading into another room.

"I'll just main him!" Jack shouted.

"That's okay!" Jamie finally pushed Jack off him and tossed a hackysack into his face before he could brace himself. The lightheartedness between them died down into the depths of seriousness once again.

"No, I just... I feel a need to help Morgan in anyway I can. In everything. What if this man turns out to be best for her?" Jack explained with a good amount of hurt stressing his voice. He tugged at the cuffs of hi sleeves nervously. "What if this is the guy who can really... make her feel whole again?"

"But she just had the one night with him," Jamie pointed out.

"You have no idea how girls are with fairytales..." Jack grinned.

"But Morgan doesn't do fairytales...?"

"The more real they become to her, the more she likes them. Just look at me. If you focus on only what the history books say and not belief, should I exist?"

"No. But you do."

"Only because people believe in their own imaginations, and that is what makes me real. What Morgan is learning over and over again is that imagination makes things real, and so she is slowly allowing herself into the world of fantasy and fiction. She still loves history. There's no real proof that werewolves exist for example, so that's not what she's really into." Jamie angrily tapped at the forum on his screen. "Okay, okay, but to Morgan it's not substantial evidence! It's no longer history and the factual that she's interesting in, but simply just the past and the footprints left behind. That's why she allowed that guy in that night. I think he awakened every suppressed desire Morgan ever had for the impossible storybook plot to play into her own life."

"Makes sense," Jamie agreed, eyes bulging at some new information retrieved in Ohio about the humanoid melon heads. Jack arched his left brow and turned suspiciously towards him.

"How does that make sense?"

"If I was trying to get the attention of a girl like Morgan who appears to be focused primarily on things that exist and argues anything that reflects something to do with fantasy is not real, I would use a device from a fairy tale. It would conflict with her over the intriguing ridiculousness of it and she would invest herself in it completely and go mad over it." As he talked, Jack drew closer to his every word. Everything he said made perfect sense and it started to click in Jack's mind that it was possible this had been planned to get to Morgan. This masked boy had definitely gotten her attention. He had to escape to the Bennetts to get away from her constant examining of sketches and her aggravated screams about how all her rereading on Nathan Hale was getting her nowhere.

"Okay, continue..." Jack urged.

"Continue what?"

"You're on to something here. How did he even know Morgan would be there? I mean she's not that into school functions?" Jack thought out loud. Jamie frowned at shook his head. There was a scuffling on the steps and Ms. Bennett came into the living room with a basket loaded with clothes on one hip and a dust rag with an aerosol can in the other hand. She pushed the basket between them.

"Here, make yourself useful," she demanded with a glint to her eyes. Jack started to fold the clothes and sorted them according to who they belonged to. Ms. Bennett started spraying down a table and rubbing off the dust. "Sorry, I couldn't help but listen in... let me explain. There are times where fiction and fact tend to blur, correct?"

"Uh, yeah," Jack said, unsure of where this was headed while he tossed a purple turtleneck into Sophie's pile.

"Well, masked balls were a thing of celebration and parties in years past. They are starting to gain popularity again, but a few centuries ago they were really lavish. Besides that, if you look at something like Carnival, you can get a glimpse of what they used to be like. It was not always fancy dress and a mask. Often times people dressed as characters or animals. A little bit of fantasy in there, but it was definitely a tradition of the past. Anything that reflects that your mystery boy, if he even knows Morgan a little, he could be sure she would go. Now, look at some of the most beloved fantasy dramas and romantic films with a royal or fantasy setting that appeal to women. So many of them have masquerade balls, because they're gorgeous, they're fun, they seemed otherworldly, and the extravagance of them fits with royalty. He could play off this part of the masquerade to channel the fictional part of it. The final piece is that some people just find a masked individual appealing because the hidden identity makes them mysterious, and that is sexy. Then, of course, you want to know who the person is, and that brings us to where Morgan is now. It was the perfect opportunity for him. So he pulls a Cinderella and now Morgan cannot concentrate."

"I should have tried that," Jack joked.

"She would know you in a heartbeat," Ms. Bennett laughed.

"It makes me feel a little better about this guy if he went out of his way like that to catch her eye."

"I don't like him, you should find him, throw snowballs at him, and take Morgan for your own," Jamie added.

"You and Linda seem to hate everyone Morgan dates but me!"

"That's because we're convinced you two belong together!" Sophie cheered as she walked through the door. She must have overheard the last part and then bounced into the living room where she planted herself on Jack's lip. "Hey there."

"No run ins with boys?" Jack darkly interrogated. The young teenager scoffed while she pushed her angled bangs out of her eyes and tousled her wavy blonde ponytail.

"No," she said. "It was just me and my friends. Am I not allowed to go to the mall by myself?"

"You're growing up before my eyes and I don't like it."

"Well, get used to it, Jack," she moaned but gave him a bright smile. She plucked a cherry candy from the bowl on the coffee table and galloped away from the living room.

"She's not allowed to go to a masked ball. Ever," Jack stated. Jamie's lips sputtered before a fully formed laugh escaped his lips and Ms. Bennett clutched her stomach when her own giggles ran out of control.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"For the last time, Linda," Brad urged, with his hands pressed together in a plea. She pulled him up again and forced him to walk alongside her while the train on her wedding dress kept getting fluffed behind her by Morgan, her maid of honor. "You have a wedding rehearsal the day before your wedding. It is not a play. You do not need to go over everything as if it was vital to get it perfect!"

"But what if I fall on my face and make a fool of myself on camera?" Linda predicted with white washed horror. "No, I can't do that! Plus, this is the most important day of my life! Why would I rehearse everything! Oh, oh, go over my vows with me!"

"Uggghhhh..." Brad growled while Morgan's hysterics pushed her over. Brad glared at her, but it did not prevent her from continuing her wild delight. Reluctantly, he turned to face Linda and stared at his watch impatiently. "I am not thrilled about the idea of even pretending to marry a woman, I hope you know."

"Not even if its me?" Linda said with innocence batting her eyelashes.

"That makes it worse. Not only are you a girl but you are also like a sister to me. That goes against my nature and the law."

"Stop whining!" Jack yelled, clapping his hands as the dysfunctional show he was getting.

"I have a date with Max in an hour! This is not what I want to be doing!"

"Oh hush," said Linda, completely dismissing everything Brad was feeling and instead she straightened herself erect and then cleared her throat to speak. "'Ross, I cannot even begin to say what my life has been like with you...'" Her words faltered when she peered over the edge of her card to see brad mimicking sleep with dramatic waves of snoring. Her nostril's flared with her fuming and she used the note cards to slap Brad on the side of his head. "Do you want me to ruin my wedding?"

"Linda, you're overreacting a little!" Morgan said with a sympathetic grin, successfully keeping back her laughter. "Every single wedding has something that goes wrong. And no matter what happens at the end of the day you will still be married. Isn't that the most important part?"

"Not really," Linda squealed excitedly. Morgan rolled her eyes.

"It's Linda, did you expect anything else?" Jack stated with obviousness.

"Good, we agree it will be fine," Brad remarked with haste. He slid his arm out of the crook of Linda's and avoided stepping on the edge of her skirt. The bride to be snatched him back and threateningly held him to the wall.

"We are not done!" she yelled. "We have to go through the vows yet! I need to make sure everything flows together..."

"You know, in a strange way," Jack whispered to unhappy girl in the baby blue gown beside him. "The way one person is wriggling away and people are arguing... it reminds me of your American History class last semester."

"How so?" Morgan asked, watching as Brad was led back to the middle and forced to listen to a dramatic reading of Linda's promise to Ross.

"Well when people reenacted key scenes of the Revolutionary War Heroes, and a few of them got really intense and into their characters and there was some yelling involved. Oh, this reminds me when you took on Hannah Arnett and you really took pride in pretending to-"

"Wait," Morgan interrupted, gripping the arm of the boy dear to her. Her wide eyes danced with epiphany. "Who were all the war heroes we reenacted for that unit?"

"... uhhhh... like I'm going to remember that. I only know so much because I was around to see many of them and... well, you of course."

"Oh my God,, Jack, there was a Nathan Hale!"

"... there was?"

"Why wouldn't there be? He has one of the most famous lines from that war!"

"But there's not really much to him except that he was a spy, was caught, and hanged."

"He's still an important figure! Linda, stop! Let Brad go on his date, and let me get out of this dress!"

"Why?" Linda's crestfallen voice shuddered.

"Because I can find out who Nathan Hale is!"

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**Trying to move this along because I really don't have much planned between this and... other stuff happening. Have a good night my rosettes!**


	120. Discovery of Hale

**I was hoping for two tonight but there's only one. Falling asleep here. But it's a bit of a fun chapter, so enjoy!**

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After Linda's monologue about how frustrated she was, she could not keep Brad away from his date and even tried to help him get ready for it, going over how adorable she thought the two of them were before Brad quietly slipped away when she wasn't looking. It was harder for her to let Morgan go as she not at all found the idea of the man referred to as Nathan Hale romantic, but it was always hard for her to restrain Morgan when she was committed to something. Jack was surprisingly compliant to tracking down this mysterious man. He did not appear to thrilled to how apprehensive Morgan was about finally accessing a computer and chattering away about the man's performance as Nathan Hale in her class, but he could not deny his own curiosity.

"So what is it you're doing?" Jack wondered with intrigue while he reclined over her shoulder in her father's closet-sized office space. She tapped the keyboard a few times to wake it up and tapped her fingers at the swirling of her cursor.

"You know that system I use to do.. basically everything for my classes?" Morgan started. "Like turn in assignments, hold a chat forum discussion with some my classmates if I have a question, read and listen to lectures I missed, send email, download assignments, things like that?"

"Yes," Jack responded, childishly swaying her chair around on its swivel point. Morgan snatched the edge of the desk with her fingers and then presented an enraged lazy eye to the frost spirit. "Sorry... learning has gotten so much more complicated. When I was human, universities had papers, lectures, tests, and textbooks. This is over my head."

"Ha, you're not the only one... okay, so anyway. I can also go back and look at previous classes. It's not like I add anything, everything is locked, but I can see what is there. This includes the class list." Morgan double-clicked the link that led her to page for her American History class. "Ninety-seven students were in the class and there were... twenty... thirty... forty... sixty... one boys."

"Sixty-one?" Jack repeated, scanning over the list. "And which one is our Honorable American Spy?"

"I... don't know..." Morgan sighed sadly. "I paid very little attention to the others in class. I bet you I can only name three of the boys on this list. And I was sitting in front, close to the information as possible. I didn't really look behind me to match names to a face that often. There was a boy who answered a lot of questions, almost as much as me. I think that may be our guy, but I never learned his name. I was annoyed he got so many questions right," Morgan explained a little shamefully, but also recoiling at the mention of the student. "Not every one though. I tripped him up a few times."

"I was there for a few of them," Jack reminded. He found quite a few of her classes dull so he had not been with her often, but occasionally he would join her when he so bored that even attending a ninety minute class lecture sounded exciting.

"I remember being impressed by the delivery of Hale's spirit he had," Morgan said, still perusing the list of potential candidates. She fumed quietly and printed the class list. She wished for the days when lists had pictures alongside them. The printer awoke with its obnoxious hum and then came the whir as its mechanics slid along paper to fill in the inked lettering. She ripped the whole list of the machine and then yawned widely.

"Tired?" Jack asked, but she shook her head.

"Just a little stressed. Okay so... I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way."

"The hard way?"

"Well the amazing part is that with the internet the way it is, the hard way is a lot faster than it used to be." Morgan used a ball point pen to mark off all the girls' names, and then the three boys she knew. With the fifty-eight boys, she clicked over a new tab to bring up the welcoming page of Facebook.

"Are you Facebook stalking?!" Jack accused with a laugh. Morgan scoffed at his amused remark before manually plugging the names of the boys and pulling up their profiles, taking a minute to scan them over. Then she hit a button and found five more tabs. "Now what are you doing?"

"You're kidding, right? Like I would only rely on Facebook!" A doubtful smile stole her expression. "There are many other social networking sites people are using these days, for business, for photos, and for music. I am comparing profiles everyone, including the one on the school's websites. I know he is well versed in history and as that class is dominated by history majors and is not a required class, I can assume that is what he is. Plus I have his hair and his eye color. I will go off of those."

"But even that's not sure!"

"It's something. And besides I'm relying mostly on the eyes. I could never forget the smoke that swirled behind them..." Her voice slipped away into some place of utopian bliss as the memory of the way he watched her glide across the floor with his firm grip on her. Jack dropped his shoulders with defeat and found an amusing fictional novel on her father's shelf about the investigation of missing holy relics.

It was hard to pin point the exact moment he noticed Morgan had slumped over in the chair, but sometime after that he had discovered half of the book had been read. Shrugging with disbelief at how he had read that much about something he had not intended to be such a good book, he set it aside with the consideration of picking it up again to find out if Galvin would ever make it out of the sarcophagus alive. Jack rose from the chair, leaving behind a thin crust of ice. He sighed at the figure of snow's angel bent over the crumpled list and the screen, having gone black to save power, twinkling its small green light to alert that it was on standby. Sandy's dreams had intruded the house at some point because there was now a ring of gold circling her head. Images of the masked man and her swaying in circles starred in her slumbering thoughts. Pain clattered around Jack's ribcage when the images reminded him of how he used to dominate her dreams. Now it seemed more often she dreamt of other men and other wishes for herself. Jack was only off to the side of her life and no longer walked along with her life.

The sheen of the golden sand danced off the sun-kissed light that brightened her brown waves and the shallow lighting had curved shadows across the crevices and bumps of her profile. Sleep always seemed to expose the inner child of the adult. With her eyes closed with gentle fluttering and the rare wriggle of her bottom lip, he could make out the little girl that Morgan's enchanting adulthood had formed over. Always, it seemed, there would be a child in her, and it was going to be there the most when she let adult worries slip away to allow for rest.

Under her smeared hand, Jack pulled the list away from her. She sighed loudly but had not stirred. Most of the names she seemed to have been able to research. Most of them had been crossed out with marks behind them that read "brown eyes" "blue eyes," "blonde," "ginger," "Art major," "Hates dressing up," "No longer attends West Chester," "Face is wrong," "Has no idea who Elizabeth the First even is – what the hell is his problem?" The last one gave Jack a laugh. There were several others that just said "No profile picture," and a couple she was unsure about and five names she had not yet checked. Jack pushed aside the paper and turned the chair towards him, navigating his arms around her until he found a comfortable way of lifting her from the chair and collapsing her into his embrace. She made a strange noise, while her arms naturally found Jack's neck and slung around them. She squeezed Jack, a motion he needed to stop and let his body relax after feeling. Just a simple gesture, even an unconscious one, was electrifying him so at any minute he might take too much control. Inhaling that scent of hers of mango, vanilla, and rosewater musk seemed to give him an appealed calm. He was being drawn to her but the aromatic wafts had given him that spark of mind that would at times turn foggy when his desire became too much. There was so much about her that was beautiful other than her body, and he wished every part of it could be focused on him rather than Nathan Hale.

Jack was carefully about removing the belt attached to her pants, but wouldn't dare to dress her into a pair of pajamas. He left her in her jeans and t-shirt, but did slip off her zipped jacket and then pulled off her shoes and socks before pushing her under the covers. A last daring moment he took to brush the kiss of his lips to her hairline before staggering away from her room, drunk with his longing for her. He occupied his father's office again and pulled back up Morgan's researching, going through the several pages of websites she had been using. Deciding that a guy who seemed happily married with two children probably had not been the one pulling every charm on Morgan, he knocked off another name and then took a little digging with the others. Between what he found and what Morgan had found, there were nine possibilities. Nine was certainly a lot better than thousands of students to look for.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You know what we got to do, right?" Morgan said after driving back to to the college and telling Gertrude the story of what happened. She didn't seem to really care that much as she was busy at work trying to use a nail tool to create detailed designs on her painted nails.

"Please tell me everything, I am dying to know more," Gertrude pleaded with a sarcastic monotone. Morgan did not seem to notice.

"We have to track every single one of these guys and find the right one," she continued, paging through the various online accounts of the possibilities on her list. There were three she was hoping it could be. The others she had not cared for and was not sure if she would try to pursue anything should they end up being him.

"I refuse to fly around and search for all these men!" Jack stated very forcefully, but Morgan had looked sideways at him the way a friend does with amusement when they believe you are just joking. "I'm not, I swear!  
"I don't know if I would be okay if he ended up being this guy who loves mud wrestling," Morgan commented, reading the hobbies of one of the names online.

"How would we even know?" Jack said. "How can we find those guys?"

"I can tell you two of those guys are not him," Gertrude shouted from her top bunk. She had caught glimpses from Morgan's computer. "That guy weighs far more than your description of Hale and that guy is gay."

"How do you know?!" Morgan screamed.

"They're both in my South American Geography class. Trust me. That guy is very clear on the fact he was gay."

"Okay, so seven names." Morgan's bouncing in her seat made it evident she was starting to become energetic, feeding off her high of narrowing this guy down. Several deep searches had pulled up some newspaper articles about two of the names from their hometowns.

"Morgan!" Jack finally gasped. The girl was already darted her eyes around for the brand new evidence he had come across. He extended his icicle finger and she squinted her eyes. On a comment on a message board, one of their possibilities had apologized to one of his friends, stating he had a masked ball his school to attend to, and he had some plans put together. Morgan shot the page back to the top and saw the place of employment for this man who had given himself no profile picture and limited how many people not his friends could see his photos. Morgan spun out of her chair and began to jot down his job.

"What are you doing?" Gertrude snapped excitably when her roommate began to zoom around like a bird who had not been able to make up his mind.

"What pizza do you want?" Morgan responded with a question, punching the screen on her phone with her thumb.

"Um... green peppers, mushrooms, and sausage?"

"... how about we replace the sausage with ham?" Morgan suggested, wrinkling her nose as the suggestion. Gertrude shrugged to show how indifferent she was about the manner and returned to perfecting the pattern on her toenails, a dumb grin of pleasure for herself. After nearly falling over and onto the desk when the pizza parlor had seemingly confirmed that this guy had been working that night, Morgan had specially requested if he was available to, if he could deliver the pizza and then placed her order. For forty minutes, she paced around the room and her mouth never once shut. She kept on jabbering about how she thought she was going to be so well-received and how clever she felt about the whole thing and could not vanish that bronze glow to her about the size of her pride. She never even stopped to speak the moments she checked her hair and make-up in the mirror. Jack remained in her chair, quiet from how uncomfortable he was about her obsessive fascination for the man she had never really met. The parlor owned vehicle was watched as it swung into an open spot. Morgan waltzed out of the room and jumped almost her whole way down the stairs. Jack kept close behind her, a little tense about what could happen if she did not have him beside her. The door to the lobby opened. . An unimpressive looking boy with a couple of pimples, messy hair held down by a black cap, and face unshaven walked into the lobby holding an insulated bag in the shape of a square, perfect for fitting a pizza into. Morgan fished out a twenty from her pocket to pay for both the pizza and to tip him – a fairly large tip. Thinking quickly, she grasped a pen and a note card from the desk at the lobby and scribbled ten digits onto it, folding it in with the number. The delivery man caught notice of the turned mouth, and there was a sort of hesitation to him. Jack watched him take a step back and then clear his throat.

"That would be mine," Morgan giggled and reached for the box. She handed him the money with the number and he took it. The man was a little hurried in unfolding the bill and forced a frown at watching the number fall out. "Thank you Hamilton. I know you are busy with work right now, but maybe you could give me a call later?"

"Umm... okay, why would I give you a call?" he was careful to say.

"Because I found out who you are! Nathan Hale. That was clever. Took me a bit."

"Oh! That, right..." he tilted his head back under the weight of his own laughter and Morgan shared in his laugh with confused pity. She pushed her lips together and tapped her fingers against each other. "No, no, that was just a game. It was a dance, fun. I have absolutely no interest in you whatsoever." Jack could have murdered him.

* * *

**The system Morgan uses for her college I think is a type of system most colleges and universities use now, some high schools even. I think the most common one is called Moodle, although my college uses something else but it is similar. Tomorrow is a day of packing for me! (and another chapter) Off to see my friend whom I haven't seen over six months! Night my lovely readers!**


	121. Removing the Masks

**Okay here's another chapter guys! And I now have to get right to bed! I have an early morning trip to see my friend in North Dakota and so I have to get to bed, so just this on tonight. Enjoy!**

* * *

Morgan stared at him in confusion. He offered a smile of sympathy before passing over the pizza and walking out of the lobby. She swiftly slipped the box into Jack's grasp and sprinted after him. Oblivious to her, he stepped into his vehicle and twisted his wrist til the engine had turned over. Morgan slammed herself against the car window, startling him in his seat. Sighing, he rolled down the window patiently waited for her to speak.

"That was just a game?!" Morgan coughed, curling her fingers over the top edge of the glass. Her look of anger was doing a good job of hiding away the glint of hurt that flashed across her pupils.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't realize it would hurt you so much."

"No, it's not that, I actually don't believe it!" Jack followed her over to his car. He pressed his hand against Morgan's shoulder, but all she did was fling her arm back to get him away. "You know so much about me!"

"Well, to be honest, it's not hard to figure out how much you love history or Elizabeth. And a couple of times, you went on tangents about how fairy tales are unrealistic and you have no idea why parents tell them to their children and give them false hopes. It was clear you hate fairy tales."

"So you decided it was funny to play out Cinderella?" Morgan seethed at him. He placed his hands around the wheel.

"Look, I have other deliveries-"

"But you kissed me!" She screamed. A couple of passed students turned. "You called me fair and you fricking kissed me! Why would you do that if it was just a game?!"

"Just because I'm not interested in dating you doesn't mean I don't think you're attractive. I seized the opportunity. Not my proudest moment, but it happens. Can I please go?"

"No, no I won't believe that!" Jack pried her fingers from the car and took her by the waist while he dragged her away towards the dorm hall. "You left a show with Nathan Hale written in it! You wanted me to find you!"

"Maybe that was the brand of the shoes I don't know. I don't pay attention to that. They make Ethan Allen furniture."

"But you were Nathan in my class!" The car hummed while he steered it into the street.

"Coincidence!" he yelled out the window before it went back up again. Morgan leaned into Jack and then her body twisted and bent over with her anguished cries. When he went to hold her head against his shoulder, she ripped herself away from his comfort and slammed against the doors. She took the pizza and ran back up to her room, throwing the cold box at her roommate.

"This pizza is cold!" Gertrude complained when she felt it. "You should get your money back."

"I cannot believe him!" Gertrude tucked the box away when Morgan tipped over a cup of pencils. She crossed her legs and backed up into the farthest corner from her position.

"Morgs, sometimes guys-"

"No! Don't you dare tell me that some guys are just jerks, Jackson Overland Frost!" Gertrude's eyes popped at the full name. "There was something, and I know it! He's lying for some reason! And I don't tolerate lying!" As she finished her sentence, Jack mouthed the words he knew she was going to say. All that did was cause Morgan to throw something else, this time in his direction, and he stopped with the power of his staff, encapsulating it in ice. When the book was caught in its ice cube, it clattered onto the floor before the ice burst and fell into tiny pieces.

"Holy shit!" Gertrude shouted. "Morgan, have you been studying witchcraft?! Where did that come from!"

"Just leave it," Morgan moaned. Instead of continuing on with her rage, she released it all in one motion of flaring her nostrils and then calmly took back to her laptop. Every part of her that had become fueled with intensity now flowed into her fingertips. The keys clacked incessantly faster and her fingers kicked at flew against the letters before the monitor. Occasionally, her right hand would escape to the mouse, and then she would continue with her typing.

"What are you doing now?" Gertrude complained, having grown sick of her roommates of her highly energetic impulses. She leapt back up to her bed and burrowed under her covers, taking a slice of cold pizza.

"I am going to learn everything I possibly can about Mr. Hamilton Barry. What kind of name is that anyway?"

"The name of a guy you kissed."

"He kissed me first! And God, I wish he hadn't been so damn good at it!" Jack's sudden anxiety caused his ears to itch. He rounded Morgan's shoulder and she felt the temperature change before she even glanced at him.

"How good?" he wondered. Morgan teasingly pushed his face away from her and he let out a muffled snicker.

"The only thing that makes him better than you is that he doesn't numb my lips, happy?" she joked as she removed her hand from his face. He let his eyes roll again and watched her sort through every piece of website that her online searches attributed to Hamilton.

"You're stalking him."

"I am not! I am trying to prove that he was lying and that he does have some interest in me. But there's something holding him back. Oh my God, he owns a bullet from the Civil War... look at this! All my favorite books are his favorites! Oh, ew, he likes that show... I didn't expect a history major to be so into something that is entirely made up..."

"Not everyone who loves history hates fiction!" Jack argued, to which Morgan chose to respond with a scoff. He decided he did not want to deal with that very night, while she simply just searched everything available online to investigate every angle about him. With a quick good night, he took to the skies to start on the overnight snowfall.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You're getting ridiculous," Jack said to her as they walked along the floor of his dorm. He had his hands in his front pocket and kept giving Morgan a look that told everything he felt about what she was doing. This had been going on for a week now and her obsession over his behavior and her determination to prove herself right had taken over her studies. Her grades were soon to be affected. "Are you aware you could be reported?"

"I have to do something threatening before the police will do anything. I looked," Morgan stated.

"Doesn't the fact that you needed to look it up tell you something?"

"It tells me I am being careful... look, I'm not proud of me following him around but I need to know!"

"You know all those times your family said you were crazy? I take it back. I side with them. You are crazy."

"I'm not the one who is helping my ex-girlfriend with everything I go against."

"Why do you have to call me your ex? That makes me sound evil." Morgan raised her palm to the door and gently tapped her hand against it. Jack stood back. He wanted to keep his distance when that door was opened and there was an explosion of screaming. Laughter could be heard behind the door as it opened, and the minute Hamilton rested his eyes on Morgan, he tossed his phone aside and crossed his arms.

"Okay, this has to stop," he said. "Why can't you take a hint?"

"I did take a hint," Morgan snapped, and then pulled out sheets of inked paper, printed from online and containing information concerning him. He raised his eyebrows at her. "I took the hint when you danced with me. What is with you? Why this sudden turn around?"

"Maybe I am an asshole who saw a fairy godmother and turned into a charming prince for a night!" Jack turned to the wall to cover up his chuckle at the response. Morgan looked back at him angrily.

"Stop being stupid," Morgan barked.

"No, you need to stop! You have been following me for a week. I have your license plate number memorized-"

"And I'm the creepy one!"

"When you see the same car following you for a week, you learn to take note! Seeing the same kind of car around the city makes you a little paranoid. Maybe what I did was stupid, and I should not have messed with a vulnerable girl's heart like that."

"What makes you think I am vulnerable?!"

"Seriously? Do you remember a few years back, the girl who ran away to Europe simply because she wanted to go for a visit and blew money which has still become a mystery as to how she even got it and was considered mental unstable?!"

"I am not mentally unstable!"

"Says the stalker."

"Hamilton! Look at these!" She shoved the several sheets into his nose. He breathed with heated annoyance before taking the sheets from her and paging through them. "I have never found anyone so fond of history like this before! The way you speak about certain figures is beautiful and your words of choice to describe how being surrounded by ancient artifacts and landmarks is inspirational! I don't really care for some of your favorite films or shows, but you can quote the Elizabeth film by heart, and you took second in the Michigan State History Competition! You made it to Nationals!"

"But I was out of Nationals the third turn, did you find that out?" he scoffed.

"I can't even make it to Nationals," Morgan added.

"That's because you never even went to the local one," Jack said with amusement.

"Hush," she ordered. Hamilton made to close the door but she struck it with her palm, keeping him from opening up the door. "I have more to say. And... if you let me speak, I swear this is the last time I will follow you or approach you or whatever." With reluctant acceptance, he opened his door wider and let her come in. He shut it and purposely stood to the other side. His hand extended in her direction, a gesture for her to continue. She flipped through the pages and rattled off everything she had learned. "For starters, I am not happy that I did this."

"Could have fooled me," he told her gruffly. Jack prepared his staff to strike him in the nose.

"Jack, stop it," she hissed at him. Hamilton looked around the room.

"Who are you talking to?"

"No one. Anyway, let's go back to three months ago. I read that beautiful defensive essay you left on your Facebook page."

"You seriously went back three months? Morgan, you need to-"

"Let me finish!" she yelled with he stomp of her foot. Jack looked between them, unsure if this was really where he wanted to be right now. "The incredibly long message you left in response to someone who was really cyberbullying your cousin for being bisexual. I was in tears. My own brother is gay and except for something a few years ago in high school, he never really had much of problem with people judgmental about it. But I hear things about the gay community in general all the time and it just burns me. And not only did you do it calmly and respectfully, but you really got your point across and left the girl who was responsible for the remarks really speechless." When Hamilton did not say anything she continued. "You went to help out with the destruction left behind by a hurricane. I've found out about friends you have given second chances too, for things I never would have. And your mom loves to tell the story about the deer you liked to leave apples out for when you were a kid. That was cute.": Hamilton smiled, but rolled his eyes. "You worked for six months to help out at a Crisis Center, and I gathered you have a close relationship with your sister. The thing I found most interesting is that despite what kids are telling her at school, you keep telling her to believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus... all of them."

"I know she's twelve, but I hate it when that kind of innocence dies... it would be nice if she could believe forever. I stopped at eight, but I don't want her to stop for some reason... what is the point of this, you're listing off all the qualities people find... awesome or something," he stated with impatience beginning.

"I've figured out you're not quick to judge people, you believe in fighting for others, you find childhood precious, you find history fascinating and important and one of the greatest things in the world, but it also believe you should have fantasy and fiction in your life."

"There is also a little bit of fact in things that are made up, so even some of the fiction is true... Morgan, what are you saying, I need to get ready for work soon..."

"I think you are one of the most fascinating and wonderful beings I have ever met! And that is exactly why I cannot get why you are being so hostile to me, especially after giving me that... fairy tale episode with the epitome of what a gentleman is. I have never met anyone I could say was straight out of storybook, but for that one night you were and that intrigued me. I know I shouldn't, I know it's pissing you off, but I couldn't not research you. I had to know who you were, and the more the read, the more I wanted to know you. I don't even know where I am at this point. I think I like you, but I am not sure how much and I think I need to get to know you personally to understand. I have facts, but I don't know what you're really like. What I see though... I love it. Every bit of it. And I would like to learn more... I was just so convinced you... saw something in me too, that I couldn't let it go. It's possible I was wrong though." Hamilton scratched his head as he took in all the mess of information she had just given him. Her chest rose and fell with the catching of her breath. She had so much nervousness speaking with him that her words all come out in a long sentence and there had barely been room for her to breathe. He began to laugh and moved closer. Morgan stepped backwards as he moved, quaking with confused fear. She didn't know what had just happened or what she had just done, but this was a man she had been following and probably angered several times. If he was laughing, it wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Morgan, wait, no, no... come here." He called. Jack stood guard as she took three steps an waited for him to say more. "I'm just blown away you got all that. You took the time to learn who I was and really fell for who I am, rather than what I look like."

"Huh?"

"You have no idea how long I have been watching you, have you? You didn't even remember who I was, of course not..." he breathed. Morgan's face kept contorting with each of his comments. Nothing he told her was making sense. "Freshmen year, you were in my chemistry class. I sat in front, you were in back. I did okay, and you always asked questions. The things you were most curious about was the people, and their backgrounds. Out of everything in chemistry, that was the thing you had wanted to know. I changed my course so I could just see you and hear you speak on your phone. I learned so much about you just from doing that. I believe the more intelligent you are, the more beautiful you are. And you are the most intelligent woman I have ever met." Morgan blushed, Jack scowled. "I figured out things that were going on. I know about Jack, very well. And though I don't believe him, I do know there are things in this world we can't explain. Maybe you even have a gift. I think things like mediums and psychics exist, although I think they're more rare then we're led to believe. Many I think are trying to get money out of us, but I believe in the integrity of some."

"Well Jack's not a ghost and I am not any of those things..." Morgan carefully said.

"Even so," he laughed. "At the time I know you were... very broken, and I found out about your boyfriend... but you didn't know him, did you? In fact, you talked with... Linda was it, mostly about his looks and... other personal things I quickly fled when I heard. I wanted to date you, but I didn't want the same thing as him. So I used something you didn't believe in to get you to believe in me. The real me. I know I'm not much of looker, but I was afraid of the one girl I wanted to find me really attractive only focusing on that."

"So wait... you used that to draw me in?" Morgan guessed.

"And then I know if I just ran off and played hard to get, it would drive you nuts and you would not be able to stand that you were wrong about me. You would want to prove to me that there was something, and you would go mad with your research. In the process... you learned about me. You got to know me. Now tell me. This whole time, when did you ever think about me and sex?"

"Uhh... none...?"

"Fantastic!" he laughed. "Not that it's out of the question ever, I just want to mean more to you than that..." Jack shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably. Morgan let herself walk closer towards Hamilton who was know reaching for her hands.

"So... what do we do?" she wondered out loud. He smirked and parted his lips to speak.

"Get to know each other better."

"Can we start with studying over some hot chocolate?" Morgan asked, her cheek growing fat with color.

"That sounds great. But first, if it's all right with you..." Hamilton bent his head and Morgan welcomed his kiss with the tilting of her own head. They lips touched and parted for each other. Jack quietly slipped away from the dorm room, pulling his hood up over his hair and then stalked away towards the heavy snow crashing into the earth.

* * *

**Also, I would like to inform you all of the playlists I have designed. I have put together a playlist of songs I have used to inspire my writing. I will add more as I get more to it, and you can listen to it if you like. Some songs were only used once, some multiple times, some will be used again. Some are obvious when they were used, some not, and some I just used because I thought the music, not the lyrics necessarily, fit well. If you would like to follow it, if you have Spotify, you can type in "Jack and Morgan Growing Warm" under the playlists on Spotify. Or, you can use Youtube. You can search for me, RoseOfPhantom, and find it that way, or search for it under playlists. It is called "Playlist for Growing Warm Fanfiction". Okay bed time for me. Like I said, if I update irregularly this week, or not at all (I really hope that won't be the case) it's because I am with my friend whom I never get to see. Love you all! :)**


	122. Puncture

**Hey guys! I'm in North Dakota! I stayed up late to type this exciting chapter for you! :) My friend that I am visited got this awesome bracelet made for me! It's red and has "RoseOfPhantom" etched into it - it's really cool!**

* * *

Jack extracted himself away from Morgan and Hamilton, and only arrived to visit her on a weekly basis. He wasn't sure if time had just numbed all of excruciating wounds that had been left open by their break up, or if he had just grown so used to to it he had forgotten it was even hurting. He was still aware there was some pain, and he still felt that twinge of the impulse to hold her and fluff her sun stained brown locks and let her aroma intoxicate him til his nerves itched to be touch her the way he used to. But there was a new sensation he discovered, and it went alongside his fresh and newly awakened mix of rejected pain and angry jealousy. A light that had once been dimmed in Morgan shone brighter than he thought he had ever seen it around Hamilton. Just in the short time she had gotten to know him, she took up her priorities again. Her work was getting turn in on time for the most part. She had only been late for work once since meeting him and was in bed at a decent time. She only skipped her class once. Her usual temper tantrums became almost non existent and her patience was growing. It wasn't hard to see that Hamilton was the reason. He would check in on her to see things had gotten done and soon he hadn't needed to. When he entered the room, Morgan flew to him. Often, he would spin her around and pull her in for a kiss. Like old friends who knew each other well, they would have conversations. Their games ended in laughter, and they had times they couldn't stand each other. Morgan cried when she was to be away from him for even a while and went out with him to celebrate his return. Jack had grown accustomed to seeing Morgan only once a week; which was probably good for a schoolwork anyway. It had become so routine, and the familiarity of it made it easier, but he still held the weight of emptiness. Seeing her with him, however, served as some sort of sedative for those feelings. Watching as her smile marked her happiness in genuine manner that hadn't been seen for so long expanded a comforting warmth. As she danced away and hummed brightly, he was fascinated by how the attitude suited her. And all of the inspections he gave Hamilton on how he was treating her only turned up good things. He wasn't even sure if Morgan had been that happy with him. It wasn't something he really wanted to think about.

The spring came again and Morgan found her tears for Jack again when he was to leave her side, but her reluctance was minimal and her goodbye short. The hardest part about going off this time was his knowledge about how quickly Morgan would get over it. Hamilton would make things less hard, and her thoughts for him would probably only be in passing. He retreated too Antarctica, as every year, and he could not figure what to do. He was no longer torn about the way Morgan was choosing other men over him. It had actually become expected, but the dawn that he was never again to be loved by her again drilled into him with a wicked blade. Despising Hamilton would be so much easier if Hamilton had not put her up on a pedestal and lived every moment of his life thinking of her. He was changing her for the better, except for one thing that Jack did not want to see; she was not grieving the distance between them and it worried him for the first time, that she might grow so attached she would forget Jack all together and believe him to be a story. How could she forget everything they had done and their passions?

He came back that one day. It was Linda's wedding day. He told her he would be there, and he was. It was just as she wanted; the big white wedding with all the pomp and circumstance. Her parents had cried and Morgan blubbered several times about how she was so happy she had found someone. Even then, she was excited to see her Jack, and he was lucky enough to dance with the both of them, and even a few of the smaller children at the ceremony. Then he needed to part again late that night. Her goodbye to him seemed to be more emotional than he had when he left the first time. Her grip around him was tighter when she hugged him, but it ended on a happier note. She had given him great hope when she whispered she was eager for him to return and there was an expected happiness to her tone. On his word, he told her would of course be back for her birthday and off he went.

That summer had become something distressing to him. Every morning he settled into new blades that punctured worries and he clung to them, finally being able to release them in the night. They were back again in the morning and the process started all over again. A part of him had no wanted to go back for her birthday; but it was something he could not do. He had a promise he needed to fulfill and those puncture wounds would only get work if he ignored his own word. Off for America he was, and he zoned in on West Chester. It appeared like Gertrude was gone, a new roommate gained by the name of Amy. Quiet, but a friend of the bar scene. As he waited by her window and held his breath while he waited to be scene, he listened to her roommate of twenty-two convince her to go to the bars that night for her twenty-first. A quick phone call to Hamilton to be the designated driver settled things and he turned away when she made the movement to remove her clothing and changed. Counting the minutes and discovering both thankfully and with disappointment that had been enough time for her to change into something a little more glamorous and celebratory for going out with friends, he tapped at the window. Almost like when she looked at Hamilton, her eyes sparkled with a gentle light. She fled to the window and allowed him in, catching his slender body into a long awaited hug. It stirred him with glee on his relief that she had not forgotten him.

"This summer has been so boring without you!" she said to him.

"You haven't spent it all with Hamilton?" he wondered. She let him go and smiled with understanding.

"No. I mean, a good bit," she admitted. "But he had a life, and a job. Plus he took summer classes this year so he was here, I was home. I try not to bug Linda too much. She's all in love and every time I call her all she can talk about is how great married life."

"Can we expect a Little Linda soon?" Jack teased. She giggled and lazily hit his shoulder.

"Well, honestly... I've been wondering. But last I knew she said she wasn't pregnant." Morgan kept her eyes wondering, expecting something from him. He chuckled at how she no longer hide how she was waiting for her gift and pulled it out; the bottle of Elizabeth like every year, and then she unwrapped an antique vintage jewelry box. He was less than satisfied with the short-lived embrace and the kiss to the forehead, but he had not been expecting much else.

"Morgan..." he started with caution. She looked up from her desk where she was stringing a long chain of pairs around her neck. "You're twenty-one."

"I'm aware," she laughed with sarcasm.

"That's drinking age."

"Yes, Jack," she sighed with much of the same annoyance she had with her mother when she was teen. "I am going to the bar."

"Be careful," he warned her.

"Hamilton will be there."

"But even so-"

"Jack, I'm an adult, I've got it. And I won't drink til I pass out, I promise." She slung her old clutch purse over her shoulder and yelled out at her roommate waiting for her. "In a couple of days, we'll do something okay? Go for a walk. Ride on the winds. Or something. Okay?" she pecked his cheek and Jack watched her flee off out the door, stomach twisting when every scenario of what could happen burned his brain.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

It had become surprising to her how quickly alcohol worked when she was not used to it. After only a couple of beers, any anxiety she had started to slip away from her. It was easier to get to know some of Amy's friends she had allowed to bring along and one laughed at every piece of historical information she shared. It was fun to join in with the laughter. The third beer had rapidly streamed through her and made her limbs feel like she could move easier and freer. The table ended up being closer than she thought and she was sure that table had not been in the way before. But Hamilton kept his close eye on her, and she enjoyed the story about the lady who had been wearing a dress with cherries on it a little too much. The idea got into Morgan's mind that she should try singing loudly at the fourth beer, but climbing onto her chair was not an idea the universe had for her. Hamilton's arms formed to her body when she slipped up, and everything about his face was enhanced. Her fingers pulled on the edge of her shirt and the urge to take him right on the bar was so strong. Then, an even stronger feeling happened right below her stomach.

"I... need to find the, um.. bathroom!" she said slowly. Hamilton directed her and was following her towards the right door, but she screamed at him over the music she would be able to handle going to the bathroom and back by herself. He kept insisting on coming with her, but the third demand to stay back kept him back and she ventured onwards. Following his directions , she found the black door near the telephone as he had said, although she thought the door should have been marked with a recognizable sign for those of the female persuasion. Stepping out of the door and listening to it rattle when it shut behind her informed her slowly this was not the bathroom. The brick buildings that lined the streets outside of the alley and the large green dumpsters towering with black bags made her believe this was not the place to relieve herself. The rotting refuse emitted gaseous fumes of putrid odors and she covered her mouth, aware of the crackling crunch of glass bottles below her feet. She turned on the door handle, but a robust hand landed on it. The guy it belonged to was not particularly strong looking, but he had enough strength to keep a door from opening for her. Morgan took three steps away and her back rubbed against something large and warm. Spinning around, she made out the bodies and faces of three men, one with blond hair and the other two with darker hair. One of the ones with darker hair had a beard and the blond one looked like he spent more time in the gym than the others, who didn't look particularly weak either. Their clothes made them seem like they did not care for their appearance with dirty clothes, ripped clothes, and sweatpants.

Morgan's mind immediately went to the cavity that said not to judge others by their appearances, but the hungry looks they held for her were too frightening to ignore. They way they circled her and kept their lustful gazes forced her to pull out the emotion she had been getting herself to control since her latest encounter with Pitch two years ago. This time, there was no controlling it. She kept her hands up when they moved in on her. Morgan's legs did not quite go the way she wanted and she stumbled to her back. She questioned her decision in drinking so much.

"I'm just looking for the bathroom..." she wheezed, hoping one of them would find some compassion. The blond one laughed and looked over at his friends.

"We'll tell you where one is," he promised. "You'll need one after we're done with you."

"Wh...what?" she squeaked. There was no way this was about to happen to her, right now, and Hamilton wasn't even there. He did not know she had stumbled out of the back door of the bad. She swallowed hard, that lump in her throat impeding her words and her mind fuzzy so logic was not forming.

"Please, don't..." was all she could get out when one of the dark haired men began to tug at his belt. The other guy side swiped her and pinned her against the wall of the building. She formed a scream, but it refused to leave her. When did her face get so wet with tears? When did she even start crying? "Stop! Now, please! Don't do this!" When the other man had jerked on her legs to pull her down, she swung her arm around and punched him in the nose. Listening to him swear, she flipped over to get away. Before she crawled even a pace, her legs were being dragged back. She wailed and begged for them to leave her alone. In an instant, the blond man had her legs spread and pushed up against his torso. Morgan reached her arms up right at a position he could not pull away from her and turned her body to wriggle from where he was. Loose from his grasp, Morgan flipped up her foot and several cracks sounded when it met with his nose. Making for her escape, the third man caught her and flipped her around. She heard the flick of a knife and then rips. Half of her top had fallen off and left her with her bra showing out in the open. Her drunken mind could not make out exactly which way she was being jostled when she was flung to the ground and she the nip of the cold on her legs, suddenly bare.

"Please!" she screamed. Some sort of savior had zoomed in through the sky and plummeted into the man, dragging him down the street. The other two men yelled to their friend, who was swearing loudly. Morgan sat up to see what was happening, but was pushed down again by another one of the men who growled obscenities at her, focusing on how he was going to enjoy every bit of her body. Another force glided into him and he tumbled off of her. The last man screamed out, a little confused as to what was going on with them. He yelled out, but Morgan could see very clearly what happened. The first man was being slammed against a dark shop window by Cupid. It wasn't clear what he was yelling, but he was yelling something very angrily. Closer yet was Jack, holding his guy down and positioning his stuff above his throat.

"What's going on?!" he yelled in a panic, unaware of the force pinning him down.

"I could freeze you and then break you in an instant," Jack growled. The man Cupid had held down, unconscious from the collision against the shop window, laid out on the sidewalk. Cupid floated over to Jack and pulled the string on his bow taut, holding a blackened arrow over his heart. "Wait, what is that?"

"I have arrows that only encourage desires but also reverse desires."

"What?! You have those!"

"I have to. For situations like this. But it may not work."

"Why wouldn't it work?!"

"Rape is about power, Jack, not how attractive someone is. That might encourage someone more, but ultimately it's about the power to dominate over someone and take from them. This doesn't necessarily mean they'll walk away and leave her alone." Cupid let go and the arrow vanished as the man cried out. He looked over to Morgan and furrowed his brow. Cupid turned and fired another black arrow at the man across the street, hitting dead center.

"What the hell is your problem, man?" The last guy said, hands now pulling on the remains of Morgan's shirt. Jack left the man in Cupid's care, who easily thrust his fist into the underside of his chin. Morgan wriggled away, but nothing this guy was witnessing was keeping him from what he wanted of her. He pulled her town and held his body tightly against her. She yelled and flipped over, keeping him tight against the ground. Jack stood beside her and kept the crook of his staff hooked around his neck, tugging on it so he could feel the pull and hacked.

"What is... this...?" he rasped, eyes glazing with fear up at her. Her nostrils flared when she looked into him. Her hand flew and bunched up at the last minute, striking right into his eyes.

Jack kept watch on the man, genuine heat melting the frost on the side of his mouth with the intensity of his rage. Something like steam rose from the tips of his fingers around his staff and for a quick second, Morgan was distracted by the oddity.

"I'm a Guardian," he shouted. "That means I protect the child of the earth – and that includes adults who are children at heart. That means I am to protect, not destroy. But if I even as so much as hear you or your friends ever touching a young girl like this... let's just say the great thing about ice as a murder weapon is that it melts."

"Jack," Morgan said. The man below them kept his eyes shifting between them.

"There's someone there, isn't there?" he panted heavily. "Someone beside me. Someone threatening me. Who is it?" Morgan wobbled when she stood up and Jack reached to pull her to his side.

"My belief!" she screamed before giving the man her final thoughts by crushing her foot between his legs. He yelped and Jack pulled her down the block, Cupid following them. A good distance from them and the running, the panic, and the alcohol suddenly combined a huge weight on Morgan. Her knees gave out and she passed out on the sidewalk.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Jack~_

With Amy still out, there was no key to get into the dorm room. Cupid helped Jack get her in through the window and he settled her on the mattress. When Cupid was assured they were both okay without him, it was then he finally decided to head off. With her still asleep, Jack ripped off the scraps of her shirt that were left over, concerned he was touching her too inappropriately and crossing over lines he was not meant to cross. He searched through her drawers and pulled out a large t-shirt he had seen her wear to bed and slipped it over her. It was the moment he gave himself to lightly brush away her hair did she stir. Those brown eyes, mortified by the horrible scenes, looked up at him. When she made out who he was, she collapsed into a fit of sobs. Jack took her into her lap and cradled her, letting her cry.

"It's okay, dear, it's okay... you're safe..." he said.

"How did you... how... I mean..."

"I'd been hanging around the downtown area. I didn't want to intrude on you and your night but I did not like being somewhere else when you were doing large amounts of alcohol for the first time. It didn't sit right with me. As I was hanging out around here, I was just watching some of the people, taking an interest in people and what they were up to. The Cupid came flying through and saw me. He said his he saw a suspicious dot on his radar, and that there were a few bastards who had you on their mind. Needless to say, I immediately jumped in to help."

"God, I can't... I just walked out the wrong door! Jack, I was so stupid, why did I... I didn't even want to go to the bars..." her eyelids were dropping again, her voice slurred with sleep drugging her. Jack propped opened the window as a sliver of gold sand wrapped itself around her head. Jack looked out and saw Sandman floating on his sand cloud near the window.

"Thanks," he said, and Sandy bowed lowly to him. When Morgan had passed out completely, he rummaged through her purse and took her phone, pulling on gloves before he began to type out a a message:

"Hamilton, this is Morgan -"

Jack deleted the message. Hamilton knew far more than any of the other men Morgan had dated knew, except maybe for himself. He would know everything Morgan would say and would know if a text was not actually her. Morgan didn't lie often, but he would know if she did. So he breathed deeply and just typed.

"Hamilton. This is Jack. Yes I exist. I know Morgan has told about me. Morgan is in her dorm, and she's safe. She... ran into some... huge problems. But I found her and brought her back. I'll let her explain." Then the thought a minute and looked at the sleeping girl. Images of Hamilton's face floated above her head and a smiled found its way through the ocean on her face. He swallowed the pain and then added:

"P.S. Please Marry Her."

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**Okay so I will leave you guys to weep while I get some shut eye. I don't know when I'll get to the next update up here though :/ see you later!**


	123. The Next Steps

**Hey Guys! So I had most of this typed up last night and I was hoping to get it up last night, but we went and saw Into Darkness yesterday... and the my friend began my introduction to Star Trek and I started getting into and... well. Yeah. But I finished it this morning! So here you guys go. Not very exciting, but some fun moments.**

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"You never saw their faces?" Hamilton asked again for the third time. The wrinkles of his anger had not faded since the moment he had burst into her room at three in the morning and slept beside her the whole night. As soon as she woke up, he had been questioning her about the night. Morgan had been reluctant to share what happened, but he was far too concerned and enraged to let it go. He kept prodding for answers until around midday he had received the full account of what had happened, including the part about Cupid and Jack. It was clear b the look on his face that he wasn't quite sure about believing it was Cupid and Jack who saved her, but he didn't seem to rule out it was them. He went along with it, asking what they had done and how they had gotten her away. She remembered very little from when Jack brought her back, but Hamilton told her about the text message he sent, leaving out the last part. Any text message that said that had been erased from the sent messages in her phone, so she only had what Hamilton told her to go off of.

"I said that already..." Morgan whispered.

"How could you have not seen their faces?"

"There was a little too much going on for me to focus on them. I was a little more worried about my life and my body being saved than looking at them."

"Would you be able to give a good enough description to the police?"

"I... I don't know, Hamilton!" she yelled with a fluster of frustration. In her search for something to do, she began to unload her laundry basket of clean clothes and began to fold the in her lap where she sat on the floor. Hamilton dropped down to her and pulled her fingers away from the folds of fabric, interlacing his own fingers with hers. He placed her palm against his cheek and closed his eyes while he savored the feel of her skin to his face.

"Sweetheart, I just... I just can't..." he stammered. "I can't believe I wasn't there to protect you."

"Honestly, Hamilton... I think the only reason these guys were beat was because Cupid and Jack had the element of surprise pairing with the fact they couldn't be seen. If you were there, things might have gotten a lot worse. Honestly though, if I just hadn't gotten drunk-"

"That's ridiculous, Morgs," he nearly spat at her while he patted her hand. "To expect you not to get drunk on your twenty-first. No, Morgan. The fault is entirely their own. You did nothing wrong. People just shouldn't rape. God, if Jack... and Cupid... I'm not sure about Cupid. Whoever he was. Jack and his friend. If they hadn't found you... I want to see him. I want to meet Jack."

"You can't," Morgan said to him.

"Morgan, I'm not going to go into some jealous rage because he's your ex. It sounds like he respects you and still watches out for you while maintaining his distance, and that's fine by me."

"No, I've told you he's Jack Frost and unless you believe in him, you can't see him!" Hamilton sighed impatiently and then kissed the top of her head.

"You're asking me to believe in a child's fantasy."

"I'm not asking you to believe, just understand."

"Whoever he is, he took care of you, and that's what matters to me... maybe he would be able to give a description of the men?"

"Jack Frost go to the police. Right."

"No, Morgan." He chuckled, and then jumped to his feet. Hamilton pushed around the items on her desk and then withdrew a couple of pencils and her sketchbook. He dropped it into her lap and then smiled. Morgan furrowed her brow.

"Draw the truth, Morgs. Maybe between you, Jack, and... Cupid... you can draw an accurate image of them."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Stop glaring at me," Cupid said to the winter spirit beside him. Morgan rested on the brick landscaping around the building, Jack having built a chair shaped cushion around her in the snow for comfort. With the flakes dropping gracefully onto the world, occasionally one would catch her eyelashes and they seemed to form diamonds along the contours of her eyes. Everything that touched Morgan seemed to take shape of something even far more beautiful in Jack eyes. He kept switching his gaze between adoration for her and his watchful eye on Cupid. "I am not going to flirt with her, not so soon after what happened."

"Pardon me if I don't completely trust the man who had a one night stand with my ex," Jack reminded with burning fury.

"Okay, she asked for it! And not only that, have you forgotten I was the one who noticed what was going on! I actually paid attention to my radar, Jack! And stopped it! How many times have you accused me of not doing that!"

"This was Morgan, though, someone you know well... I would almost say friends with. I don't know. You guys have gotten to know each other a lot better than friends do!"

"Why is it when you two are together we end up on my sex life?" Morgan said between the two arguing spirits. "Look! Okay, guys, we have one face, and a half a face, and another face to go! Are you going to do this or not?!"

"Yes, Morgan," Jack responded in obedience. "Um, his chin was rounded, with a small sharpness to it-"

"It's a start, isn't it?" Cupid interrupted. "I'm trying get things together. I've only had three different people this week because I have been so focused on my systems and I have saved two marriages, helped a couple get together, got a woman out of an abusive relationship, and helped a couple of parents rediscover their love for their daughter and in that way they finally accepted her being a lesbian! I've been getting things together, Jackie." Jack and Morgan both looked to the spirit of love, and he took their attention as positive. So he proudly smiled, but neither one of them offered their praise.

"How long are you going to keep that up though?" Jack challenged. Cupid frowned.

"How many people do you normally have in a week?" Cupid was much more interesting in Morgan's question.

"Depends on how good the week is. Between ten and twenty. Average is seventeen."

"That's like more than two a day!" Morgan shouted while Jack's eyes bulged at him.

"You're sick," he hissed.

"Is it sick that I think everyone is beautiful?" he cooed with the allure of his sensuality. Jack scoffed and turned away. Morgan tingled at the way his voice caused her nerves to pulsate.

"My average for this year is going to be thirteen though, since I've actually been putting in work. And if my current pattern keeps up, it will be less than ten."

"How do you even get that many people to believe in you?" Morgan wondered.

"You'd be surprised what people will believe in when they're desperate for love," Cupid said.

"So you use them for your own pleasures and give them false hope," Jack snapped. Morgan dropped her sketchpad and folded her arms, aggravated at how they could not stop fighting. They were here to help find the men who attacked her, not argued about Cupid's decisions.

"No, he doesn't!" Morgan yelled in defense. "Cupid has his own way of helping people, okay? He never does anything nobody wants to do, and everything he says to them and does is all true. He sleeps with them because he feels they are worthy of being loved that way and of being touched. He tells them they're beautiful and he wishes them every wonderful thing in life. He tells them he believes beauty itself must have molded them. He tells that to everyone not because its a line, but because he feels that way about every single soul. He is the complete opposite of the men who tried to gang rape me! It's all consensual and it's all because he believes they're deserving. Every single one! Now shut up!"

"Thank you, beauty," Cupid said graciously. Jack just sighed.

"You be quiet," Morgan remarked and demanded to know more info. Miraculously they had been able to make it through and she went with Hamilton to drop off the photos to the police. After a little bit of discussion and debate they filed it away after her questioning and gave a promise that Morgan suspected would only be half fulfilled that they would keep an eye out for them. Driving home, they were silent. Morgan fiddled with the clasp on her watch, glancing at the time every thirty seconds even though it was clear time had not yet progressed much.

"I'm a little surprised."

"At what?" Morgan whispered.

"How well you're taking this."

"I was never penetrated. I barely even got hurt. I'm sure if it had happened it would have been a much different story. They got a taste of what they deserved, and my friends saved me from it. It was scary, but it's not like I'm fearful I'll be pursued."

"That's the thing is it?" Hamilton chuckled.

"What is?"

"Sometimes I think you're not afraid enough."

"I learned to control my fear a long time ago," she explained. "Things happened in my life that made me scared a long time ago and I... let's say we had a very good talk and I didn't want fear to be in my life anymore."

"Sometimes fear is necessary," he repeated. "Maybe you shouldn't control is all the time, just when it overtakes you."

"It's hard to find that balance."

"It is... but I wonder..."

"About what?"

"What things do scare you?"

"Why are you asking this?" The car turned towards the side of the road and gradually it came to stop. Hamilton pulled on the lever between the seats and unbuckled himself, turning towards her body. He took a deep breath through his nostrils and then laughed sheepishly.

"When you suddenly didn't come back, I was worried, Incredibly worried. Thirty minutes went by and I had been screaming through the whole bar. Then my phone beeped and that message from you... or Jack. In that moment I just..." his words caught and he look around the car. He seemed to searching for the words again.

"What did Jack say?" Morgan asked him, a knot growing in her with the possibilities of what Jack could have told him that Hamilton was suddenly giving her a serious talk.

"He just said you had been in trouble and he had taken care of you." Morgan's heart dropped. She was pretty sure that was not all it had said, but something about it was giving Hamilton deep thoughts. "But when I was... unsure of what happened to you and running around the bar, every single small thing popped up in my mind. Rape was one of them. Murder. Drugged. Anything. I was so scared. I had never felt such a strong sense of... the need o be where you were. No girl has even given me that. I had to find you, I had to take you and protect you. I needed you. I know I've told you I loved you before, and I did love you. I do love you. But I don't know if I truly knew how much til last night. I could not live with myself if something happened. I just know that I needed you by my side and that desire has not faded." Morgan pushed her lips together into a frown, staring at the lock on his car.

"When you say... need me by your side..."

"Is it too early for us to discuss the possibility of marriage?" Morgan's gut rose and spilled out into her esophagus. Her chest bloomed, struck with the joyful shock of him bringing this up. She turned towards him and smiled, her lips exploded her expression into one adoring with a bronze light.

"You want to marry me..." she confirmed. He grinned and nodded.

"Some day... But I thought first... This is my final year of school. I could get an apartment. We could live together in the city in an apartment and then you could finish your final year. Maybe we could move to Philadelphia. Somewhere with a lot of history."

"Hold on, wait... wait wait. Marriage. Living together. This is a lot to take in at once..." her breath quickened with ecstatic anticipation. She leaned over her seat and grabbed his arm, raising her lips closer to him. "You mean it, Hamilton?"

"Morgan, I have never been this in love with anyone in my whole life. When this semester is over, we're search for an apartment together, if that's what you want." He gripped her hand and brought it to his lips, grazing the knuckles delicately with a little bit of sensuality in his gaze that crept down Morgan's spine and itched her core.

"Yes, that's what I want. I want to live with you."

"And marriage... some day? Right now, how would you feel about that?"

"Hamilton..." she started, her eyes coated with a thin layer of saltwater to reveal her elated emotion. She rested her head against his forehead. Hamilton extended his hand and Morgan pushed her chin into the soft tickle of the gentle massage of his thumb. He pressed his lips into her for a chaste kiss and then put his arms around her. Morgan surrendered her body to the sparking of excitement that drugged her and felt that blissful protection as he bound her in his arms. "I want to be your wife some day..." Then she frowned and looked over at the dashboard.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, I guess... I just wonder if my relationship with Jack is-"

"He'll be okay with it," Hamilton laughed. Morgan lifted her head to him again and wrinkles creased her forehead.

"How do you know?"

"Trust me... I just know he'll be okay."

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**Hopefully by now you can see the direction I am going. I don't think a lot of you will like it, but it's important. And I'm going to speed through it pretty fast because it's not that interesting. See you... sometime!**


	124. Gifts of Adults

**Hey there! So I am on a four hour bus ride back home, and thankfully there is electricity and wifi here so guess what? I updated! And now I will resume my daily updates :) So everything is back to normal now. I had fun with my friend, it was a good break that I needed. And guess what she is currently working on? I bought a blue sweatshirt a while ago and she is like AMAZING at art, so she is working on paint frost on it for me! This is a pretty good chapter. Maybe nothing emotional, but I enjoyed typing it :)**

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Easter was approaching again and Jack had joined Jamie and Sophie in their yearly activity. This had been Jamie's first year at college in Philadelphia, but it seemed he always had the time that even Morgan didn't have anymore. She had not wanted to go with them to Warren. She had wanted to spend Easter with Hamilton, and it wasn't hard to figure out how serious they had become. In respect to her, he had distanced himself from her a little, so much he had just gotten used to being away from her. Maybe this was Morgan's own way of growing up. He did not believe she would ever truly stop believing in him, especially by now, but her preference in a normal human life perhaps was how she was growing up. Now she did not even wish to partake in an Easter tradition. She would rather spend her time caught up in Hamilton's arms. Jack wished he didn't like him so much.

"Jack, please stop moping," Sophie pleaded in exasperation. As she was now a teenager, she had developed that tone of constant annoyance that sometimes followed kids through puberty. She had noticed how he seemed to have little desire in helping paint the eggs and would often look off past the hanging flowers with a pained expression.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's Morgan again," she figured with the roll of her eyes. "Sometimes Jack, you act more like a fourteen year old girl than I do. Stop being so dramatic."

"Sophie, I spent five years..." then he stopped himself. There seemed to be little point to talking to her about this.

"Five years is nothing compared to how long you'll live," Sophie said, pushing back a fallen strand of yellow hair. He hated how much she had grown in just a few short years. She was phasing out of childhood, and had the body to prove it. The make-up around her eyes was almost too much for him and he wished she would wipe it off and dress up in dresses and crowns again and desire only eggs and butterflies like she used to. "Besides, she was thirteen when you two started dating. And you had the experience of a thirteen year old. You were both really young and dumb and didn't really think."

"Sophie, I don't want to discuss it." Jack picked up a waddling egg and placed it in her lap, hoping she would be distracted. She cradled it and stroked it as if it were a puppy, but did not avert the situation.

"I know you loved her very much... but you got to let her go."

"I have," Jack sighed. "It's just hard to when you've... given so much..."

"Is that supposed to be a euphemism?" she wondered with a giggle.

"No!" he snapped. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about that... or know about those things."

"I'm fourteen, Jack," she snickered. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a teenager and we know about these things."

"I have noticed and I don't like it!" he groaned. "Here, paint eggs."

"I'm not going to stay a little girl forever."

"You'll always be a little girl to me," he smirked, reaching for her and pulling her by the waist. His fingers attacked her in a barrage of gentle scratches with shots of ice making his tickling far more pronounced. She guffawed and coughed as he tickled her. She tried to wriggle away but the eggs decided to join in and stomp on her legs with their small feet.

"Frost, yer not harming our Sophie, are ya, Mate?" Bunny yelled as he emerged with Jamie. A rainbow of the most gentle pastels decorated Jamie, evidence of his most recent swim in the river of dye. Bunny had his fingers gripping his arm tightly, a show that he had to fish him out of the river. It seemed to have become a regular thing. No matter how hard he tried, he had to get someone out of the river. Sophie took the moment of their distraction to pull away and run towards Bunny. He hugged her and distanced her from where Jack was.

"Jack doesn't like me growing up," Sophie told me.

"Can't say I'm a fan of it either, love," he told her, which initiated a roll of her eyes.

"You two, oh my God," she said.

"Sophie, it's because they're Guardians," Jamie said, rubbing away the coloring on his arms.

"No it isn't, Jack wants me to forever be single."

"That would be preferred," he laughed.

"You're so annoying sometimes."

"There used to be a time when all you needed was butterflies to be happy."

"Well, I'm not planning on dating for a few years, so you're good." Jack laughed and pulled Sophie away, kissing her hair lightly.

"All right, come one you two. I promised your mother I would get you home so you could get on your homework."

"Jack, I'm nineteen, I don't have a curfew," Jamie boldly told him.

"If you still live with your mother and she says you do, then you do. And Angry Helen Bennett is not something I want to handle... again..." Jack took a moment to remember the few instances when she took on full mother mode on the times he had been careless and remembered how scared he had been. He did not remember being so traumatized by his real mom. Jamie snickered and nodded. Jamie shook Bunny's hand and Sophie hugged him. They took the few eggs they had colored and headed on for home.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

"Morgan, I can't keep up with you," Hamilton laughed as Morgan pulled him along, the lights overheard in the museum flickering across her brunette head to give her hair that perfect angelic glow.

"I can't help it," she giggled. "You know how I get in history museums. Especially when there are new exhibits!"

"And I'm sure the news that Linda is pregnant has nothing to do with your mood," he added with sarcasm.

"You've seen those flags three times already," Hamilton reminded as his girlfriend slowed down and took a moment to examine the faded colors and the old fashioned stitching on the flags of great historical significance.

"But every time is just as exciting as the first!" she said, reaching her hand as if she were to touch it, but she was not going to. She knew the rules in museums more than anyone else. She smiled blissfully as she stared, and this time it was Hamilton who pulled her along.

"You wanted to see the new exhibit!" he told her, slicking back the short length of his dark tresses.

"Oh yes!" Morgan remembered, having forgotten her reasons for coming to the museum that day. She reluctantly tore herself away and followed Hamilton as he headed forwards. "This is a really strange exhibit, isn't it? It wasn't advertised or anything. Yet somehow Linda knew about it. And there's not even signs or anything. All I know is that it is an incredibly important piece of jewelry for a woman of great importance. I don't even know the woman's name!"

"I'm sure we'll find out when we get there. I think the mystery of it is exciting."

"A little, but it's also nerve-wracking," Morgan stated, her eyes gazing over the small pieces of artifacts in regional history that lines the walls in their cases. Hamilton kept his hands around her wrist, pulling her along at a pace quicker than was normal for Morgan going through a museum. She kept looked back at him, irritated he was making her move so fast through it. Morgan had wanted to look at every single important object to the history of Philadelphia there was, even though she had seen probably every one in the three times she had visited. Hamilton kept on pulling her along, his fingers digging into her arm hard enough to give her a small pinch. Scoffing at his impatience, she finally broke her gaze away from everything around her and relented. With her eyes only briefly taking in the spectacles around her, they turned the corner twice and stopped in front of a pair of closed oak doors, two museum employees in black dress standing on either side of the door. Hamilton smiled and they both nodded.

"Could you tell me what this is?" Morgan asked suddenly, looking at the very vague sign right outside the doors. There was not even a picture of what the jewelry was. The employees just smiled and together opened the doors. The room was completely empty, except for a four foot glass stand case in the center, a small object raised on a glass pedestal inside it. Morgan walked closer towards it, squinting to make out what it was. It was a round solitaire diamond ring, with a band silver in color. On either side of the diamond was a Celtic trinity knot, both of them rose gold. Morgan smiled and it's simplistic beauty, its touch of famous historic symbols. Then she looked to the card that was inside in the glass beside it, finally excited to read what was so important that this ring had its own room, and a private one. Then her smile dropped and air seemed to be lacking when she took in the words it said.

_This is the ring Hamilton Barry presented to the love of his life, Morgan Kenter, a strong and intelligent woman in history, on the 16th of April when he asked her to be his wife. What she answered still remains a mystery._

Morgan spun around quickly after having read the card and found the young man crouching below her on his one knee. She sucked in air, even though her mouth was closed, so her lips seemed to fuse with the edges of her teeth. Her eyes kept on him cautiously, but her veins pumped faster. Disbelief spun her mind and the intense stir of her thrill awakened the ecstatic hysteria she did not even know she harbored.

"Hamilton..." she whispered carefully. "Today is April 16th."

"Yes, Morgan."

"You planned this?"

"Yes. With some help from the museum." He looked back at the two employees who were grinning expectantly and approached the glass case. "When I said the exhibit is here for a limited time, I mean I only had this room booked for two hours."

"Oh my God, Hamilton..." She turned to the see the men remove the lid on the case and pass the ring over to Hamilton, who held it out for her. He gently took her hand and she gave it to him, fighting back to the smile on her face. She was trying really hard to hide any trace of joy so he would still be in the dark of her answer. She wanted him to perhaps get a little nervous about what she would say, but there was no way that was going to happen. They had seriously been discussing marriage for the last two months and she had the worst poker face.

"I know we talked about moving in together first," he explained. "But... I don't know if I can't wait. I want you as my wife now, Morgan. I just don't know if I could handle being with you all the time and not being completely with you. You are the most fantastic woman I have ever met. You see the world so different from anyone else – and that is the most attractive, the most unique thing I have ever seen in anyone. It's your uniqueness that makes you so wonderful and there is no one I could know you and not ask you to be my wife -"

"Hamilton, stop stop..." she laughed, a path of tears making its way down her face. She gripped his hand tighter and waited for the next part. "You don't need to explain yourself, just get on with it, I really really want to hear you ask me." The two employees kept on watching, smiling when he did.

"Morgan Kenter, will you marry me?" he asked simply. With the nod of her head and the whisper of her positive response, he slipped on the ring and she squealed excitedly, forgetting to be polite and keep her voice down. The employees seemed to turn away and laughed, while he scooped her up and spun her out of the room. He decided to break his normal gentlemanly manner and screamed out to everyone passing by that she had said yes and there was a smattering of applause around them. Morgan kissed him firmly in front of all the onlookers and then looked at her hand, a little disturbed by how well he had done.

"Wait a second," Morgan said. "You planned all this?"

"I said I had help."

"But I mean... no offense Hamilton, I mean you're incredibly creative. I mean just look at what you planned to get my attention... but you suck when it comes to picking out jewelry I like!" He chuckled to show he agreed.

"That's true... but it was the strangest thing. I planned to have something else in the case and just have a card and propose and have you come with me to get the ring... but something weird happened."

"What was it?" Morgan quickly inquired, pushing for the answer with impatient curiosity.

"A month ago, I was passing by the jewelry shop. And just as I was walking by I actually watched this oddly shaped patch of frost form a circle on the portion of the window right in front of this ring. A perfect circle. And there wasn't any frost anywhere else. Just there. It was so odd. It was like something was directing me towards it, and I knew when I saw it that it was perfect for you." Morgan smiled all the way through his story, understanding perfectly what had happened. She laughed and hugged him again.

"How about we go back to your place?"

"You don't want to stay here and look at other objects?" She moved her head, telling him no. He raised his eyebrow.

"Today at least, I have something that means so much more and is far more precious than anything here. Today is the very beginning of a history that we are going to make. I am experiencing a great legacy in the making. Why do I need to surround myself with all this when I am living something that is starting to create a great past from an even greater future?" Hamilton lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"I love you," he told her. She gave him a subtle smile and pecked his lips. As he took her away an they exited the building more swiftly than Morgan had ever been able to leave a museum. She looked down the street, spying the lace weavings of ice formed on the buildings down the street. The frost had not been there before. She laughed and looked up at the sky. Jack had been gone for Antarctica, but he had been there to stop by. She laughed and brushed away the powerful emotion leaking from her eyes.

"Thanks, Jack," she muttered. "It means a lot..."

* * *

**Okay, so yeah. Maybe some of you are heart broken. And I realize that right now Hamilton is pretty flat. But I don't intend for you guys to really know him til later, especially now that he's becoming an important person in Morgan's life. And Jack seems to be doing okay :) I'll try to get another one up tonight after I get home! See you later, guys **


	125. Happy by Default

**Another chapter for you guys, I hope this makes up for all the days I missed!**

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On spread out among the brightly colored plush toys and the plastic arch with jingling objects and hanging animals for amusement were several magazines with various dresses and suggestions for music and budgeting ideas for a grand wedding. Morgan flipped through them when she wasn't the one with the baby. They had all sat in a circle, Linda, Morgan, Bradley, Aubrey, and Aubrey's two boys Lawrence, now nearly six and Gregory who was three. Both of the boys were curious about Linda's little girl, only having been born two weeks before. Morgan and Hamilton had been engaged nine months and things were starting to fall into place. It would be a while before they were to actually be married – they wanted to wait til she had graduated from college, but she also demanded to have a winter weddings, for reasons that were difficult to really explain to him. On Jack's promise there would be just a gentle snowfall, they settled on the first weekend in December, when the winter was the freshest and most welcoming. Jack was also in the room, but he stayed at a distance. He loved small children, but he was still just as cautious about being around them.

"Are you overly tired yet?" Aubrey wondered as she carefully helped Lawrence hold his head correctly. Linda rolled her eyes and giggled.

"I was always tired before," she said. "I'm a fangirl Aubrey. We kind of don't sleep."

"Which is really bad because Ross also happens to be a fanboy too," Morgan muttered, flipping past arrangements of flowers. "They probably stay up all night watching Battlestar Galactica because they know they'll have to be up to attend to Mallory anyway."

"That isn't true!" Linda shouted with shock. "Ross is not a fanboy! He's a fangirl."

"I heard that!" he chuckled from the other room.

"Do you deny it?"

"Of course not!" he shouted back. "I couldn't be anything else. Linda has a file saved of me watching Game of Thrones and how I shrieked. Not yelled. Shrieked. Like a fangirl."

"And he would too if we ever met one of his idols," Linda concluded.

"Hell yeah!"

"Besides, he's the one who watches Battlestar Galactica," Linda added. "I wouldn't do that. For me, it would be Supernatural." Morgan retrieved the small child again, the Winnie the Pooh print blanket holding her safely. She adjusted her arms to curve around the small body and rubbed the black fuzz on top of the little lady's head. Her eyes were shut tightly, very rarely having opened since she first arrived in the world. This was the first time Morgan had seen her outside of the hospital. Upon receiving news that Linda had gone into labor, she went as fast as the law would permit, pushing the limits a little all the way to Harrisburg. Fourteen hours she had been in labor with Mallory, and here was the product of her work; absolute perfection. Jack had joked with Linda on calling her Snow White, considering her milky tone and the darkness of her hair fuzz. Of course it would be like Jack to suggest something like that. Linda argued that Snow's lips were red and therefore it did not fit, but he called her that anyway, instead of Mallory Charlotte Lichter.

He fingers pushed at the blanket again, and then the small babe turned its head, it's lips moving in its slumber. Morgan carefully slipped the child into Brad's arms, who smirked fondly at the innocence wrapped up.

"Marriages and babies..." he smiled. "When did we all grow up and become adults?" The family had little contact with Peter, who had three girlfriends in the last six months. He did not want to settle down it seemed, and he certainly had no desire for children. Todd was happily married somewhere in New York, but no children had yet entered the picture. Aubrey was the only one with children in the Kenters so far, but Mrs. Kenter was really hoping for a surprise from Morgan after she married.

"Yeah, Brad, when are you and Max getting married, anyway?" Jack taunted after taking a large stride in his direction. He tapped him playfully on the shoulder and the young man sighed. Morgan giggled and gave him a knowingly look, reminding him how she had to deal with him doing that several times over the years.

"I'm only nineteen..." he groaned. "And Max is eighteen. He's finishing up his last year of high school and then maybe we can be roommates at college together. And I'm not going to want kids until I'm... thirty."

"Yeah that's kind of our plan..." Morgan said, pausing a moment to reflect on a dress. "But... things also change. Maybe I won't even want to wait."

"Or maybe you'll get pregnant on your honeymoon," Linda tilted her head back with her bout of laughter. Morgan breathed deeply through her nose when the scarlet of embarrassment covered her face. "Hey, it's happened!"

"I want mine to be planned, thank you very much," Morgan groaned. "I don't want surprises."

"I was a surprise and look how amazing I am!" Brad announced when he flung his one arm around his sister's neck. Morgan, Aubrey, and Jack paused to glare at him with disgusted surprise, unaware he even knew this about himself. He laughed at the looks and patted his sister's back. "For crying out loud, I've known for three years. It's not a big deal, you know. Actually, I would think it would be wonderful to discover there is child coming and you didn't expect it to be there. Neither Max nor I will get to experience that, however. Hey, Morgs, maybe you should try it and let me know."

"Okay, how about we change topic?!" Jack suggested as he stepped between them. He caught the smallest of glimpses at the roundness of Mallory's chubby face and had a pulsating longing to hold her miniature body in the crook of his arm and make strange shapes of frost on the window to amuse her. The purity of her face lightened something in him and it ached to deny that pleasure of cradling a newborn. He groaned again and stepped back. He wished he could cut off his fingers of frostbite.

"Jack, why can't you hold the baby?" Lawrence asked quietly when he pulled on the hem of Jack's shirt. The winter spirit chuckled and crossed his legs on the floor and Lawrence took a seat in his lap.

"I would make her really cold and really sick," Jack said carefully. "It's as simple as that. In a couple of years I'll be able to. I couldn't hold you for a while either." Gregory joined his brother in Jack's lap and he ruffled his hair aggressively. Gregory laughed. "Until a couple of months ago, I didn't dare hold Greg." Morgan rotated her torso to watch as Jack talked animatedly with him. Here he was, with the second generation of believers. The way he moved his hands when he conversed and gave such enthusiasm to his stories of his mischievous winters and snowball fights reminded her of when she was young and how she would listen to him like that. There was a ting of desire for the old times back, coated with some sort of other irritating pull in her. She carefully kept her eye on Jack. She wanted to be able to sit in his lap again and listen, and hang on to everything he said. That world was easier, simpler. The world she was in, she had thousands of pages of dresses to work through and she needed to find a caterer and she just finished with invitations and then there was the money for the food and decorations... the wedding was becoming more work than she expected. For one day it seemed like too much.

"Morgan,"Linda hissed, giving Mallory back. Morgan took her best friend's child and her goddaughter, holding her close.

"Please don't grow up Mallory," she whispered. "If you grew up you might give up on Jack."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When the door had opened with Jack behind it, Morgan forced her sister, her mother, and Linda out of the dressing room. Linda left right away, but Morgan needed to orchestrate a lie, which was difficult for her, about she needed some time for herself to think. She was sure her mother hung close by, listening with fear that she was going to escape out the window or something. But that was definitely not the reason. Morgan was here, on her wedding day, at the oldest church in the Harrisburg area, because this was what she wanted. She could not deny the flipping in her stomach with her squeamish terror about how things were going to change now that she was going to be one half of a union. She was going to share everything with one person, and as much as that felt a little intrusive and a little uncomfortable, she also looked forward to being so close to someone they were as if one. To forever be Hamilton's wife was a dream she never thought would happen. She never even thought she would be a wife after Jack. She never thought she was going to have this human life. Now, as Jack shut the door behind him and delighted in the lace and the chiffon that wrapped around Morgan's body in floods of white, her stomach churned again to guilt. He still moved around her like he was giving her the greatest respect that a gentleman would use when he cherished a woman. He still spoke to her like he was hiding feelings in the heaviest part of his heart, and right now the eyes of electric blue frosted over bored into her liquid brown orbs, locking the information he still yearned for her into the core of her soul. She turned away and gripped the chair, kneading her fingertips against the hardwood of the back of it.

"I needed to see you... just you, before the wedding," he explained.

"It's just like every sitcom and film," she teased with anxiety quaking her bones. She pushed the billowing skirt with the ruched side and the lace hem. Jack dared to touched the embroidered glittering jewels sewn into the fabric on the side of her dress. Simple snowflakes started from the ruched side and then scattered out over her abdomen. He cocked his head with pleased interest.

"How is it?"

"Have you come here to convince me to not go through with this, that you have loved me and always will?"

"Why, are you wanting to change your mind?" Morgan giggled and then shook her head, a little saddened by it but with no regrets.

"No."

"Then no. This is what you want," he whispered, dropping his fingers into hers and pulling both hands to his mouth. "And Hamilton... I got to say. I didn't want to like him, but it was hard not to. He treats you as if you're... I don't know..."

"Princess Cinderella?" she finished in jest.

"Queen Elizabeth."

"He is my Robert Dudley," she said, pulling her hands away from Jack's chaste kiss to her fingers and then nervously rubbed her palms against the corseted bodice of her ice white dress.

"I am so proud of you..." he whispered

"What?" she said in rhetoric, gazing at her appearance in the mirror.

"You. You got exactly what you wanted," he said carefully. "You're soon to start a job where you're going to help acquire objects for a museum and verify that they're real historic pieces. That's... exactly the kind of thing you have always wanted. You're going to be able to handle these things and be one of the first to see everything and study them before they go out on display. And now... you're marrying a guy who appreciates history as much as you, who treats you wonderfully and can grow old with you and give you children..."

"But it cost a lot," she interrupted, her eyes flaring up to his reflection in the mirror she looked into. She turned around again, the Elizabeth sleeves of gossamer on her dress flinging wildly as she did. "I hurt one of the dearest people to me in the process. And because I'm selfish I can't ever let him go. He's one of my best friends and I keep him around, knowing every time I look at him... God, I really feel like Brutus right now." She ripped away from him and took to the couch on the other side of the room, staring at the white Victorian boots on her feet. Jack looked over at the cluster of red and white roses sitting on the vanity and groaned.

"After who you are and what you know, you're going with that?" he asked. Morgan looked through the droplets in her eyes to see the bouquet he was addressing and nodded.

"Well, you know... the two houses joining. One was red, one was white."

"I know that, Morgan, but we had the perfect rose for that, remember?"

"The Osiria was our thing. I couldn't do that. I couldn't use the rose you found for me at my wedding to someone else..." she sniffled. She fingered the B on her necklace. "I'm already wearing my Anne Boleyn necklace you gave me years ago. My something old." Jack rolled his eyes and disappeared out the door for two seconds. He returned and passed over a collection of Osira roses, bundled up in a bouquet stand. Morgan's eyes popped and she rose quickly with surprise at what he held.

"Jack..."

"It symbolizes a union, right? Then why wouldn't you use it?"

"But Jack it's not-"

"I gave you up, remember? Therefore I relinquished everything else that had meaning for the two of us. It had a new meaning now. It's for you and Hamilton." He tipped the roses into her grasp. She took them and then held them out of the way as she used her other hand to crush the ice body against her chest. When her tears hit his jacket, they formed into frost and created a dotted pattern weaved between the crystal ferns on his sweatshirt.

"I never stopped loving you," she whispered. "How I loved you has changed but I never once stopped loving you."

"I know," he chuckled, fingers trying hard to avoid the twisted up do of her hair on the back of her head. He pressed his ice face into the warmth of her cheek, intoxicating himself again with the buzz her body temperature gave him. "Am I allowed to kiss the bride?"

"You don't even need to ask..." she wept, and he put a kiss on her cheek, dangerously close to her mouth. She didn't say anything and just forced a grin out. He stepped back and motioned for her to spin. Choking out a laugh, she twirled around for him, the lace on the edge of the skirt filling up and taking in the draft so the full effect of the elaborate designs on the dress were modeled. The air on the open sleeves inflated them so he could clearly see their form of 16th century style and he nodded.

"Beautiful," he whispered, holding back an attack of tears. "Just... gorgeous. It's like looking at a subtle snowfall on an already well covered woods."

"I feel like that's the highest compliment you have ever given a girl..." she said when she stopped her spinning. Jack took up the rose accented birdcage veil and pushed it into her hair, pulling on the white mesh over her face. Gnawing on the inside of his lip with uncertainty first, he pushed another kiss into her, this time on the edge of her nose. Jack's hands took her face and he placed his forehead against hers. Morgan took in the scent of stale ice and refreshing cold. It filled her lungs and expanded farther into the crevices of her organs. His presence was making her drunk and she remembered how she had loved him so much. She remembered the appeal of him and it was not hard to recall how it was so easy to fall prey to his good looks and have her hormones stirred up by him. Looking at him, he had not aged a day of course, but there was something in him that did age. His expression aged, the way he watched her age, and the adoration he had for her matured. His eyes were the oldest of them all- filled with more pain, remorse, heartbreak, calm, and peace than any teenager possibly could have. Morgan kept her eyes on him, wondering if maybe he actually did look her age after all. He was a teenager who had the experiences kept in the face of a much older man.

"You look older Jack," she commented."You truly do."

"Don't say that."

"You have been aging. Not physically, but... your face is weathered by experience. It would be easier to mistake you for someone in their twenties with a baby face."

"Come on now," Jack laughed, when she fell forwards into his hug again. He took this last moment to grip her completely and then helped to usher her out the door. "All right, you Snow Angel. You need to go and make yourself the happiest girl around."

"Jack, wait I-"

\ "It's okay..." he promised, with a wild smirk. "It always made me happy when you were. So... by default... this is also the happiest day of my life as well."

"I love you."

"You said that," he reminded lightly. "I'll be up front, watching you."

"See you later Jack..."

"See you later... Mrs. Barry."

* * *

**Robert Dudley was Elizabeth's BEST friend, and they were ALMOST lovers, but because she was so adamant on never marrying or having a man in her life, nothing became of them. There is some controversy on whether or not they actually were lovers at night although to me, the evidence seems to say nothing happened. (to me at least). If Elizabeth had married it would have been him.**

**I am off course, referring to Julius Caesar and how Brutus, his best friend and brother in bond, had gone to the very end saying he cared for Caesar but ultimately did literally stab him in the back.**

**Thanks guys for being so understanding and thanks for the brilliant reviews you have been giving me (the good and the bad, and the bad ones, thanks for being so civil and kind about you ;) I wish I could hug you all) I take every review in account. See you tomorrow!**


	126. The Houses they Built

**I've left a question go unanswered, and I should have answered it a while ago. So to the unknown guest user who asked me, when I mention Morgan's little flaps of skin in the VERY beginning of this story. I am referencing Morgan's weight. I was hoping to subtly get across that especially as a child Morgan was a little chubby. She is not "fat" and was never "fat," but a little bigger than what is perhaps average. I wanted people to build their own image of her, but also wanted to touch on the fact every once in a while that she is not a stick. That is one of the amazing contrasts between her and Linda. Linda is really thin, but thin without the very round curves or anything. She is thin all over. Morgan is not thin and has curves, but also has more curves in more places than perhaps what society thinks the average person has. For description reasons I touched on it, but I didn't want to obsess over it because it just didn't matter. Morgan is Morgan. She is beautiful to Jack, of course, and in my mind I do think she is a good looking girl, but I also wanted her to be a believable good looking, not super slender and made up and the most gorgeous hair and everything. She is an average girl - yes guys have fallen for her ad perhaps it seems like many have - but they have all had their multiple reasons and it was not always because of her looks. Morgan is the girl who would not die if she lost a couple of pounds, but it's not necessary. She's fine the way she is, she's gorgeous the way she is, and Jack does not care. In the very beginning, her mother said a thing or two about it and I put that there because unfortunately, it seems to be very common that parents are so concerned about their kid's weight, more than what they should be, and it felt... realistic she would say something like that. I guess I wanted to get the message across about how she looked without focusing on how she looked because it just doesn't matter.**

**Here's the other thing: I am totally fine with people not logging in and leaving guest reviews. That is up to you and sometimes it's just a pain to log in and review. But I like answering the questions people ask me, and I like answering them in private because I don't want to reveal the inner workings of everything to everyone. I want to leave some mystery and I want you guys to figure things out for yourself. if you have a question, if it's not too muc trouble, it would be nice if you had an account you asked on, so I could respond and answer it. This question, perhaps was important to answer. Maybe people wanted to know and it's nice to come across a character who is bigger-than-average sometimes. And maybe I was too subtle, so there it is in black and white.**

**This chapter is for Tatiana Eleyna, because something she said fed my inspiration a little! Here you go dear!**

* * *

_~Jack~_

He had found his trying to be excited for Morgan was more successful than he expected it to be. Her wedding had not been as much of a strain on his heart as he expected. Seeing the most beautiful girl embraced by a man who adored her, the swishing of the luminescent diamond gown around her body giving her that fairy tale princess look she fought against for so many years. It suited her well. She had the majesty of a smile and the magic of a glimmer sparkling the silk of the brown around her pupils. The glow on her face when she looked to her new husband could only have been conjured through a spell from a realm of fairies or wizards. The sheen to her hair when the light danced across it was to holy to exist among the earth. Morgan fit in with the storybooks just as well as she identified with the history books. Everything about her was just too fantastic to be completely committed to reality. It was her, as she was, in her gratitude, her laughter, her grace, her joy, and her love that summoned everything that made Jack feel at peace and cheerful. Somehow, the drug of her personality and her behavior deadened any of his sharp stabbings that had currently been there. It had become much easier than he thought to throw himself into the thick of the celebrations. Morgan had allowed a couple of dances with her, even though the thickness of her dress almost took him out a couple of times, and he had a couple of waltzes with Linda. He joined Lawrence and Gregory for things like the Macarena and the Hokey Pokey. He had some fun in stealing Bradley away from Max a couple of times, and then actually tormented Max a little so Brad became upset, but in more of a lighthearted way. He really lost himself in his enjoyment of it all. Morgan protested, but he knew she secretly enjoyed it when he caused it to snow lightly in the reception hall. The guests thought it was a trick, a type of confetti that disintegrated upon touching the ground; a nice touch for the after party of the ceremony. But there were the few who shared in Jack's secret that he had made it snow.

Morgan and Hamilton had left the festivities early, eager to get an early night's sleep before they set off for their honeymoon in the morning. The music, the dancing, and the drinking still continued when they had gone, but Jack did not want to partake in anything anymore. Linda, sweetheart as she was, tried her best to distract him which was especially sweet given how drunk she was, but it was almost an impossible task. It wasn't just because one of the two people the entire thing was for had gone, but Morgan had taken away all his happiness when he left. Jack needed to see her face to delight in her marriage, he needed to see her happy to be happy with the arrangement. He needed her joy around him so he could dance in it. The reason for his gladness before was also the reason for his solemness. After forty-five minutes of trying, he told his friends goodbye, accepting hugs from Gregory and Lawrence. Brad sensed Jack's misery and pressed his lips against his forehead. It did nothing for comfort, but he still accepted the gesture.

The one place he wanted to be most of all was possibly the worst place for him at the time, but the pull to it was too great to ignore. It had been several years since he had returned to it. Jack had not wanted to return to it, but it's painful memories were also its allure. Jack sped on the winds towards the house at the North, completed years ago. Instead of a house number, a plague had been fused over the main entrance, reading "Taj Mahal of the North." He stroked the delicate calligraphy of lettering, crinkles of frost filling in the gaps of curves of the words. He sighed and dropped his hands from it before entering. He wandered through the house. It had been filled with furniture and household items to suit the various rooms that had been themed in different periods of history, and everything was as accurate as was possible. He lightly touched every surface and cushion that came near him, infecting everything with the fireworks of his touch. There had been necessities that were placed for Morgan's human needs. They would never be used now. The fridge would remain empty, there were no needs for showers or toilets, and what fun would a television be if he could not have his wonderful girl resting against his arm and providing commentary on how historically inaccurate films of famous incidents were?

He pushed himself into the large bedroom that was to be theirs. There was no need for it now. Anytime he had wanted to sleep had either been at the Bennetts, where he had his own room, or beside Morgan. And this bed was for her. It was not to be hers anymore, and so he had no reason to sleep. Not to mention, without Morgan, the bed would not serve the other uses both Jack and Morgan had tucked away in their back of their minds. The bed was simply pointless. The bedroom was pointless. The living room, the kitchen, the bathrooms. The whole house was pointless. There was no reason for it to stand anymore.

He collapsed on the bedding and took in the ceiling over him. He wondered jokingly if he could get this house on real estate. No one would be living in it now. He certainly did not want to return to the place of unfulfilled dreams. Maybe it would still be used, he just would not be living in it. Maybe it could serve as a safe place for the lost children of the world. Maybe some explorer would stumble upon it and wonder at how it came to be, finding no evidence of it ever being lived in. Maybe it would attract tourists, just like the real Taj Mahal.

It occurred to Jack then that just because a house was not resided in did not mean it was pointless. What was the Taj Mahal used for, anyway? Of course, it was a tomb, but at the tomb of it's being built, he thought that the sheer extravagance of it must have been challenged. The Shah was the Shah of course, so such things were to be expected from him, but a tomb was also a tomb. At the time, even the greatest rulers had often not had such elaborate burial chambers. If it was just to be a final resting place for bodies, then someone must have considered it pointless to build it so great when it was just going to be a grave. The ultimate point of the Taj Mahal was great love. It was a symbol of love, everlasting even in death. It had a point beyond death. Jack glanced around him and sauntered through every individual room once again, scanning over how everything had been built according to his plans and his wishes for Morgan. All of it had been erected and formed in her inspiration, and to please her. Everything in it was just for her. The house was not pointless. It was everything the Taj Mahal was.

Jack rushed outside again and circumnavigated the house a few times. It was made in love, and for love, and it stood for love. Everything about it echoed the way Jack saw Morgan and his devotion had bled into its walls. The house would remain. It was not to be lived in, but it was serving a purpose. It was empty of residents, but it was full of love.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Morgan~_

As quick as she was to see the blue mug tilt, her hand had not been swift enough to stop the gentle brown liquid from spreading out onto the desk. Swearing, she retrieved the most precious paper first and flicked away any particles of coffee off of the catalogues. She looked around quickly and then caught herself against the chair before she tumbled over. The area of her workspace moved in waves like she was standing on a ship in the middle of a storm and it took her a moment to stabilize herself. Before her partner returned, she found a stack of napkin and blotted up the mess, thankful that the catalogues had been saved from the coffee stains.

"Morgan?" asked Dennis when he stepped back to where she was. "Ummm... what are you doing?"

"Uh, I made a little mess but it's... oh... I'm fine..." she whispered, steadying herself so she wouldn't fall over.

"Are you okay?"

"For the third time, I'm okay..." she huffed, cheeks reddening at his observance of her clumsiness the past couple of days.

"You just haven't seemed yourself, that's all... " he said to her with concern. "The catalogues are all right?"

"Yes, Dennis," she said, passing over the sheets of paper to him. He paged through him and breathed carefully. "I'm sorry, okay?" He set down the papers and helped to ease her back to her feet when he noticed how she teetered like she was dizzy. He wrinkled his forehead into worry.

"It's fine, Morgan. I'm... more concerned for you... you've been really distracted and sometimes look really pale. And this morning you were really testy and didn't come out of the bathroom for ten minutes. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just stress..." she sighed, forcing herself to sit back down in front of her paperwork. "Hamilton and I have been married two months now and we had Christmas and New Year's right after the honeymoon and so now it's finally sinking in that we're sharing everything and we have to do everything together... plus I have work, we're throwing every at the society to make sure we're the ones who acquire that musket and... I have to tell you, I did not think finding and obtain artifacts of history would be so much stress." Dennis chuckled and patted her back comfortingly.

"So does every brand new Registrar who comes through here. But you know what? In the end, you discover the stress is worth it all, to know you put your all into it an you're the reason that fine product of our past is sitting in our display cases. People can be educated and cultured because you were the one who brought it here, and we're one of the first people who get to see it. It's a precious thing..."

"Yeah..." Morgan sighed with a wistfulness like a lover. A pinch in her gut caused her face to pale again and she contorted her smile into something of annoyance. Dennis clicked his tongue and dared to touch her forehead.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine, okay?!" she screamed. Her sudden sharpness pushed Dennis back and he inhaled sharply.

"I'll go get Lisa..."

"No! No, please just... I want to work, okay? We need to close this deal."

"But Morgan, you look... I don't know... you certainly look stressed, but beyond normal capacity of newlyweds. You just seem like... is your family all right? Nobody's hurt, are they?"

"They're all fine, Dennis, thanks for your concern..." Morgan put an extra sweet on her voice to make up for shouting at him.

"It's not... um... your.. disorder?" Morgan growled and rolled her eyes. Even in her adult life, after she married, people still seemed to pick that out. She didn't even talk to Jack that much in public anymore. Since being with Hamilton, he had not bothered her much. He popped in now and then, although she had not seen him really since the wedding. She missed him, and remembering him gnawed at her chest, but the guilt would punch and even bigger hole in her. If he had decided to visit her now, it would be the worst time possible. She was sure he would be in soon. He would want to stop by and give Mallory a small gift for her first birthday, and since he was in the area, he would probably see her. Morgan swore inside her head, hoping that some sort of angry frustration would somehow channel its way towards Jack and prevent him from arriving anytime soon. Throughout the day, Morgan performed in ways that were out of the ordinary. She would stare off into space in the middle of being spoken too. She would forget what she was supposed to be focusing on when she would go through items they wanted to have for their new exhibit. She would began to have a small attack and her breath would quicken. Morgan soon after would feel queasy and request to go sit outside for a few moments. It worried Dennis, especially since it had gone on for a few days, but today it seemed even worse. Morgan appeared a little sick, and it had upset her work a little, but today she seemed to have another pile of stress that was making her even sicker. When she thought she was sitting alone at her desk, she would twiddle her thumbs and mutter worriedly. Uncharacteristically, she tended to tap the edge of her desk with a pencil. Her work was trying, but never the kind that made her sweat, but somehow she was building up beads of perspiration dotting her hairline. Morgan let her hair down when Dennis commented on it. He only expressed nothing but concern for his coworker and every time he said something, she tried to hide what he noticed. Lying was not a part of Morgan either and that was the part that scared him the most.

"Morgan, is there something going on between you and Hamilton?" he finally dared. Morgan's face seemed to go whiter at the question with the offense of such a question. She scowled at him.

"No!" she scoffed. "Why would there be?"

"Because it's something serious, Morgan. Really serious, and I don't understand what it could be that would affect you so much but you refuse to say anything. It's something that is hurting you, stressing you out, making you almost fearful, and something so personal you would lie to us about it."

"Look, I'll deal with it, okay?" she moaned. "We're in the middle of securing a huge deal and it's very important I stay on top of my work."

"But if your emotions-"

"I'm fine, I promise."

"No, Morgan. You are not fine." That was the beginning of argument that led straight to the curator of the museum's office, who seemed to agree with Dennis that whatever was going on was not going to help her. After some civilized shouting, Morgan was sent home early and told to report on Monday, which was five days away. She tightened her coat and stepped outside, yelling at the heavens when thick clumps of white waltzed their way to the ground. Jack was already in town, and he would soon be asking to see her.

She didn't need to wait long. The boy of ice and snow was enjoying himself by forming shapes in the frost on her windows, laughing at her. Enraged, Morgan stomped towards him and ripped the shepherd's hook from the unsuspecting boy's grasp. Fuming, she centered her hands in the middle, challenging him to do anymore or else she would snap it in half.

"Morgan, stop it! I was just having a little bit of fun! Look, I thought you would appreciate these cool designs," he said, gestured to the silhouettes of families and flowers and castles and even a cameo of Elizabeth the First.

"No, these are not cool Jack!" she shouted. "There is frost on my windows, how am I supposed to see to get home! Now I have to scrape it off! Do you even understand that sometimes ice and snow isn't fun or pretty, but sometimes just dangerous?!"

"Morgan, seriously... this isn't like you... I mean, you have a temper but... something like this doesn't normally set you off!"

"No, this is actually the last straw!" she barked, tossing away his crook so it clattered and thumped into a snow bank. "You haven't been around me, you have no idea what the hell is going on!"

"I'm just trying to give you and Hamilton some alone time..."

"Maybe I still need you, okay? I mean, it was great, but after the holidays I really missed you! You seem to forget that Linda is not the only best friend I have sometimes!"

"You know, my reasons for backing off are completely selfless either!" Jack finally admitted. "I love that you're in love, but Hamilton's not the only one who is fond of you!" Morgan's nostrils flared and that aggression hidden in her rose high again.

"You don't need to keep telling me that, damn it, I am well aware that I have mutilated your heart and you are never going to get over me and blah blah blah sad story."

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I'm not allowed to have a fit every once in a while!? I'm not allowed to just go crazy?!"

"You never do unless you have a reason. Sometimes the reason stupid, but you always have a reason!" Morgan tossed her head back when she shouted with anguish. She threw Jack a sharp gaze of deadly anger when she struggled to get her door open. Removing the scraper, she sliced at the frost on the window. Jack swallowed, wondering if her psychotic grinding of the tool against the ice on the window was her imagining she was tearing away at him. Desiring not to look at her while she took out her emotions on the car, he barreled inside her car, hoping that getting the chance to take her anger out on something would calm her down and then they could talk while she made her way home. He kicked at the small trash bag under the dashboard and retrieved the thing slip of paper that fell out. Jack was ready to put it away, but a description of one of the items kept his eyes wide open. He slowly filled his chest with the large breath he took and then carefully pivoted his neck towards her when she sat behind the wheel.

"Oh what now are you – oh..." Catching Jack holding the receipt combined with how he was looking at it told her he understood everything that was going on with her. She frowned, terrified of what he would say to her and focused on turning the key in the ignition. Morgan moved her hand to take the car out of park, but he slammed her hand away, sending a electric shot of ice through her fingers. Rubbing out the cold pain along her fingers, she looked at him guiltily.

"This receipt is from yesterday," he commented. Morgan nodded to confirm. "Was it for you?"

"Yes, Jack, it was for me," she swallowed carefully.

"And is this the reason for your behavior?"

"Yes, Jack it is."

"Because...?"

"That's the reason right there."

"Oh come on, Morgan, you know that's not what I mean. What did the test say? Are you pregnant?"

"I am pregnant, Jack." He hissed and slumped in his seat. Morgan took his silence as allowance to drive the car now and she turned down the road. She kept on looking over to him when there weren't many cares to watch for. "Please say something."

"Not until you do. You don't act like someone who is particularly pleased about it."

"That's because I'm not... yet anyway. I mean... ugh... it was a surprise, okay? I said I didn't want a surprise child, but that's exactly what happened. And I only took the test this morning. I literally just found out hours ago. And it's been on my mind all day, and I can't think straight, and I have this huge thing at work, and now we're going to have to move because we need a bigger place where we can put the baby and... right now everything is more stress and worry than the actual child. I'll get there, Jack, I just... I don't know how I'm going to do this. For God's sake, Jack, I didn't even expect to get married at twenty-three! And I'm going to have child before I even turn twenty-four?"

"There was a time when we weren't even going to be married until you were twenty-five..." Jack muttered, and then he popped up out of his seat. "Are you saying I am the very first to know?"

"Yes, Jack. Hamilton doesn't even know, though I expect he'll be far more enthused than I am..." Morgan said.

"That's everything you wanted though, isn't it?" he laughed. "Normal human life, wonderful husband, dream job, kids... I mean, everything is going the way you wanted it, Morgs! It's like it's too good to be true!" He laughed and reclined in the seat. Morgan nodded and then stiffened when she reached the red light.

"Yeah," she agreed, nodding a little sadly. "Everything I wanted."

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**So. Yeah. How about that? I hope I was mysterious in the beginning but perhaps it was obvious. Anyway, short work day tomorrow so I may upload more! Night my rosettes!**


	127. Beatings of the Heart

**It's so hot it's hard to just sit and type when you're sweating like a pig (and my bedroom is on the third floor, which the AC doesn't reach so there's that. Just ugh. Hey Jack, remember when I complained about it being cold? Yeah bring the cold back please.)**

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Deliberately Jack had sat at a distance from Morgan in the bedroom Linda shared with Ross. Morgan was seated on the edge of the bed, pulling her shoulders into herself from the tension her friend was creating her. Of course, Linda was enthused about the child coming. It had been a month since Morgan's revelation and it had allowed some time for her to get used to the idea of being pregnant. She seemed to be growing towards excitement for the kid, even going into moments where she would share her hopes for what the kid would be like and stare off into space with a sort of bliss in her expression. She just seemed to know the minute she saw its face it would be instant and unconditional love, but for now the idea of having a kid developing inside her was a strange sensation. Jack, on the other hand, could not let it go. With him it was the combination of a small jealousy that this child was not his and the incredible amount of enthused anticipation he had built up in waiting to meet the offspring of Morgan. There were times he felt guilty about conjuring up scenarios in his head about how he was going to form a close friendship to the infant Barry. It wasn't his kid, after all. He had no business in taking a fatherly role he so desired, but it was what he longed to do.

"You can never have too much baby clothes, trust me, between throw up and changing diapers, you're going to have them in five different outfits throughout the day," Linda said, tossing over some onesies and some t-shirts that were a more neutral color. Morgan barely caught them at the rate they were being thrown to her. The last one she had not been able to reach and she toppled backward, the very top of her head falling into Jack's lap. He shimmied away from her fairly quickly.

"Jack, it's okay to touch me..." she argued once more.

"If I get too close to you, that could have horrible complications for the child," he explained once again.

"It will be okay!" she laughed. "How many times have I hugged you... did more than hug you..." Morgan blushed as Linda cackled at her vague response. "Anyway, I was fine each time! My belly is very warm and will keep the fetus safe."

"Mmm..." Jack said doubtfully, and threw his fist in the air to catch the pair of jeans Linda had tossed over. He dropped it into the mountain of baby items Linda was giving to Morgan.

"Mama..." squeaked the dark haired child who wobbled into the bedroom. She grinned and jumped happily when Jack smiled at her. Linda was ready to go to her child, but she was shunned by Mallory's favor for Jack. He helped her when she could not pull herself onto the bed and sat by his side, trying to mimic the way he was lounging. She smiled easily.

"Hey Snow," he said. Linda sighed and rolled her eyes before turning back to the closet.

"Mine!" Mallory shouted, when another piece of clothing caught her eye.

"It was yours, but we're giving it to Morgan now," Linda said, decided she deserved more love from Mallory than Jack right now and she scooped her up from the bed. Mallory turned in her mother's arms and gestured to Morgan. She grinned at her goddaughter and pretended like she was going to nibble off her fingers. Mallory squealed and wriggled to hide her face against her mother's chest.

"Baby?" Mallory guessed, figuring out that Morgan was due to have a child soon.

"Yes, Mal, she's going to have a baby. And you'll have a friend to play with," Linda said. Mallory looked over to the winter spirit. "A friend other than Jack, I mean."

"Wack!" she giggled and leaned over Linda's arms to grope for the boy beside them. He stepped back nervously, but Linda prompted him to take hold of her. He shook his head.

"Jack, it's okay..." Linda said. "Morgan and I are both right here, and she's over a year old now. You're fine, I promise." Even so, he swallowed hard several times before he was able to pluck up his courage. The pit inside him grew larger and squeezed all of his internal workings with worried discomfort as he propped the girl against his hip. It seemed too natural to him to fit a child around his waist and he liked the way her weight felt against him. He smiled and she poked his nose.

"Nip!" she cackled.

"You nipped Jack's Frost nose!" Linda said, with pleased amusement at the irony of it. Mallory loved the excited response to it so she did it several times over. He took a glance at the digital shapes of time on Linda's clock and groaned with reluctance. Mallory wailed when he needed to pry her away from him and kept on reaching for him. Morgan launched herself in the little girl's direction and cradled her, shushing her cries. A small toy was enough to distract her and the ripping in Jack's soul stopped. He had not realized how much it would burn to listen to a child cry because they were sad to see someone leave. He had never been on the receiving end of it and it contorted hi so badly he did not know how parents got to be so disciplined and got used to being okay with having to leave their children as they went to work or to the store. When Morgan had nodded to Jack to let him know it was okay, he squeezed her hand with reassurance and then took off out of the window.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He had thought arriving after dinner was sure to present a calmer scenes; presumably Jamie and Sophie would be upstairs working on homework and Ms. Bennett would be crashed on the couch, watching some cheesy film to help get her to sleep that night. Unfortunately, that was not the case. For the past few weeks, Sophie seemed to be arguing with her mother about something. Today, it seemed to have been reserved for after dinner. Jamie had let his head fall to the tabletop while Ms. Bennett shouted at her the importance of keeping up with her chores and somehow that channeled into her curfew and how she had broken it three times in two weeks, each time she was out with her boyfriend Patrick.

"Just say it, why don't you?!" Sophie shouted. "You don't want me dating anyone!"

"That's not true and you know that!" Ms. Bennett screamed back. "I don't want you with someone who is going to disregard your parents wishes."

"So I missed my curfew by a few minutes, big deal!"

"Five minutes I can understand," Ms. Bennett sighed. "But forty-three, Sophie! For crying out loud, you're sixteen years old! And he's eighteen."

"Wait a second, he's how old?" Jack interrupted. This new information sparked up some energetic defense. He straightened himself up, alert and prepared to jump into the argument. He was willing to side with anything Ms. Bennett said if it would keep Sophie away from this boy. He didn't want her around someone who was so much older than her. The blonde teenager was precious and innocent in his eyes and he didn't want some selfish young adult thinking he could go in and mess her up.

"Jack, seriously, stay out of this, you really have nothing to say when it comes to dating and age differences..." she scoffed to hi before she returned to shouting. That only boiled fierce words in Jack's mind.

"No, okay, Sophie, that is not what I mean at all!" he fumed. He leapt from the chair just after seeing Jamie slam his hands over his ears. Sophie rolled her eyes when Jack intervened between them. "And you have no right to speak to Helen that way!"

"I'm sixteen, okay! I have every right to date him. You have no say in who I love! Cupid would tell you that!" Ms. Bennett opened her mouth to say something but Jack interrupted.

"Nobody is saying that, but take a look at his behavior! There's something going on if your mother, whom you have always been so close to, keeps bringing him up as your reason for disobedience!"

"My reason for disobedience?" Sophie laughed. "Oh my God, my ONLY reason is that she's being stupid and never listens!"

"Hang on a second, you know very damn well-" Ms. Bennett started in angrily. Jamie shot up from the table and pulled the set of keys off the hook by the door.

"I'm going over to Lexie's!" he said through the explosions of words. "Want to come, Jack?" The boy of frost glanced between the promise of calm and the crucible yell fest in front of him.

"Call me mad, but I'm going to stay behind and try to diffuse this." Jack snorted.

"Well, good luck!" The door slammed with the urgency of need.

"What exactly are you two doing that you cannot follow a simple rule?!" Ms. Bennett demanded to know.

"We just lose track of time, I've said that so many times!" Sophie stated, trying to rip herself away from the kitchen. Her mother, however, refused to let anything go and her words pulled her back.

"Lose track of time doing what?"

"Ugh, mom, you realize if we were having sex, which we're not, we could do it before curfew, right?" Jack flinched at the way Sophie had casually used the word. It really bothered him she could just throw it around like that when she was still just a little girl. Well, she obviously wasn't, but it was hard for him to see her any other way.

"That's not the point, I let you go with him because I trust you! However, his behavior as of late doesn't have me trusting him!"

"Mom, it is unrealistic to think that anyone is every going to be a chivalrous gentleman like Jack is. He's a real product of his time. Everyone else was born in the twenty-first century."

"He could still have some manners and respect!" Sophie desired to not speak anymore on the matter. To show it, she stomped her way up the steps and her door latched with its slam. Ms. Bennett bent her grey haired head over the sink and stared at the dripping of the faucet in front of her. She ran her finger through the drops and kept her back to Jack.

"Would you...?" she started, but Jack was quicker than her question.

"Yeah," he smirked. She smiled politely back at him, her mouth strained from arguing. He ascended the steps to her room and his knock was so soft, he almost caressed it. A mumble seemed to invite him in and Jack stepped inside. Sophie looked with distraught at her phone, using her fingers to scroll through many messages that he assumed were from Patrick. "Your mother isn't trying to be mean, you know."

"She wants to control my life," Sophie told him. Jack shook his head.

"No, not at all," he rejected. "She's concerned."

"It's not my fault I don't come back in time he just... doesn't want me to go."

"But Morgan, if he truly respected you, he would also respect your mom."

"He just really loves me and wants me around him all the time." Looking at her phone, her eyes took in the glow of the screen so the shadow of doubtfulness was easier to see. She looked down and Jack could hear her taking in thoughtful breaths. Then there was that trigger of fear when she looked at the door and then back at her phone. She bit her lip and made some sort of noise while she decided. Then she tucked her phone away and sat up. Stretching her arms, she smiled and then flung her small purse over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he firmly asked in a fatherly tone.

"Oh, I'm going to drop out of the window and meet Patrick in his car around the corner. We're just going to go for a drive. An hour or so. I'll be back before bedtime, I swear."

"It's past your curfew!" Jack hissed. He could not believe how he was feeling so much fatherly instincts today. That morning he felt the joy of a laughing child on his hip and had only wanted to hold it forever. Now, he was enraged with the disobedience of a child and the flames of desire to be listened to licked at his skin. How could she not understand what ridiculousness she was getting into? And why was it so difficult for her to just do what her mom wanted her to?

"Yeah, but you and Morgan went out at night a lot, so I figure you would be okay with me leaving."

"That's not he same thing, and I am not okay with it!"

"Tell me how it's not the same thing," Sophie challenged, propping open her window and cradling the sill. "Come on Jack, take your brotherly duties seriously and cover me."

"I'm a Guardian, Sophie! I protect kids, I don't cover for them!"

"Maybe covering is protecting," she suggested. She swung her other leg over and prepared to leap down but Jack rushed towards the window. His fingers rounded her arm and jerked her back into the room. His grip pushed the hem of her long sleeved shirt to her elbow, where a long vibrant mark the color of mauve took an oblong shape just below the crevice of her elbow. Sophie pulled her shirt back down quickly. Jack took in the red color of her cheeks and his eyes cast back down to her now covered arm.

"Um, I uh... I'm going now, Jack," she muttered.

"Uh, I don't think so!" he ordered. She laughed like it was a joke and then toppled out of the window. Jack floated through and darted after her as she ran down the sidewalk into the dark.

"Stop following me! I'm going and you can't do anything about it!"

"Sophie, that mark-"

"Was a bruise," she huffed, picking up her pace a little faster.

"And in the perfect size of a man's thumb!"

"Lots of things are shaped like that," she barked at him. "Now please get the hell away from me! I know your relationship failed, but that doesn't mean you should try and sabotage mine!" Sophie broke into a full run and Jack slowed down in chasing her. He watched a car the color of the night prop open its door and Sophie disappeared inside it. Through the windows, he spotted the outline of the couple take in a passionate kiss and then the car zoomed off. He was too afraid to even consider what direction they were headed for. He just knew there was a lot more going on that Sophie did not want to say, and it had everything to do with that Patrick.

"Well..." Jack painfully cried. "Shit."

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**Okay so I am very sorry this chapter is short but I have been lacking sleep lately and I am so tired and it's super hot and that makes everything worse and I feel like its drained my creativity lately and erghhh. Expect another update tomorrow. See you guys later!**


	128. Mutilated Love

**New chapter! Jack gets all brotherly**

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He remained nearby the Bennett house from that point on. Spring was approaching and Jack knew he would need to head off for Antarctica soon but he he had very strong suspicions about Patrick. Sophie normally did not get the fiery in her arguments and it was rare that she got so hostile In her teen years she was a fun loving, gentle, bubbly sweetheart who sometimes found Jack's need to be overprotective of her annoying. It wasn't like her to become so moody and get on the defensive about everything. He watched her for the past few days, observing how she was coming home late after school, spending an hour or so with Patrick. After ten minutes screaming with her mother, she shut herself in her room and sometimes Jack snuck up there to find her with earbuds plugged into the side of her head or laughing away on her phone with Patrick. And then there were the nights she snuck out, despite all the warnings Jack gave her. She always laughed them off. He didn't want to tell Ms. Bennett about what she was doing because he felt if she felt like he was on her side, he might be able to get her to listen to him. Nothing he did was helping.

"Sophie Lucille Bennett!" roared Ms. Bennett when the young lady strode through the door that day. The sun toned locks of her tied up hair bobbed when she let her head fall with grief. A strained sigh seeped out of her mouth and nostrils and she steered her body up towards her mother's bedroom. Jack put away the broom and shuffled his small dirt pile to the side so no one would step in it and he could return to it later. He carefully treaded up stairs and hung outside the room, listening to their conversation. Eavesdropping had become one of his bad habits as of late and he made a mental note to work on it later. For now, he wanted to know what his unofficial sister had gotten into.

"Seriously, mom, can we go one day without the screaming?" she pleaded with a wretched voice. "One day?"

"When you go one day without pissing me off we will!" Ms. Bennett chastised loudly. When the door nearby had opened, Jack looked up to see Jamie nodding to him before he left out the door. Jamie could not stand the shouting and often went to his girlfriend's to get away from it. He didn't remember a day the last three weeks when the kid even so much as smiled. He despised the shouting. "Do you want to explain to me why the school called me?! You're getting in trouble at school now!"

"I didn't break any rules!"

"Didn't- Sophie, you left in the middle of the school day for an hour."

"I didn't leave the grounds!"

"No, instead you were discovered." He heard Sophie take in a quick shot of air through her nose. "A teacher saw you half undressed in a black Mazda!" Jack recalled seeing Patrick's black Mazda that one night. He slammed his hands against the wall and jets of ice formed around the pattern of his hand. Somehow, the frost on his fingers was powerful enough to freeze out chunks of the wall. His ribcage hardened with the weight of pounding anger. Jack drew in toxic breaths of rage. "Sophie, did you seriously skip an hour of school to... do it in a car?"

"I didn't do it!" she yelled. "It was... just other stuff."

"What stuff?!"

"I don't want to talk to about it! God, you always think Patrick and I are doing something!"

"Well, when I receive calls like this and you act like this – SOPHIE!" the girl scrambled out of her mother's bedroom and her eyes seemed to snap at Jack as she ran past him into her own room. He noticed the way she held the one arm close to herself when she bolted past him, like she was avoiding hitting it against something. Ms. Bennett strode to where Jack was sitting and let her head fall into his shoulder. He carefully patted her back. "Jack, what am I doing wrong? How did my Sophie fall for an idiot like Patrick?"

"I'm not sure she really fell for him... not exactly," he muttered.

"What do you mean?" Jack pressed his lips into a line.

"Not sure," he sighed. The Patrick was a mystery. Sophie had pictures of him, his dust brown hair short except for the part in front that curled over his forehead, and he had excruciatingly bright blue eyes that seared your soul when you looked into them. He always had the smug look of confidence on his face and the simple motion of holding his shoulders back gave him the suave appearance. Much of the details of his face and pose were similar to how Cupid often carried himself, and when Jack made that connection, he snorted at how obvious it was Sophie liked him so much. But nobody had actually met him in real life. Jamie was in college now, but he would have been a senior when Patrick was a freshman, and he of course did not associate much with the freshman.

Reluctantly, Ms. Bennett turned away from Jack and went back into her bedroom, probably to try and think over how to best talk to her. Jack, however, was a little more concerned about what else could be going on. He carefully went to Sophie's room, who happily invited him in. He took up a sitting position on her bed, facing her. When he cleared his throat as a sign he wanted to speak, her glittering green eyes patiently scrutinized him with wonderment of what he was about to say.

"Could I... hold you hands?"

"Um... whhhyyyy?" she asked with strangeness. Carefully, she arched her back when she raised herself.

"There's a cool I want to show you with miniature frost designs on your fingertips!" He lied. Morgan would be furious. Then again, maybe not. If it was a desperate situation, she might condone lying. Her eyes softened with relief and she held out both of her palms. Jack carefully put his fingers around her wrists, being gentle to earn her trust. Then, he seized his opportunity and the lengthy sleeves up past her elbows. She yelped when he did that and tried to struggle away. She was successful in pulling away but not before Jack had taken in the marks. There was that faded bruise around her elbow, but on the other arm, the one she had been holding close to her body, there was a very large mark the size of a golf ball. It was a mortifying collage of violets and indigos colliding together to create a sickening dark center. A ghastly bruise. Jack's face tightened with his shock at it. There was no way she had received that from a fall.

"Sophie-!" he called when she turned away.

"Jack, you know, it's very rude to just starting ripping clothes off a girl!" she shouted fiercely, but there was a quiver to her scold.

"What is that?"

"I just hurt myself badly."

"On what?! Was there a stampede of rhinos?"

"I'm just really clumsy at school."

"No! No!" he scoffed. "Sophie that is a lie! I know it is! This is Patrick's work, isn't it?"

"My relationship is none of your business!"

"It is my business when it's dangerous to you! Sophie, you are my sister and I really think he is damaging you!"

"You don't know him, Jack! You're just like mom! You don't even want to understand! Can't you just be happy for me?!"

"How can this make you happy?!" Jack's voice was getting really loud and forceful. Sophie cowered under the way he was making her feel. He took her arm again, the really bad one. She hissed when his fingers touched the most tender part. "Sophie, how can this make you happy?!"

"He loves me, all right?! Relationships didn't come as easily for me as they did for your precious Morgan, you know. Guys flocked to her."

"Sometimes guys flocking to you isn't always the best! With Morgan, she didn't know what she wanted and she made herself too available, but this isn't about her! This is about you!"

"I take what I can get, okay?" she sighed. "Jamie and I have a fascination with mythical creatures and the unexplained ones. I deliver reports in class on fairy tales and nursery rhymes and present them as if they were real. I am obsessed with Easter and I love eggs and spring patterns. I am the strange one, and boys don't want to associate with that! But he waltzed in and offered a ride home that day when I missed my bus? And you know what? By the end of the ride I was drawn to him! And he found me later at school and expressed a desire to date me. Do you know how excited I was? That is never going to happen again. Nobody likes me but I don't want to be lonely."

"You won't be!"

"Yeah, right," Sophie scoffed. "You're obviously not aware of how many girls find you dreamy, you don't understand what it's like. He's the best I am going to get. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes he yells. But you fight in a relationship. It happens."

"But what about this?!" he hissed. Without asking her, he pushed up her jeans. She slapped her hands against her legs, but Jack's inhuman powers and strength beat her out and he rolled the hems to her knees. Sophie began to hyperventilate out her panic. Jack gaped at the various shades of brown, purple, and red in sizes from a sunflower seed to a lemon on her shins, and some even reaching into her thighs. Sophie's breathing evened, but then deepened with anxiety. "This is Patrick."

"It's not what you think. It's just sometimes we get a little carried away..."

"You expect me to believe these are from love bites – who even nibbles on their lover's legs anyway?"

"We're fine," Sophie spat through her gritted teeth. "He protects me. He loves me."

"THIS IS NOT LOVE. This is control, this is abuse, this possessive! Sophie, you need to get out!"

"No!" she shouted. "I am fine! I don't need a Guardian!" Sophie launched forwards and pushed him off the bed. "Get out of my room!" Fuming, Jack marched to the door that belonged to Ms. Bennett's room, ready to deliver a hate filled speech on how they should pounce on Patrick, but he knew that would only tear Sophie even farther from them. She needed to be convinced to leave, to see how he was treating her. Bringing her mother into it, with as stressed and emotional she was at the moment, bless her heart, may only initiate more yelling. He was sure Jamie would want to know, but his closeness to her would trigger the same side of Jack that was hindering his good judgement. No, he needed Morgan and Linda. Morgan's brush with Pitch and how that relationship was toxic for her might give her some insight, and Linda's troubling teen years with her self esteem may also help Sophie out. They were both old enough to have wisdom and deliver it truthfully, but also young enough to still be connected to those tough years. Jack pivoted on his heel and retrieved the phone in the living room. He scrunched his brow to remember the numbers and then poked at them. On the fourth ring, she answered, and the small ball that had been holding tight in his stomach flowered and released relief.

"Uhh, hello?" Morgan quietly greeted. "... Helen?"

"No, it's Jack," Jack said. He heard her sigh on the other end and then mutter something to someone, presumably Hamilton. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Well, I mean sort of... there's this new documentarial series on the history channel we had been trying to get to watching for a while... and Hamilton and I haven't really had a lot of time to ourselves lately. I've been so tired and we've been running around trying to prepare things and... now I need to go and buy clothes all over again because there's a bump and ugh if this child wasn't so wonderful I would be so angry."

"I am glad to hear you're finally accepting that it's a joy to have." He smiled a little, and he could hear her smiling too.

"It feels like a fluttering, really. Like something good is there, waiting to burst out and cling to me, rather than a weight in my stomach. It's really nice... um, what did you want? Is it important?" He gulped.

"Sophie is... in a relationship. And I need someone to talk to her. I was thinking you and Linda."

"Oh, boy problems, is that really a big deal? She's 16, right? That's normal. She'll get over it."

"Morgan, he's beating her."

A pause. A conversation happening under some sort of barrier. Morgan must have covered the phone and was talking to Hamilton. The sound returned to normal her voice was very different.

"We're be there in forty minutes," she said.

"It's an hour long drive."

"And we'll still be there in forty."

"Have I ever told you I loved you?"

"Every day. We're going to go get Linda. Hamilton is coming too. He would like to have some words too." Jack hung up the phone and his palms itch with desire to strangle the next creature that walked on by. He paced the floor, knowing it was going to be some time before they reached the house. He kept holding in air and nothing was making sense in his mind. Things were jumbling around and even the images of the room around him didn't seem right. He kept recalling the flashes of the dark bruises all over her legs, hidden from the long clothing. Soon it would get warm and what was she to do then? She would not be able to hide everything so easily. He recalled the argument from earlier, and then new images forming in his mind, combining with the old. He attached his conclusions together and now it wasn't just frost that was forming over his hands and feet, but thin sheets of straight ice. When he balled his fists, they formed and broke in his hands, the tiny shards of ice pricking the floor. If he was hitting her, what else had he brainwashed her into doing? What else was he like? Was Sophie a puppet to him? Was he assaulting her sexually? Was he controlling every point of her life? Was he the one telling her to react this way to her mother?

This was not something Jack expected to be a Guardian of. Of course, that had been the case about a lot of things lately. Getting people to continue to believe in him as they grew up introduced him to some new stuff, much of it embarrassing, some of it wonderful, and a good amount of it simply depressing. He was getting immersed in it. It was as if through these experiences, he was growing too. In some way, some form, the boy who was to never age was growing. This was an area of Guardianship that had never been explored before, because they were to protect the children of the world. However, they still believed. Sophie still believed. And that belief was the very core of childhood. By taking on this act, he was still fulfilling his duties. There was still a child in Sophie and this boy was ripping all of her a part. Jack was not going to let that happen. He would have been furious as it was if it was any other girl. He would have been enraged if it was Linda. He would have gone ballistic if it was Morgan. But it was Sophie. His precious Sophie, his darling sister in spirit and a little in relation was being used and beaten and tormented, and she had been too manipulated to realize it. Patrick was just pleading for a death sentence, wasn't he?

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**I usually have something to say but I actually have nothing tonight. I'm just going to go right to bed I think. See you later guys! :)**


	129. Shattering the Frozen Lake

**Finally! A good chapter! It's been a while since I prided in one. I have just been so exhausted lately my writing abilities have been compromised. I have been working so much... thankfully I have the weekend off.**

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Her arms jabbed the air, aiming for Jack. The emeralds in her eyes blazed with her fiery anger at Jack. When Morgan and Linda had intruded her room, she instantly flashed her hatred towards her. She knew immediately that he had called them in for this and she roared her protests at him. Jack stepped back to dodge her blows, but he reacted with no retaliation towards her. He simply set his eyes on her, turned towards worried sadness. His lips were a thin line, holding back every declaration of how scared he was and how much he despised Patrick right now.

"I don't want you here! Get out!" Sophie screamed. She kept on flailing her arms, slapping at the air around them. Morgan caught her arms just below the shoulders. She took the attempts to restrain her, but Sophie's passion at keeping them away had fueled her and she swung her hands towards Morgan. She kept ducking and contorting to avoid the hits. Linda nervously walked around Morgan, anxious about her friend holding down the girl who was so violently enraged. Jack also watched with caution, examining how Sophie's slaps formed fists now and she kept on firing her fist cannons towards the restrainer. He sucked in air when Morgan turned her stomach to escape the wrath of her balled hands. Three more times and he couldn't take it anymore. His mind was clouded with the heaviness of his agitation, skin licked with the biting of nervousness. Ice pellets seemed to shot straight from his heart and down his legs, invigorating him to sprint towards Morgan's aid. It was an instinct, one he would not have done on a normal basis. He pushed through the two girls, throwing Sophie's arms back so she was no longer near Morgan and her body. With his free hand, he pressed his fingertips gently against the subtle plumpness on her stomach. She gasped at the sudden touch and stepped away. His eyes flicked over to her with asking worry. She nodded and grinned, assuring she was fine and no harm was done.

"Sophie, Soph, listen – Just calm down- Soph please..." he begged. Jack finally was able to pin her down on the floor, holding her arms around the joints at the forearms. Her intense breathing had told them she was filled with heated wrath, but the reluctant stare she gave him had let him know she would at least hear them out. Jack dared to pull back and waited for her to do something. Sophie sat up, but that was all. Minutes ticked by while she waited for them to give their input.

"Sophie," Morgan started, dropping herself to her level and guarding her stomach with her hand. "I know at your age you feel like everyone is against you. We all have that feeling. Being a teenager sucks. At look at Jack, he has to be fifteen forever. Can you imagine?" She managed a small smile. "But nobody is against you. Jack is acting the way he is because he loves you. There's another thing about love, Sophie. I don't doubt that you love Patrick." Linda mouthed words of shock. As obsessed as she was with love, she didn't completely share the same opinions with Morgan on the psychology of it. "I'm sure you do deeply. You wouldn't put so much thought into him if you didn't. But think about him, Sophie. From what Jack has told me, he's not treating you the best."

"No, Jack has no idea what he's talking about!" Sophie yelled, a dramatic shake of her head to emphasize her point. "He hasn't seen it! He hasn't seen us!"

"I've seen the evidence of you," Jack interjected, and Morgan narrowed her eyes at him. She was warning him not to interfere with what she was doing.

"What you see as love is not love Sophie. Men should not control your every move, they should not be possessive of you, and they should not hit you. That is a demonstration of power, of how they want to mold you to be what they want and have complete control over. It's for themselves, for their own desires. Sometimes it's out of insecurity, because they need to give themselves a feeling of being in control. Sometimes it's a part of a deeper mental illness. And sometimes they just believe that is the way women should be treated. Whatever the reason, neither one of them is correct."

"Sophie, I get one hundred percent where you're coming from about how you feel," Linda added. "I tried to commit suicide because I thought I was so unloved and worthless. I did not see how there was any possible way out. It was just impossible for me to imagine all my pain ending and there turning out a light. But it did. And I am so glad I am here. I would have killed to have someone love me, and if a guy offered to be with me that was a complete asshole, I would have listened because at least it would have given me a mirage of love. But that's all it is. It's just an illusion. It's not the real thing." Now Sophie was completely in tune to their words. Her eyes were wide with connections they were making and she tilted her head with interest. Something was getting to her about what they were saying. Jack motioned for them to keep on going. "I found a guy I never would have found if I died, and I never thought was even out there for me. Now we're married and we have a wonderful little girl and even though we have moments where we scream at each other, I am elated to be with him."

"But that's just it, couples argue. It's normal. I just need to stop making him mad all the time..." Sophie faltered.

"There's a difference," Jack said. "Arguing is the heated debating over a topic you disagree about. Yes, that happens. But you do not sling insults at each other, that's wrong. You don't hurt each other. You don't tell the other person what to do. You don't make decisions for them. And you certainly don't physically beat them. In any type of relationship that is wrong."

"Hamilton and I share our lives together, but we don't run each other's lives. We fight about money, on baby-proofing, about decisions to make, but we refer to the situation at hand and express our very strongly worded feelings for it. We don't insult each other. When we need to make a decision about something or we feel we need to do something we talk about it. If I want to do something for myself, unless it effects something we planned or he has deep concerns about it, he lets me do it. And even if he has deep concerns about it, we talk and discuss those and I make my decision based on that. It's my life and completely my choice. He doesn't choose my relationships, I do. He doesn't ridicule me for what I do. It's a partnership, and that means you work together on things. One person does not dominate over the other."

"You have no idea what it's like though! To believe you won't be loved and just feel there is no one there and you have this strong need... you just want someone to love you and I just want to be loved and I want to know what it's all like and I care about him and I love the way he looks at me and I feel a thousand feet high! I need to be with him." Sophie's eyes glimmered with the sparkle of wet emotion. Jack took to her side and set his arm across her shoulders. He lifted her towards his chest and patted her shoulders. "I'm sick of feeling like a horrendous mess and he gives me what no one else will! You don't understand, I will never get anything better! Being with him is better than being alone."

"No, no, it is not!" Linda loudly argued. She stepped closet and her hands embrace Sophie's fingers. "I know it;s impossible to see and you can't just convince yourself, but you are precious Sophie an worth far more than you will ever know. Nothing I say right now will convince you of that, I've been there, but we all feel that way. You are special to us and you deserve far more than what that idiot is doing to you."

"He loves me..." she squeaked.

"He does not," Morgan plainly said. "Look at your other relationships. Your mother. Your brother. Your friends. Us. The ones you truly know who care about you. All different kinds of love, but what do they all have in common?" Sophie looked down. "They would all fight for you. They would all protect you. They all support you in the things you want to do and hold you at the front of their minds. They would challenge anyone who would try to bring you down and never in a million years would think of using you or beating you are ripping down your self esteem or discourage what you wanted out of life. That is what real love is, Sophie. If he loved you truly, he wouldn't act the way he does. You can't love him. I'm not saying you don't because we grow to care about people we really shouldn't spend time on. Our minds get twisted and somehow we turn these people into wonderful lights when all their do is dim our lives. But you shouldn't love him."

"I will never find anyone who treats me like this..." Sophie muttered, pulling desperately at Jack's sleeves.

"You know what Sophie?" Linda said. "Let's play devil's advocate and bring up a situation that will never happen because you are fantabulous and amazing and a sexy piece of work."

"Hey!" Jack said, adverse to her using the word "sexy" to describe Sophie. The blonde young lady snickered. Linda broadened her smile.

"Let's say you never do find a guy who will treat you that well. You are so much better off being by yourself and living your life and having fun then being tied down by a guy who will treat you like dirt. And you will always have people who love you some way or another. I'll tell you something much more realistic though – you will fall in love with a most charming gentleman who will give you everything you need, desire, and more. And he will adore you so much he will not be able to help himself in giving you the best treatment."

"Maybe I can change him though!" Sophie said hopefully. Morgan sighed and took up the floor beside her.

"You should never go into a relationship like that. You can't stick around telling yourself that because before you know it, forty years has gone by and he still hasn't changed. You can't let time go on, for your health. You can't let time work things out. You need to be a great relationship for it to work. You can't change him."

"You don't understand my fear!" Sophie cried. "I don't like what he does to me, I don't like how he talks to me, but he has his moments of sweetness that I live for and I don't want those to go away! I don't want him to go away! And I think he'll hurt me if I break up with him, and I can't do that. I don't want our moments gone or for something to happen..."

"Uh, well, if he does, he'll have to deal with me," Jack chuckled darkly. "And them. And Jamie. And your mother."

"You told them?!"

"No, but you will," Jack said with an authoritative voice.

"They'll think I'm so stupid..."

"No, they'll hate Patrick's guts."

"You don't know what it's like to manipulated by fear!" Sophie screeched, sobbing uncontrollably and muffling the sounds against Jack's shirt. Morgan teetered where she was, feeling the discomfort of memory tingling her bones.

"Yes, I do..." Morgan sighed. "You were young and don't know the whole story, but Pitch Black and I were really close one summer. Made me hate Jack even, but he fed on my loneliness and solitude and twisted my fear of abandonment to bend his way and bow to his feet. Even so far as to make me think he fell in love with me and I wondered if I might feel the same. I had my brain washed by my need, and he had tricks to make his way into my mind. He initiated my fear and that drove me to be around him, and I grew angrier at Jack." She stretched her legs out and delicately rested her hand on the rise in her stomach. "I know exactly what you mean. They contort your ideas and make them sound wonderful when they suggest them and you feel their actions are related to how they dote on you but it's not that at all. It's for their benefit."

"I believed I was useless and horrendous," Linda nodded. "My life seemed to go dark forever with no way to turn on a light. I needed help and support and then I found my way back to where I am now. I swallowed the belief that I was forever going to be alone and it took over me." A gentle clicking on the door sounded, and Morgan recognized the signature knock of her husband. Five times with his knuckle. Morgan stepped to the door and opened it, giving entry to Hamilton. He groaned and lowered himself to the floor to look at Sophie. It must have looked strange to see her leaning against an invisible person but he said nothing.

"Sophie..." he started, pulling the side of his mouth into a whimsical grin. "What this man is doing to you is despicable. No one should ever do that. Your number one job when you love someone to protect them and watch out for them." He reached over and affectionately touched her thigh. "Listen, you are phenomenal, and you are not alone in this. We are only a phone call away and will respond to any need you have at any time. A man who treats a girl like that is weak and does not deserve to be with someone as wonderful as you."

"The cracks," Jack whispered. "Sophie. Love is ice."

"Oh yeah, yeah I know..." she whispered.

"No, I mean... it's a lake. A frozen lake." The cavity in Morgan;s chest hardened with heavy grief at his analogy. There was no way he was making this all up without some sort of inspiration. "Say you're carefree and joyful, skating on a frozen pond."

"Um..." Sophie began nervously. Hamilton looked a little confused, but there was some sort of hidden conversation happening.

"You're enjoying it and everything is perfect. Sometimes, the ice snaps and you hear the release of air and you can even see harmless cuts running through the ice. There's not enough pressure to make them dangerous and they are so protected by the ice around it that it cannot be wrecked. That's fine. Pressure happens with couples and there are times with they leave little scars in each other. But you should not let the pond fill with cracks. The ice on the lake will brake and you will sink on through. You will drown and you will freeze." Sophie pouted her lip with worried consideration.

"Sophie we are all going to watch out for you..." Hamilton whispered. "I promise you are not going to be alone." She breathed deeply and then got to her feet. Jack took her hand, feeling how clammy it had suddenly became. No doubt she was perspiring a little with anxiety but she gulped down a heavy blockage, letting it disintegrate in her gut.

"Okay," she agreed. "I'll tell him we're done. Jack?"

"Yeah?" Hamilton looked around, eyes scrunched when he could not find this person she kept on talking to.

"I want you around when it happens. He can't see you and you'll protect me?"

"Of course, dear," he almost laughed. Sophie took turns in hugging everyone around the room, including Hamilton. Jack walked with her to tell her mother and by the enraged screams about how she was going to kill Patrick, she took it just as well as expected. Jack extended his thanks to them all before they all said goodbye, headed back for home.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her eyes wandered up and down him again, examining how focused he was on a copy of _Guns, Germs, and Steel _as he took in some light reading in bed. Morgan loved watching the way his eyes revealed his emotions to the contents of a book she had already read about three times. For a month she had been pleading he read it and he was now already thirty pages into it after picking it up that morning. The emotions of his eyes kept peering over the covering, quickly discovering Morgan's fond look to him. The thrusting buzz of need ignited in her, and she could not disguise the amused satisfaction she felt when he finally looked up to where she rested on her pillow.

"What?" he chuckled.

"Just.. you..." she muttered quietly.

"You're getting all quiet again..." he reminded, his tone almost wagging a finger at her.

"It's just... today... you expressed such tenderness and strength. You showed so much compassion, for a girl you had never even known. It really grabs at me, and I feel so... so fortunate and spoiled to have you in my life." He closed his book and turned his shirtless physique in her direction. Morgan was starting to feel a little overdressed in her baggy t-shirt and polka dotted pants.

"So right so often, yet you often get wrong that I am the one who has gone rotten from how spoiled I am."

"Rotten, I suppose," she teased, and inched closer to him, bringing her lips down on his. His presence was electrifying her and she could feel her chest flowering at the memory of how she spoke to her. It gave an insight to his own parenting skills and she really was impressed and pleased to seem him act as such. She wanted to lose herself in his touch right at the moment. "Someone still delectable though."

"Delectable and irresistible," he cooed, pulling her closer so they could feel the vibration of heat between their bodies. "Oh wait a pair."

"I can't wait to have a child together, and work with you in raising it," she whispered softly.

"You are going to be a brilliant mother. Agh... all of the Horrible Histories this house is going to play." Morgan laughed and carefully flipped so she was on top of him. He raised his eyebrows with excitable pleasure and firmly fixed his body so he was a little more composed.

"I see my mistress has come for a visit tonight..." he muttered with a lowered voice. Morgan threw her head back with laughter and then lowered her face again for heavy kiss of passionate to start them off.

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**You guys can still give me song ideas, and follow my playlists :) I'll type more tomorrow. See you then!**


	130. Stopping the Blows

**Guys I am so sorry! Last night I was typing and my days of working caught up with me and I actually fell asleep typing and when I woke up, the last two lines were completely messed up, and today was really busy. Here's the chapter I was working on, and maybe I'll get another one written tonight.**

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"Bunny, you promised," Jack grumbled through his tightly closed teeth. The over sized Rabbit kept patting at the boomerangs on his holsters. Sophie had not wanted Bunnymund to know what happened, but Jack knew things would not be right. When Jack wasn't around, Bunny was there for her. He had been her imaginary friend throughout her childhood and the ties that bound them together were still thick. Bunny had known about Patrick, but her absence from the Warren and the recent Easter season had kept him from knowing what was going on. She knew Bunny would not be happy, but Jack had somehow convinced her that Bunny be there too when she called it quits with Patrick. It was important her know, he would serve as great protection, and he would have never let it happen without being there. Jack could tell by the flicking of his whiskers and the twitch of his trigger finger against the weapons on his shoulder belt that Bunny was feeling the strongest urge of vengeance possible. The green haze around his pupils was clouded by the heat of his fury, and Jack could sense the way his veins were quaking with the desire to beat some sense into the boy. It was easy for him the read the rabbit because he shared the same. He longed for a reason to freeze the boy's whole body and then shattered the icicle of him. But that was cold-hearted, it was wrong, it was diabolical, it was sick, it was cruel, and he would no long be a Guardian. He could never go back to who he was and he would be just as bad a Pitch. Struggling to be himself again and sorting through his conscience would become another hell, an even worse inner battle than the one he had when no one had believed in him.

"I know," the Easter spirit growled with guilty anguish. He propped the boomerangs back. "Ya can't begin to understand how badly I want to give him a Bondi. He thinks he can just go in and abuse my Sophie that way?!"

"I feel the same," Jack nodded, flexing his fingers to work out the aggression that was building up in them. "And that poor kitchen... when Sophie finally told Helen... it took Jamie and I a week to completely put ti back together. In don't think I've ever seen her use a sauce pan in that way..." Bunny raised his eyebrow and Jack shrugged.

"And Jamie?" he wondered with curiosity.

"He slept outside Sophie's bedroom for three days." A gentle grin cut through the fur in his face at the touching gestures of the adolescent boy and his concern for his sister. Jack looked down the street when the melodious hum of the black Mazda veered in the direction of the red house. The door clattered shut when the frightened young lady escaped through the front door. She stepped on down to the sidewalk before the street and crossed her brown and yellow spotted arms, marks beginning to fade as she spent time away from Patrick for the past week. The dull ache pushed into her chest as she stepped out, the car slowing down in front of her. Her fingers groped for Jack's hand and he gave it a small grip. Bunny could not stand it. He leapt over to the stairs and engulfed the young girl into breath stealing embrace. It was Sophie who had to remind him she needed to do this and he reluctantly dropped her. She wobbled in the direction of the boy adult who emerged from the driver's seat and pulled open his mouth, giving a smile that could heat up a heart or two with timid obedience.

"Hey, Soph!" he laughed and reach to grip her by the waist. Sophie slapped her hands against the frame of his shoulders, arching her neck so she avoiding his expecting lips as much as possible. Bunny tensed his body, ready to pounce if anything bad happened. Jack flung his arm in the way to prevent him from moving. He frowned, unsure of what was happening.

"No," she said, wriggling away from his fingers prodding into her sides.

"You wanted to see me?"

"I did, but I don't want to do anything," Sophie said very plainly with a firm stance on her choice. "I don't want to go anywhere, I don't want to see anything, and I certainly don't want to park your care somewhere dark where you'll force yourself to put your hands in every place you chose." Bunny hissed at the comment. Jack himself was experiencing the overbearing itch of resentment.

"Sophie...?"

"Look at these!" she demanded, shoving him away from her. She pulled up her sleeves farther and held out her legs. It was not a particularly warm day but she had chosen a pair of short shorts so he could see the damage he had done. "And it;s more than bruises! Look at this scar on my knee and the uneven tissue on my foot! That was you, Patrick!"

"We established this," he groaned fiercely to her. "You never look where you're going and you have poor balance."

"No, Patrick! Those were lies you washed my brain with!" She sashayed away from the reaching of his arms, avoiding anything else he may try to do. "You beat me when I don't want to do what you say and you tell me what to do and how to do it! And you tell me how I should be and what you think of me!"

"Sophie, no, you misunderstand. I'm not being cruel, and I never do it without a reason! I am trying to help you to become a better person in this relationship. I do it because I care Sophie. It's not often a man will do that for their girlfriend. You just have little experience in them and I am taming you-"

"Taming me! That's exactly you! You treat me like I'm a wild animal! But you would never treat a wild animal like you do with me, so what does that mean I am to you?! You tell me I am nothing, that I am worthless, that I have no value!"

"It's only encouragement to get you to listen and to learn how to act in a proper relationship!"

"I know what a proper relationship is! I've seen it with my family and my friends! You discuss the problems and peeves you have with each other, you don't scream at them all the negative things you have thought about them and constantly pound into their minds that they will never be good enough! You treat them with respect, and you long to give them the best you ever could give them! You help each other, you don't start flinging a lamp at their wrists and drop a bat onto their legs! You don't try to punish them or discipline them but work together!"

"Weakness!" Patrick snarled. "How can anyone be expected to have a solid relationship where the couples do not know their roles!"

"Your role was to be a good boyfriend, and you failed at that!" she screamed. Patrick stepped forward, and Sophie flinched a little, but retained her courage in her stance. He looked a little surprised to see her so confident. "All you gave me were lies, everything you made me think about myself was a lie. I never want to see you again, Patrick. Ever. We're done. Stay out of my life."

"You were nothing without me!" he screamed while he launched forwards to grip her tightly. "You were the strange little girl with wild fantasies and you never would have gained friends without me, never would have been respected and taken seriously without me to back you up! You can't break up with me, you need me to function. You're worthless and incapable. You would die without me!"

"No," she said. "I would die with you." Patrick struck her across the face, hard enough to cause the thinnest line of red to ooze blood. Bunny tore through and bucked his feet against her attacker, bringing him toe ground. Patrick began to fight with the air, scared about what invisible force was beating on him. Jack swung his hooked staff around and swept Bunny aside, taking a moment to freeze the clothes on Patrick to startle him a bit. He yelled, and clawed his way back up to his car. He glared at Sophie, sure she had something to do with it, but her eyes was on the blood she brushed off her face. Jack pierced his side with the end of his staff and he yelled once more, hopping into his car. He shouted some very nasty term towards Sophie and his tires wailed when he zoomed around the curve in the road. Sophie's hand shook with the realization of him once again drawing blood. Bunny wanted to chase the kid down and finish him off, but it was Jack who had to pull him aside to where the blonde girl was. The sight of her with blood on her face and shuddering with fear changed his priorities so he was focusing more on her well being.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sophie hissed under the sharp tingle of the astringent to her face. Jamie wiped away as much blood from her face as he could until he plastered a thick bandage to her cheek. She picked up the mirror on the kitchen table and whined at her appearance.

"It will fade," Ms. Bennett assured her as she placed a slice of cake in front of her. Her eyes looked to it sadly, her appetite gone.

"The physical marks will..." Sophie sighed. "Maybe some of what he said was right. If I wasn't so stupid-"

"No, never say that," said Bunny. "There's not one bit of truth in anything he told ya. You weren't stupid. Ya saw somethin' in him, Soph, and he abused that. You have more hope than any other human I have ever seen, and you kept up your optimism, and he used that to mistreat ya."

"Maybe," she sighed.

"No maybe," Jack agreed. Jamie cradled his little sister and stroked her hair adoringly.

"When am I allowed to kill him?" he asked with a small grin.

"Jamie!" Sophie scolded, but giggled at his passion of protection. "I love you too..."

"Yeah, just don't tell anyone."

"I'm done with dating for a while," Sophie declared adamantly. "No more for like ten, fifteen years."

"I'm okay with that," Jack beamed proudly.

"That's a little extreme," Ms. Bennett said as she took up a seat at the table. She placed a comforting hand over Sophie's knuckles. "But I agree with you. You should give yourself some time before you date again. This experience is going to take some healing and you need to be ready to get back into it."

"How can I ever go back to being ready for a relationship..." Sophie whispered. "When he took something from me I can never get back?" Jack could feel Bunny tighten, his fur standing still with the realization of what she meant. Jack fiddled with his staff, unsure of how to react. It was the closest Sophie had ever gotten to them in admitting that he had in fact done something extreme to her sexually. He burned with possessive rage for the girl he would always see as his little Sophie, even when she grew old and decrepit. The idea of someone taking a hold of her like that and robbing her of such innocence fueled the hatred in him that a Guardian should never act upon. He wouldn't of course, but he thirsted to do so.

"There have been people who have," Ms. Bennett whispered, also needing to take a moment to put herself back together after what Sophie almost said. "It's... barbaric that someone would do such a thing, and it's a disgusting and I know it may seem impossible. You're strong Soph. I know that, because of what you just did. You sent him away, and you have people around you who will help you if you feel you can't. And besides... you don't need to be in a relationship to live a complete life. However long it takes for you... six months, five years, ten years. If you decide you just don't want one. We will support you in anything you do. In everything."

"I'm going to listen to you all more, I promise. You guys come before any man and you know me best," Sophie said. She scurried over to Jack and fell against him, a tear dropping to his shoulder. "And you tell them thank you. Morgan and Linda really made me think, and Hamilton gave me an example of what a man should be like towards women... Were Morgan and Pitch...?"

"Briefly," he interrupted. "From what she's said he's never touched her... like that. But it was just as damaging. When he was conquered by the Fearlings he was in his thirties, Soph."

"So... Thirty and thirteen..." Jack nodded with agitated somberness.

"Yeah exactly. And he used her simply to get to me. I mean that can crush someone's self-esteem more than you can imagine..."

"Well, I could tell she understood where I was coming from. And Linda looked so pained when she talked about her own struggles and she pressed her own image issues onto mine. I could see similarities in them. It helped, that they understood." Jack grinned broadly and spun the blonde teenager around the kitchen.

"I'm so glad to hear that."

"I wish you guys would have stayed together... but Hamilton is a good guy too..." Despite her addition at the end of her sentence, Jack could hear the torn emotion beyond her voice, how she was so desperate in wanting the two of them together. The pain that he could not fulfill her wish almost hurt as much as his own tamed longing to be with Morgan. Still he craved her and needed her, even after all these years. She was married and due for a child, so he felt guilty for having these thoughts, but he was beginning to believe he was never going to shake off anything he felt for her. He moaned sadly.

"He is a good guy," he agreed. "One of the many reasons I feel so horrible for still wishing I could be with her as well."

"Well, he gives me hope at least," Sophie said. "Patrick was just a terrible guy. There are many other men out there who would never even think of doing that."

"You have no idea how glad it make me to see ya so hopeful about love despite what happened," Bunny told her. She squealed with embarrassment and jumped into his furry hug. She nuzzled her chin against his soft texture and laughed when his whiskers grazed her forehead.

"Bunny..." she cooed. "I have spent practically my whole life around you. It's kind of hard to not see hope in everything."

"That's my girl," he chuckled, patting her shoulder lightly.

"Jack?"

"Hm?" He looked over to her and the gleeful curve of her lips swelled warmth in his chest and he relieved that despite how damaged this was going to leave her, she could see brightness around her.

"When I am comfortable with dating again, you better have another little bombshell on your arm as well." Bunny snickered while Jack rolled his eyes. Smugly, Sophie crossed her arms and parted her lips to reveal her teeth in her grin.

"We'll see," he laughed.

"Oh come on!" she said. "I can tell how much it pains you to not be with a girl."

"It's not just with a girl, mate," Bunny informed quickly before Jack could even speak. "It's simply just Morgan."

"Hey," Jack smirked when he spotted the disheartened frown on the girl's face. "How can I focus on getting a girl right now? I got a young lady to guard and protect against the evils of men who may wish to do her harm." She giggled at his comment, scarlet flushing through her face.

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**Once again guys I am sorry. But you know what? My plans for this story... let's just say things are going to pick up again real soon! :)**


	131. Beginnings of Another Generation

**Another chapter! But now I must sleep because I am like DEAD**

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Another wave of bullets of pain tightened around Morgan's middle and seemed to radiate in all directions throughout her whole body. She convulsed and cried out, face wet from the tears the stress pushed out of her. The pain subsided and she took the reprieve to breathe. However, as she expected, it hadn't been long and the pain started again. Each explosion of ripping agony was grew closer and closer to the one before it. Hamilton tried to keep up as the doctors rolled her wheelchair through the blinding white walls of the sterile building. Morgan screamed out again and cursed loudly at the next electric fire that began in her stomach. Her hair was already becoming wet with the perspiration on her face. Hamilton followed her into the hospital room that was finishing being prepped for her. In a manner of seconds they seemed to undress her and lifted her to the bed, propping her legs up to prepare for the arrival of the new Barry. Hamilton stood near the door, itching to be able to help them with something. A doctor threw a gown at him and he took it hastily. He ran to Morgan's side and clutched her searching hand. She swallowed tightly and kept his fingers close.

Morgan used the aroma of his skin as a sort of drug. She inhaled his musk and kept stroking the edge of his fingers against her chin to energize and sooth her and the same time. There was no doubt in her mind when all of this was over she would be glad they did this and be overjoyed to welcome the child into the room, but right now the pain was atrocious and she needed some sort of comfort. She took that comfort in Hamilton's presence. He was there for her and waiting expectantly. When she wasn't being told to push, she was tightening her grip on Hamilton and remembering how he was there with her the whole time. She was so very lucky to have him there.

_~Jack~_

He had not waited for Linda. He had been out that crisp October night, covering the foliage and the windows with just the lightest dusting of frost. He quietly touched the lives and they shriveled under his cool touch, shuddering as he did. Jack chuckled to himself at the state of the world, the icy gems of the cold glistening brightly. He had only just made his way back to the Bennett house around three-thirty that morning and was surprised to see Ms. Bennett up and buzzing, phone still clutched in her hand.

"Jack, Linda called us!" she squealed, spinning him around excitedly. "Morgan's gone into labor, she-" but she did not finish her sentence. Jack was already off and heading for the hospital. He glided on the wind currents and brushed over the tops of houses, navigating his way through the air as he kept the roof of the hospital in his sights. He landed and slipped through a side door a nurse was walking through. It had been some time since he had last been in the hospital and he never was in the maternity ward, so he needed to take advantage of the signs around. Somehow he still got lost on the way through the complex layout, but he did make his way up to it. Reaching the floor, he was struck with the fear he had no idea which room Morgan was and he grasped the embarrassing notion that he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He wouldn't be able to get near her when she was screaming at the top of her lungs like that. For a while, he wandered and paced the hall frightfully. A small part of him was tense with the smallest possibility of something going wrong for either Morgan, the baby, or both. Jack was anxious about all the pain she was experiencing, recalling when Emma was born and how his mother almost didn't make it. He scolded himself for thinking of that time, reminding himself the advances in medicine had come a long way since Emma was born and for a woman to die in childbirth was even a rarity these days. Most of all, though, he was too excited to meet the newest Kenter. It would be a Barry, of course, but he couldn't think of the child as anything else but a Kenter. It was to be Morgan's, his dearest not-so-secret darling and it was her child.

"Jack!" Linda hissed as she spotted him in the hall. Jack bolted in the direction of the young woman who called to him from the waiting room. His smile stretching to both ears, he greeted Linda with a quick hug an then rubbed the top of Mallory's head, who was resting in Ross's arm cradle, fast asleep. Linda and Ross must have jumped into the car almost immediately; She was wearing polka dotted orange pants across a pink background with a t-shirt that held a Star Trek emblem on it, a grey sweatshirt pulled over her shoulders. Her mismatched shoes told him she slipped on the first shoes she could find, and Ross was even more rushed yet. He was in his slippers, a pair of blue pants and white t-shirt. "She's been in labor about two hours." There was a scuffling down the hall as Mr. and Mrs. Kenter pushed their way through people, with Bradley behind them. He didn't look awake at all. While Mr. and Mrs. Kenter were full of every bit of energy, Brad seemed to just want to sleep, and he did the minute he got a chair. They all took turns in staying awake and sleeping. Some people played cards, there was talking. When their stomachs kept them distracted, Mr. Kenter was sent down for food. Then, at around one forty-five in the afternoon, Hamilton treaded his way down the hall, dramatically lifting his head to see the party surrounded around a game a cribbage. He beamed and then nodded.

"It was a boy?!" Linda yelled and jumped up wildly. The few other people in the waiting room clapped vigorously while the people were asked to enter two at a time. Bradley walked in to join Linda in seeing his sister when Ross left the room to give them some space. Jack entered as well since the only people who could see him were currently in the room.

It was so weird to see Morgan like that. Her usual gentle waves of sun kissed brunette were strewn all over her face and brushed aside from her eyes. Lines cut deeper around her eyes and the color on her face seemed drained due to her using up her energy, however there was a golden sheen to her look as she gazed at the small face hidden under the folds of the blanket in her arms. Linda rounded the bed and gasped at the perfection on his face, fingers trembling as she gently touched the baby's face. Brad leaned over the bed and gazed at the bed dreamily. Jack smirked. The kid was certainly thinking about family life seriously. Which was probably to be expected. Him and Max had been going strong for years, even if they did hit a few rough patches, and in his final year of college it probably seemed like the next step.

"Jack, come over here..." she begged. He shook his head. "Jack. I want you to tell him you were there the day he was born."

"I might hurt him."

"You won't hurt him," she declared.

"How do you know?"

"Because I have him and he's nearly being suffocated from all the layers wrapped around him," Morgan snapped with sharpness.

"But I might-"

"Jack. I promise you won't hurt him." Still unconvinced but having no desire to anger someone who just spent the last ten hours in labor, he reluctantly moved towards her, getting a close-up view of the child's face. It was hard to tell really, with his face scrunched up and many of his features still so subtle, but he had wisps of brown hair the same shade of his mother's, and his face was nearly a fully formed orb. He had low cheekbones like his father, but a nose the curved the same way Morgan's did. The chin was definitely Morgan's, but the way he smirked was a reflection of how his father looked when he smirked. Still, his features made him his own little person of the most magical experience Jack felt he may ever see in his whole life. A frozen drop fell from his eye and tapped on the baby's head. The baby muttered and slapped himself with his tiny fist, brushing away the feeling and then returning to his still position. For a second, Jack inhaled with worry, but the child seemed unbothered. "See, you're fine..."

"He's beautiful Morgan." She beamed at his comment.

"Nathan Hale Barry," she finally told them. When they looked up, she took it as a invitation to explain. "How we met. The beginning of the deepest love. We couldn't see how any other name worked so perfectly."

"No, he's definitely a Nathan," Jack agreed.

"I expect you to be a constant in his life, Jack," Morgan said.

"Oh of course, of course."

"I know you will," she giggled.

"Even when he stops believing."

"Not going to happen."

"How do you know?"

"He's _my_ son, Jack!" she laughed.

"What if he hates history?" Linda wondered. Morgan quickly made a scene of covering his ears and whispering really low.

"Don't listen to Auntie Linda, Nate, she's crazy!" Bradley laughed the hardest of all of them and fell off his chair.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Four years Jack had been following his same routine, one that he had grown to love despite how much his heart refused to let go of Morgan entirely. While she did get older, her beauty never faded. She never released her passion, and she never dropped her love of history. She blossomed if anything and he would sometimes joke to himself about how he pined for older women. It wasn't that she was older, it was that in his mind she was eternal and would always be the same. Morgan had changed through three museums before finding and securing a job as the most efficient registrar in Pennsylvania, while Hamilton worked in archiving. He discovered how quickly it was getting harder to spend a lot of time with everyone he loved. He would go back to the Bennett house about once a week to keep the middle-aged Ms. Bennett company. Jamie was living with his fiancee Rebecca in a town some twenty minutes outside Burgess, but Jack did stop in to see him from time to time. Jack was around Sophie a little more, but she was attending college in New York and it was hard for her to get any free time. Recently, she had been spending a lot of time with a guy who seemed to make her happy, and even though Jack was suspicious, hovering around and stalking him a bit only turned up that he was a decent guy.

He would stop in and check on Bradley who lived with Max and thought they weren't officially engaged, they were creating serious plans for their wedding, and kept tossing around ideas about children to adopt. Linda seemed to always be able to make time for him, despite her time she spent showing her husband her devotion to him and taking care of three children, Mallory, Thomas, and infant Cecil, a fourth child currently being discussed. Morgan, however. She was different story. Wednesdays was his time. After supper, he would slip in through the window and play with the kids until they wore out. Once four year old Nathan and two year old Elizabeth were put to bed, he and Morgan would spend about two or three hours simply hanging out. They would talk, They would laugh. They would play a game. It was just as it should have been, and it was almost perfect for Jack. He wanted the same exact life they were having, but he wanted so much more out of it.

"Jack make snowman dance?" Elizabeth asked hopefully, referring the small snowman he manipulated to do a little jig on the dresser. Morgan was tugging on the sleeves on Nathan as she readied the kids for bed.

"No, no more," Jack laughed, poking the nose of the toddler with the mahogany colored hair and eyes the same shade of brown as Morgan's. She bounced in his lap excitably. "It's time for bed."

"No sleep!" she argued. "No sleep!"  
"You need to sleep!"

"No Sandy!"

"Yeah, just tell Sandman we don't want him here!" Nathan argued, finally pulling away from his mother's grasp and running over to cling to Jack's arm.

"That's not very nice to Sandy." Morgan snuck up behind her daughter and plucked her from Jack's lap, zooming her through the air and pretending to crash her in front of the dresser.

"We want a story before bed!"

"No more stories," Jack said, wincing at the time and realizing how short his time with Morgan would be tonight. They had been especially rowdy that night and it had taken them a very long time to get them to calm down.

"Aw, come on! We want to hear the one about the boy who never grew up who took the girl away to a land filled with wonder and dreams and hope and memories and fun and she fell in love with him!"

"You have _Peter Pan_ memorized by now!" Morgan said as she fastened the ties on Elizabeth's nightgown. She held her arms out and jumped towards Jack.

"Not _Peter Pan!_" Nathan laughed. "The story of how mommy fell in love with you!" Morgan hissed, remembering she had told them that once and grimace. Jack looked up with her and hung his head while he snickered with amusement. He stood up and placed the kid into the bed with the moon patterned bedspread. Elizabeth was obediently waiting beside her bed and Jack lifted her, playfully throwing her into her bed with flowers all over it. Jack bade the kids good night and Morgan went around kissing their foreheads. She stood alongside Jack in the hallway and latched the door. She breathed out a heavy breath, as her ritual seemed to always include.

"Sorry, I don;t understand what got into them tonight..." she apologized sheepishly, but Jack was focusing on the latest development he heard.

"You told them about us."

"Yeah? So?"

"I didn't realize we were keeping that kind of information from that."

"Maybe it's not a good idea though. I mean, now they're going to ask questions about it."

"Yeah. Just tell them it didn't work because I'm human and you're not."

"But I just-"

"I want my kids to be truthful, Jack." He dropped his head and nodded, the smallest bit of him thriving on the simple information that she still looked on their relationship with fondness. Morgan turned to him and could see the far off gaze in his eyes. She scoffed and faced him, giving him a stern glare. "Jack, you seriously still have feelings for me?"

"What made you think they ever went away?"

"I'm twenty-right, I'm old!"

"That's not old."

"Okay, in ten years-"

"No, Morgan, it's..." he interrupted, finding it difficult to completely his sentence about halfway through. He heaved his shoulders while Morgan waited for him to continue, a little perturbed by baggage of emotions for her. "I just... want a family. With you. I want to be a be important to you, and be a part of it all."

"Jack!" she guffawed. Jack cringed, worried that Hamilton would hear her boisterous laughs. "After everything... you don't feel like your family? Elizabeth doesn't let just anyone hold her. She even fights me sometimes. You are as much of this family as everyone else. As far as I am concerned, best friends are your family."

"Best friends?" he repeated. He smiled at what she said as he followed her downstairs to the living room. No matter how many times she called him that, the way it broke his heart never changed.

* * *

**So. Do you know what this means? The next chapter is one I have been planning in my head forever. It's one I have been longing to write and I am so pumped to finally get to it. And you know what else? It's going to be a huge turn for everything and everyone. You guys will love the next chapter. Be up tomorrow. Good night :)**


	132. Going Up In Flames

**Take a deep breath guys. Take a very big deep breath. Because here it comes.**

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Once again Morgan had left the house after a brief argument with Hamilton over who was going to take the dog out. Of course, it was her that ended up taking the dog for his walk. Hamilton was always ready and willing to do much of the work around the house, which was good for Morgan because she despised doing the laundry and dusting. It figured that the one thing he hated doing was the job she hated doing the most. With his promise that he was going to get to the five baskets of laundry waiting to be washed, she gave in to being the one to take their family Brittany dog out. It was two days past Valentine' Day so it was still bitterly cold and Jack had been frequent in the snowfalls. As much as she loved him, this was about the time she was sick of all the heavy weather.

Today was a day that just wasn't working in her favor. While she had not left the house with Hamilton completely enraged, there was still that dangling nagging around her that they were certainly going to sit down and have a talk about the words they had exchanged and might even have to force apologies out of one another. Having to walk a four month old puppy who was going to bolt and roll around in the rushed fall of snowflakes didn't do anything o help her irritation, and the cold temperature was the worst for her mood. She huffed as Julius pulled her along, only half obeying her commands to heal and slow down. Julius was the kid's Christmas present that year and he was still a puppy so there were things needed teaching yet. Even so, the mess that puppies created and their lack of obedience really gutted her, and today her patience was thin.

"Jack, seriously..." she whispered, even though he was anywhere around so he could hear her. She zipped her purple parka all the way to her chin and trudged in her boots through the foot of snow on the sidewalk. Julius romped around and almost zipped to skip. He barked happily and looked behind him to see Morgan was following. "I'm coming, I'm coming." When she got closer, he bounded forwards again. She was just thankful there was very little wind. Julius had rust colored spots on his back and around his eyes, but the rest of his fur was white and it it were windy, it may stir up the heavy snow so much it would block out all of the brown red on him and he would become invisible.

Julius stiffened and Morgan took a deep breath worriedly. If he spotted some creature who didn't hibernate for the winter, or even another dog or a cat, it would be hell to get him to shut up and restrained. She yelped when the alerted dog barked wildly and scampered down the sidewalk. Her normal paced running was sped up by quickness of the animal. She kept her grip firm around the end of the leash, but her coordination with running made her trip over every obstacle hidden under the snow. She yelled at the dog to stop, demanding him to calm down, but he kept on going. He knew his name by now and even when he was on the chase of some animal, he at least showed a response to his own name by the flick of his ears or his tail. This time he didn't even acknowledge her and simply kept on leaping, rounding the corner of the neighbor and jumping through the winter ground. His reaction churned Morgan's gut a little bit. This dog was far more determined than she had ever known him to be the whole time they had him. Brittanys were incredibly intelligent dogs, one of the reasons they picked him, and if his nose or his ears had picked up on something that was so threatening to him that he wouldn't even show he recognized his name, then it could mean something was very wrong. Morgan decided to stop commanding him to stop and followed his instincts, hoping that what was on the other end was something he would be rewarded for. Heart pumping with increasing anxiety, she stumbled her way through the snow in following him. Then she smelled it. There was a soothing warmth to is, but also a sharp putrid odor to the faint smell. Julius barked at the door of the house he had stopped in front of and Morgan pressed the doorbell three times, pounding at the door when there was no answer. The smell was getting much stronger and now she knew what it was. She looked down at Julius briefly to pat him on the head, saying "Good dog," but he only thumped his tail twice. He was not concerned about praises at the moment.

No one responded and Morgan took that as a good sign. She backed away from the door and was ready to dial emergency, but then she heard the call from the top floor that stopped every organ in her body. Her chest froze under the sound of a young girl crying out the window to her. Morgan looked up and her eyes expanded wide.

"Help!" yelled the girl. It was hard to tell because her fear had regressed her expression to something much younger so her age might have been skewed but she looked around twelve years old. Morgan stood below the window and screamed up to the girl.

"Are you the only one?!" she yelled. The girl shook her head.

"My brother! He's eight! He's in his room! That's where the fire is! I can't get to him, the doorknob is hot!"

"Is that all?! Where are your parents?!"

"At the store! They're supposed to be back in an hour, and I can't find their cell phone number!" She screamed and turned back. This fire was getting bigger. She could tell by the smell, Julius' whimpering, and the black swirls that were beginning to emit from the other side.

"Jump out of the window! I'll catch you!" She shook her head.

"I need to get my brother!" she cried. Morgan opened her phone again and dialed 911, reciting the location and the emergency. It was difficult to get everything out because the fire was spreading fast and she could not just stand there and wait. She kept pausing at looking up at the window, a blonde boy tugging at a window and calling out. She swore loudly and tossed her phone aside, enough information giving to the dispatcher for the firetruck to locate them. Finding some adrenaline in her, she rammed her shoulder into the door three times and the frame snapped, breaking around the deadbolt lock so it loosened. Punching at the lock, it gave way and she jumped inside. The black was heavy around her, and the dog followed her. Despite his whimpers, he charged forwards. Morgan navigated her way through the house and upstairs, finding the girl perfectly safe in her room but refusing to abandon the house for the sake of her brother.

"You need to get out!" she screamed.

"I can't! Travis is-"

"Now!" She winced at how violently she threw the girl out of the room but time was of the essence. "I called 911 they will be here in a few minutes!"

"He doesn't have a few minutes!" she cried, her ash stained blonde curls bouncing around her face. "I called to him through the door and he said the fire is all around! Then I heard you and I went back-" Julius was tugging on the girl's pant leg, urging her to go with him.

"The dog will protect you! Just go! I'll get him!"

"But-"

"GO!" She nodded and wrapped her finger's around Julius' blue collar, following him down the stairs. Morgan looked around in a panic, her breathing getting harder as the smoke filled her lungs. Remembering training she had been taught since kindergarten, she dropped to her knees to stay below the haze of grey. She found a door that had been shut and touching the doorknob burn a red ring into her hand from it's heat.

"Hello?!" she yelled.

"I'm here!" came a boy's voice, high-pitched from how his fear was taking over him.

"What's your name?!"

"Andrew- aaahh!" His yell told her that there was very little time for chat and no time to devise a logical strategy.

"Can you get to the door?!"

"Nooo!" he wailed. His voice was stretched with the most horrid of fears and he was choking on his own tears. "The fire is all around the walls!"

"Ugh, um... is there any section of the room there is no fire?!" Morgan shrieked. She could feel sweat coating her body under the thick coat of hers. She longed to remove it but it probably served as an extra coating of protection right now.

"Yeah! The corner by my toy box is completely fine!"

"Go in the corner and hide behind the box!"

"But-"

"ANDREW DO IT NOW!" She waited for him to yell out and when he did, she dared to stand up again, holding her breathe briefly. She backed as far as she could against the wall and then sprinted towards the door. She launched her feet against the hard surface of the door and then rolled with flames spurting out of the door. She kicked off her boot which was now engulfed in the yellow licking heat feathers and crawled in the direction of the mess of blonde hair sticking out behind the toy box. Just as she almost made it, a bookshelf with angry lines of fluorescent orange, hungry for flesh collapsed in front of her and narrowly missed her fingertips. Andrew's cry of terror pulled at every maternal instinct in her. She could hear Julius barking outside. There was a groan and Andrew's warning to look out caused her to look up. The dresser collapsed inside itself and then toppled right fr Morgan. She darted out of the way and crept back towards the door. The flames were getting closer to where Andrew was, and he looked at the snaps of oranges on either side of him, quaking in horror.

"I don't want to die!" he screamed.

"You won't die!" she yelled, but then she realized how much of a lie that might have been. She quickly decided she didn't care. She would make it become true. There was a choice here. Any minute the rest of the furniture would be conquered by the hell around them and pin someone inside. She refused to let it be the boy. "I promise you are not going to die!"

"I can't get out!" he screamed.

"Yes you can! Listen to me though. You have to be brave! You are going to get yourself out!"

"How?!"

"The chest is still fine, but it won't be much longer! There's your lego table over there, still okay, and right there is your laundry basket. And there's your bean bag. Do you play video games, Andrew?!"

"Sometimes, not really, mom doesn't-"

"Okay, have you ever played The Floor Is Lava?!"

"Yes! Many times!"

"This time it's real, Andrew! The Floor is Lava! Jump on those and make it to me!"

"But I can't-"

"Yes you can! I believe in you, and you have to believe in me!" Andrew swallowed and looked in her trusting warm eyes. He nodded and jumped onto the box, flinching at a picture frame that fell off his wall. He safely made it to his Lego table and grinned with pride. Morgan nodded and gestured for him to come towards her. He recognized how close the fire was getting to him and quickly jumped into his laundry basket, on the stack of folded laundry. He moved his arms around to steady himself and then boldly leapt onto his bean bag. After three successful jumps, he seemed to have built belief in himself and immediately made for the open floor in front of Morgan. He landed, but then bent backwards when he lost his balance. Morgan screamed and jerked on the cloth in front of his shirt, ripping him away from the danger and dragging him closer to her. She turned and saw the flames had closed up their entrance. She tightened her lips together, trying to formulate a plane quickly.

"We're stuck!" he wailed.

"No! You're going to live! You'll be fine!" she yelled, and then she ripped off her coat, wrapping it around his small body. "Here, this will give you an extra layer of protection!"

"What about you?!"

"I'll be okay," she hissed, knowing every part of her was lying but it was important this time. The lie would calm him down and he could get out. Telling the truth would actually be worse for him. "Okay, have you seen Indiana Jones?!"

"Yes, I love that movie!"

"Okay you're going to do some awesome action stuff like him, okay? There's a opening at the top half of the door! Get on my shoulders." Morgan dropped and he clamored onto her back, pulling himself up to around her neck. "Now grab the top of the doorway!" Andrew dug his fingers into the top part of the frame, his legs shaking around her neck. "You're going to swing. I'm going to push you and you have to drop when you're over the hallway."

"How are you going to get out?!"

"I'll find a way..." she whispered. He looked down at her, seeming to read through her lies. She squinted to rid of the tears. She did not want him to see her like this, scared and without any courage.

"What's your name?" he calmly said.

"Morgan Barry," she whispered, and then another crack reminded her of what needed to be done. She ducked below him so his feet were swinging above her head and then she pushed his body. He swung and she watched his fingers release from the door, disappearing beyond the flames that blocked the door. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine!"

"Go downstairs and go outside!" Outside the window were the moaning whines of sirens. She caught her head in her throat, holding on to a hope she may yet make it out alive. The sudden collapse of the bed dashed that hope quickly away. "NOW!" She listened to his pounding feet on the stairs. Julius was barking. The sirens were getting closer. The fire was growing. The flames circled her feet. She turned the ring one her finger and curled into the fetal position. She took a moment to glance out the window and spotted the visage of the silver white orb in the sky starting to make its appearance in the sky. She looked up at it, wondering if there was anything he could do for her. He was not a God, but the Man in the Moon was someone to tell her problems to, and this was the biggest problem she had ever come across in her life. Life and death. So she seemed to utter something similar to a prayer to him. Her tears dried too quickly to cover her face from the heat of the flames. She kissed the hot metal around her finger and then screamed a loud "I love you" to anyone who would hear it. She wasn't sure how, but she could feel herself slipping away to the dark and it was without any sort of pain from the burning flames.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Jack~_

This never happened. He never heard the voice of the Man in the Moon in his head, and the times he did only happened because it was incredibly vital to him to know, and he would not have known any other way. Even then, he was pretty selective. But now he had said something to him. He gave him numbers and then the name of street. But what was so important about an address? It was the strangest message Manny had ever sent to anyone and it didn't make sense. When he yelled to the moon for more information, he remained silent, just as he always was. Jack knew though he was given the address for a reason and it was important he follow it. The address seemed familiar, and more than just him having creating a few blizzards and a few fights in that direction. When he blew in that direction, he recognized the area as being Morgan's neighborhood. He wondered if maybe he should stop by and say hi to Morgan while he was there, but then his attention was caught by the firetruck that stopped in front of a house, ablaze on one side and black clouds spewing from it. The house was located at the exact spot of the address given to him by the Man in the Moon. Heart frozen by the fear that there were kids trapped inside, he ripped towards the direction of the house and floated in front of it. There were two kids, a boy and a girl standing in front of the house.

"Jack Frost!" the boy called and the girl looked around for someone she couldn't see.

"Hey, are you all right?!" he yelled, just as a few firefighters jumped off the truck and ran inside the house. He looked down and watched the girl stroke a rust spotted white dog. The dog was just like any other Brittany he had seen, but its marking were familiar to him, and the dog's ears perked when Jack approached him. "Julius! What are you doing here?!"

"It's the lady's dog!" the boy told him.

"What lady?!" Jack screamed, but the puzzle was already together in his head and his panic gave him the name before the boy did.

"Morgan Barry!" Jack had already shot off and circled the house. He looked in the windows and in the one covered with flames dancing in front of the window, he could see the image of a girl being cradled by a wall of fire. The girl looked distressed and dirty but it was undoubtedly Morgan. Jack took no chanes and slammed his whole body against the window. The glass sang violently when it clattered around and Jack used his staff to freeze the threats that were trying to attack him. The fire formed jagged ice chunks, the suffocation of the ice putting out the flames. He shot his staff in all directions and pushed them out of the way from Morgan's body. He finally was able to grab her firmly and pulled her against his chest. He shot back out the window and flew around the back. He sped down the street to get her away from the danger as much as possible and then rested her crumpled body against the mounded snow bank. He brushed her hair away and stared at her face. Her eyes were shut tightly to brace herself for her doom. Her right hand held her left hand tightly, guarding the symbol of eternal love on her finger. He gulped at her touched her face. It was hot, from the fire, but did not hold the heat he was used to feeling from her. There was no movement beneath her skin for a pulse. There was no air escaping from her mouth. Ash and smoke had blackened much of her skin, and there was a ghastly red bubbling down her right arm where it touched the fire. But other than that she was unscathed. Very dirty from the smoke, but there was no sign that would show her being burned to death. But he knew what it was. The amount of smoke had taken her, and he couldn't be completely sure, but the situation seemed to say that she had charged into the house to save those kids. Why would the Man in the Moon send him there? Was he supposed to save Morgan and was too late? Is that what it was? Jack always thought if he was going to be the reason she died, it would be the cold. But it was the exact opposite. It was the highest heat that took her life. She was warmth in his life, she made him know what it was like to experience something other than the cold, and it was warmth that ended her life. And now Jack's world was cold once more.

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**I cannot remember the last time I went through and typed a chapter without stopping once to think. My fingers just kept on going. This chapter has been writing itself in my head since Morgan and Pitch. And I really apologize if there were any tears. I SWEAR to you this story is not over though. This is not the end. I still have several chapters to go. So keep writing. I've got good stuff coming :) See you guys later!**


	133. Spirits Awakening

**Okay so after that very heart wrenching chapter, here's another one that I hope will make everyone feel a bit better.**

* * *

Nobody had ever found the body, but the children's reports and finding Julius in front of the house had confirmed she was there. The police had gathered reports from the kids and the Barrys. They collected the story and the report of how Julius had led her to the house and Morgan had jumped into to save the kids made International news. The link between Morgan Barry who saved two kids from being burned alive with the help of her faithful pooch and Morgan Kenter who went off to Europe just because had been made through the news, and it seemed that not just the communities of Harrisburg and Philadelphia grieved, but many people around the world did as well. Sites went up dedicated to her and people still considered her insane, whereas others held her on the highest pedestal and claimed she just knew things no one else knew and was almost superhuman in that respects. Jack knew she wasn't superhuman – she just saw.

What he couldn't understand was how her body was never found. He had left her on the snowbank to be found, but no one did. Not a single car that passed, none of the houses in the area released anything about the finding of a body. Instead, it was assumed the body must have been burnt to a crisp and disintegrated into ash. But Jack knew better. He had seen her and knew her body was right there. How was it possible she had not been found when she was out in the open?

The Bennetts kept trying to get his attention, Ms. Bennett grew worried for him, Jamie kept asking him to hang out and Sophie wanted to talk but he would do neither. Bunny would pop up and try to get him to the Warren to distract him but he never wanted any of it. Being around Tooth lifted his spirits a little because she was always so cheerful, but his mind was never completely taken off of what happened. Sandy tried to have conversations with him, but it was hard to talk to him and North wanted to ice carving contests. As fun as it sounded, his heart wasn't into it. He even canceled his online business until further notice. He hadn't wanted anything to do with it. The people he wanted to be around most were Linda, and Morgan's family, especially her young children. He kept watch on them almost every night. Hamilton cried out for her at night. Elizabeth was frustrated, not understanding why her mother was no longer there and Nathan tried his best to sooth her, but it was so hard. He had some idea of death, but all she knew was that she was never coming back. When Nathan finally left Elizabeth's bed for his own, he would cry himself to sleep at night. Jack would sneak into their room and some days they would play games and everything almost felt okay again, but then there would be nights when no one could stop crying. Many times they asked to sleep with their father, all three of them aggrieved. Often they had very sleepless nights. The house was missing more than just Morgan. It lacked life. It lacked light, and it was replaced by the darkness and trauma of their minds.

On an especially torturous night for Elizabeth, he stayed by her side, holding up his staff. His blue hood was pulled up over his face and he held in his hand the picture she had drawn of him over ten years ago. It's edges were worn and frayed and the paper yellowing, but her artistic ability was still there. Another iced teardrop shattered when it hit the paper and he shook his head, folding it back into his pocket. Nothing in the felt every felt like this. He had experienced great pain, but there was never anything that equaled the stabbing poison that ached his chest and burst out into tiny fragments around his body. Elizabeth stirred and moaned and he stood up in an alert. A spiral of black sand circled her head and Jack bolted towards her, shaking her til she woke. When she did snap her eyes open, she screamed for her mother and began to cry furiously.

"Hey, hey it's okay!" he shushed, letting the toddler clamor into his arms. He bounced her comfortingly and she choked back the tears that began to form. "It was just a dream, I promise... that's all..." But he kept his alert eyes darting around the room, searching for the malevolent shadow. Elizabeth clung to his jacket and he covered her eyes when a dark spot rose from below the bed and grew to take the physique of a cloaked man. Pitch looked at Jack, who braced his staff and ready to fight him. But Pitch did not look at him threateningly. Instead he looked sadly on the small girl Jack was holding and turned his frown even further down. His golden eyes lacked their luster and he arched his shoulders in a somber stature.

"Jack, I'm not here to hurt her," he said quickly when his usual enemy prepared to fight.

"And I'm the Snow Queen," he remarked sarcastically.

"No, no, really Jack. I'm not! Not this time. For once I have no interest in terrorizing children. I'm just wondering." Jack kept up his guard, but could feel the emittance of Pitch's sadness and dropped his staff slightly. He raised his eyebrow and Pitch began to speak. "I remember the projection of fear in a fire. And I felt Morgan's fear. But I can't sense her fear now. And now the dreams in this house and Morgan's house... why are their nightmares filled with Morgan's death? Not sharks or heights or public speaking. All of the images in their dreams are the same. Why is that?" Jack lowered his staff more.

"Morgan's dead, Pitch. She died in that fire. I personally saw her body." Pitch nodded and dropped his head.

"I won't bother this house for a while," he told him with genuine remorse. The shadow flattened again and disappeared under the bed. Elizabeth kept her grip around Jack's neck and muttered cautiously.

"You'll be fine," Jack promised. "There won't be any other nightmares for a while..."

"Jack stay?"

"Yes, I'll stay and keep an eye on you." Jack placed her back in the bed and tucked her eye, leaving a mark of snowflake on her head when he kissed her. It quickly disappeared but it brought a grin on Elizabeth's face.

"Sad..." she pouted.

"I know, Bess, I know..." he muttered, taking up the private nickname Morgan had for Elizabeth. He crawled onto the foot of her bed and she giggled. He smirked and used his stick to poke at her feet.

"Tickle!"

"You'll be okay though, you know why?"

"Nuh uh."

"Because you were named for one of the strongest women in the world, a woman your mother adored."

"Strong? Who?" Jack smiled.

"A long long time ago, there was a princess born to the King and Queen of England..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With no body to burn or cremate, the funeral was more of a memorial service. At the front, on the altar of the church were items of her most beloved possessions. Her Anne Boleyn necklace Jack had gotten her long ago was among them. They were to be buried in the cemetery instead of her body. Jack felt horrible. It seemed wrong to deny everyone the last chance to say goodbye, but it couldn't be helped. The church was filled with hundreds of people. Some of them faces he had seen in Morgan's life, some of them he even knew the names of. Some were people from high school, some were from college, some were from work. There was Dennis, her coworker. There was Phyllis, from her old job. Brianne, her old friend from elementary school arrived with a little boy on her hip. There was Heather from Cooking in high school. A few teachers had arrived as well. Morgan's old loves were even there. Tristan had come to visit, Liam was there. Seeing the faces of those he had not seen for so long only kept telling him about how real this was. They were gathering to say their goodbyes, but to objects rather than a body. Ross had his arm around Linda who could not stop sobbing, and she worried about the effect her cries would have on her very plump stomach and the baby inside. Her children were beside themselves, Mallory, the oldest, attempting to comfort them. Aubrey's old children, and Todd's only child were together, sobbing for the important girl.

Bradley surprised him with a hug, but Jack couldn't lift his arms to return it. Brad looked up and frowned when he saw Jack's face. This grief aged him far more than anything else ever appeared to. His solemness gave him a look of twenty-five, of a young man who had seen too many horrors to even speak of. Brad knew this was all because he had lost the one woman in his life he truly cared for. Fifteen years he had carried love for Morgan and now he would need to find somewhere to put it, but there was nothing else that fit the shape of his love. It only ever fit with Morgan.

"I'm sorry," was all Bradley could say. "I know how much she meant to you."

"Me?" he chuckled, but it was painful to. "No. Morgan wasn't mine. Never was. She was Hamilton's. You, however. You're her brother. I can't even imagine the struggle you're going through."

"But at least some day I will die and not have to worry about it," he snapped, and Jack winced at his dark comment, as true as it was. "I can't even imagine going through eternity with that kind of pain." Brad meant well, but his comment did nothing to help Jack. He smiled and Brad moved on to join the rest of his family, all sobbing in various tones. Mr. Kenter was very still, his emotion hidden in his stoic demeanor. Mrs. Kenter was bawling. Aubrey kept taking sharp, stiff cries. Todd went back and forth between calm and hysteric crying. Peter was shaking with his struggle of keeping it in, and Brad joined Max to weep into his shirt.

"Are you sure you don't need anything, mate?" asked a compassionate voice behind him.

"No, Bunny," he growled. Jack spun to look at the group of Guardians behind him, and Cupid standing nearby. "I appreciate but nothing can be done, all right? I'm just going to sit here with my heart throbbing and listen to the service. And then, I'm going to do what I have always done and be there for the children. They're going to need it." He glared poisonous death at Cupid. "And you better not be hear to pick someone up!"

"Jackie, give me a break, I have some class!" Cupid defended. "I pick people up at weddings, not funerals!" Jack abandoned the group who was standing off the side, shuffling in the corner as the service began. He joined the Bennetts and Sophie took his hand, brushing her thumb along the skin on his palm. He shut his eyes and attempting to will away the deadening of his soul, but it only sunk deeper. His body kept alternating between complete numbness and the most excruciating agony he had ever experienced. Right now, he felt dull, but the fierce sharpness of agony was approaching.

The service began, and it started with the family of the house that had been burned. In some ways, they were more emotional than anyone else was. The parents had been at the store and left their daughter to watch her brother for a couple of hours. Andrew had plugged a little too much into the outlet and it started the fire in his room. They even commended the dog, who had been the reason Morgan discovered the house in the first place, and then they gave their most appreciative thanks to the Barrys. Because of Morgan, their children were alive. Even with the fire department reaching as quick as they did, it may not have been quick enough before little Andrew was gone. She had displayed true heroism, as shown by the city medal she had been given and was placed at the alter beside her picture. Jack sighed when he looked at her smiling face, her curls falling delicately onto her shoulder. She was wearing the Anne Boleyn necklace in that. It was one of her favorite pieces of jewelry and he was so proud of that fact.

Jack apologized to his family, that he needed a moment. He ran out of the side door so he wouldn't disturb anyone with him seemingly ghostly qualities and panted heavily when he entered the gathering area of the church. Heart pounding with blood leaking from its cracks, Jack pushed aside the doors and glared at the moon. It was daytime, but it was always there and could always hear him, even if it was on the other side of the world.

"I don't understand!" he screamed outside. "Why the hell did you give me this address?! Why did you send me to her when she was already dead?! I couldn't have saved her! There was no possible way! I thought we were protectors! We're Guardians! What was the point?!" When there was no answer, it only made him angrier. "And why do you never say anything?! Every! For once, just speak! For God's sake, Manny! I thought you wanted me to save her! But I didn't save her, did I?"

"Actually you did." The gentle voice of so many memories and times gone by made him pivot around, holding his staff high instinctively. Jack's eyes softened, his pupils dilated. His mouth dropped to form an O. And he looked at her, standing exactly like that for a full minute. She was completely clean, her skin unmarred. A purple tunic wrapped around her, its long sheer bishop sleeves showing no damage from the fire. Her vintage leather corset belt was snugly pressed around her middle. Her cream toned leggings with the dark brown bows on the side of them silhouetted her legs perfectly. A London blue topaz drop pendant hung from her neck. Her nutmeg hair swung loosely around her neck, her gentle eyes of comforting brown looking at him hopefully. She looked exactly as he had found her, except she was a lot cleaner and he noticed the nasty burn was gone. Except, of course, she also had a few additions. She had boots with singe marks on them and there was an old fashioned wine skin canteen swung across her shoulders. In one hand she held a long stemmed Hosta plant, it's pastel violet bells wide open. Which was weird because Hosta flowers didn't bloom until June, and it was the end of February.

"Hello Jack," she laughed. But Jack was suspicious. He walked over to her and circled. She rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for him to finish. She certainly acted like the Morgan he knew, but the Morgan he knew was dead. He saw it himself.

"I must be going crazy..." he whispered.

"No, but I am!" she snarled and he leapt back.

"Okay, you're Morgan, I believe it!" he said quickly, and then his heart stirred with the most ecstatic energy he felt through his icy veins. He bounced around and scooped her up. She laughed when he took her and planted several kisses across her face. "How did I, you were dead, what happened, everyone is at... the funeral. Come on, you need to tell everyone you're alive! Hamilton will be so happy to see you!"

"Jack." She dropped her fingers from his hand. "I can't." At the mention of Hamilton's name, she turned towards the window and gazed out at the street. She looked on the passing cars and sighed wistfully as they zoomed on.

"What do you mean you can't? You can just walk in there and-"

"You're kind of stupid sometimes," she said, with more an affection to her voice than insult. "I've tried. It took me a while to realize it, but I did die. I really did die." Her words worked through Jack's mind and he thought about her words carefully. They still did not make sense to him. "Can't you tell by looking at me? Look at me and tell me I don't look different. Look at my arm. Not a single scratch. Except for my boots, which I went back and grabbed, I have no mark of ash."

"I don't understand," he said to her. "What does that mean?" She rolled her eyes again and threw up her arms in irritation.

"Jack. I'm a spirit. I'm like you."

"Wait, so... you're like... me?"

"Not a Guardian, that is," she corrected. "But I'm a spirit. The first four days, I didn't understand. But I was quick. When people walked right through me and I discovered I had powers and that no one in my own house could see me... I figured it out. My knowledge of the word previous gave me a good amount to go off of. I'm going to stay like this forever. I'm going to remain young. I'm going to watch out for kids while they run through me and I search for my purpose and I struggle so hard to get them to believe in me. I'm going to watch my kids grow up, get married, have kids, get old, and die. I'm going to watch my family suffer and live their life without me. I'm going to watch Linda and be concerned about her going through another wave of depression. I'm going to watch Hamilton..." she said his name and turned the ring on her hand. "Um... I'm going to watch him fall in love with someone else and marry her and maybe have more kids. And then he'll die. Everyone I love will die. And I'll still be here, stuck at twenty-eight." While Jack was overjoyed to hear she was like him, while she spoke it occurred to him that maybe this was not the joyous occasion he thought it was. Morgan was alive, but she was only alive to him. She was going to suffer what he missed because he didn't know who he was. She was going to watch her family grow old and die, and it was clear she wasn't happy about it.

"I'll help you," he immediately said. "I can get your kids to see you, and then you can be in their life again."

"I'll still standby while they get old, Jack." There was nothing he could say against that. He could not deny that was exactly what would happen. He shrugged and looked up at her, and took her hand.

"So you're a spirit."

"Yeah. The Man in the Moon turned me."

"And you wish he didn't?"

"Well... I'm not actually sure," she sighed, pulling her hand away from his. "I mean, I've been thinking and... well... I'm afraid of the future and what I will see, but maybe this was him saving me. Even though the end isn't pretty, this way I can watch my kids get older and go through all their milestones. I can still be a part of their lives, especially if I can get them to believe. But... Hamilton..." Her voice cracked when she said his name. Water droplets streamed down her face and the biggest bell of the Hosta flower began to weep as well. He arched his brow at it.

"You said you had abilities," he remembered. Morgan snapped back to the present and nodded, lifting the Hosta plant.

"When I woke up, this was next to me. I picked it, curious by it and as I remembered the kids and my emotions came out, this also started to leak water. If my emotions are a mess or if I will it too, I can get spray water, like a shower. And sometimes I store it in this canteen. If my emotions are out of whack, like they were the other day, I can create mist and fog. Anything to do with moisture and humidity, really, it seems I can do."

"I saved you?" Morgan smiled genuinely, and he couldn't resist smirking back at her.

"If you hadn't moved me I would have been burnt to a crisp and the Man in the Moon couldn't have changed me and saved me. He gave you that address so he could do so. You did save me, Jack. Just like you always have." He allowed his chest to grow robust with pride. "But I look at Hamilton and think about how we can never be... and God. I did that to you Jack. And I now realize what a horrendous thing I put you through. I don't know how I could ever apologize for it, but I am so sorry. Never have I been sorry in my entire life but... but... I love Hamilton. Still do. God, it burns me to know... we can't..." Her tears came steadily now and as the flower cried with her, she unscrewed the cap on her wine skin and let the water fall from the flower into into container. Jack hugged her tightly and hushed quietly, using the methods he had constantly been using on her own children. He rubbed her back, and Morgan found it was surprisingly warm despite his freezing hands. She leaned her body further into it, enjoying how it felt to finally be touched like this again. It was a really nice thing to feel after spending several days trying to get someone to see you.

"Listen, it's hard. I know it's hard. And it's going to be harder for you because you remember your life. I didn't. But it will also be easier in some ways. For three hundred years I didn't have anyone who could see, and those who could weren't my friends. You already have several, Morgan, and we're going to make this transition easier than it was for any of us."

* * *

**So how do you guys all feel now? It seems like some people actually didn't know this was coming, although I thought it was pretty obvious. Let me know your thoughts :) See you guys tomorrow for another update! Rosie out.**


	134. Believe in Yourself

**I know some of you like the notes but I got nothing for you tonight :/ Sorry!**

* * *

Five minutes of standing around in the sanctuary made up Morgan's mind that she did not want to attend her own funeral. Many times, in their teen years, Jack remembered Linda and Morgan sitting around and wondering what everyone would say at their funerals. Despite what she had said before, her curiosity was drowned by the suffocation of her heart when she listened to people stand up and share memories of her. Linda was difficult to sit through, when she shared her testimony about how Morgan saved her not just the time she tried to kill herself, but also the day they met in the bathroom in junior high. But it was when Hamilton stood up and shared his story about when he first saw Morgan at college and decided she was the one he wanted to pursue and how he adored how she chased him that time after the masquerade dance. He kept on, but Morgan refused to listen to anymore. She abandoned the church and the delay on her tears released as Jack walked along with her, trying to find something to say to her.

"I'm a widow..." she whispered when she took a breath between her sobs. Jack pushed his hands in the front pocket of his sweatshirt. "I think I am anyway... is that it? I don't know how this works when you're... a spirit. Hamilton's a widower so I'm a widow... I think. This is so confusing."

"I got nothing for you," Jack told her sympathetically.

"When that first person charged through me... I think that was the most..." she bit her lip. "I panicked." Jack nodded in understanding. "In the back of my mind I already knew but... I went to my house, and Hamilton was screaming at the phone/ I had never seen him so devastated. And Elizabeth plowed on right through me. I knew then... I didn't make it. And I felt like I had died all over again. There was a loud rip in me and I don't know how I didn't just have a heart attack. I have never felt just anguished agony. The first thing I did was charge outside and scream at the Man in the Moon. That was when he delivered the message to me. It's weird, I thought... I thought talking to the moon would be more like telepathy. Like he would speak in your head. Instead it was more like I received answers. I suddenly just knew, and I just knew it was the Moon who told me them. It's not really talking, it's like instant knowledge..." Jack smirked and nodded again.

"Yeah, that's how he works... unless you're North and you have a fancy pillar that emerges from the ground." Morgan snickered. She kicked aside a clump of snow as she trudged along. She turned over the stock with the bell shaped flowers on it, looking at it with wonder

"I don't understand," she whispered. "This was in full bloom, and right next to me. Obviously, it was meant for me to use, but I don't understand what I'm supposed to do with it. My abilities have to do with water, that makes sense, but we've had the rain for years. And fog, and mist."

"Well, it has been pretty dry the last year or so. Very little mist and fog."

"Hmm..." Morgan held out the flower and squeezed the back of it, yelping when a shower stuck to the snow and then crystallized upon impact.

"You should have seen me when I discovered I controlled frost," he encouraged. "I was a little clumsy."

"I can't believe he's gone..." Morgan turned the ring on her finger again, frowning at it's appearance. "My family. Elizabeth, Nathan. Hamilton..." Jack's chest clenched when he watched Morgan gaze at the metal circling her finger. The reflective shine of it dropped even more sadness into her eyes. Eventually she sighed and tried to hide her hand behind her back so she would no longer need to look at it. "Well, what now? I mean, I'm doomed to sort of wander around and wait for kids to believe in me? I try to discover what I am and what I do? Some soul searching? God, I have no idea... I know who you are and what you do, but never in a million years did I think – I thought I would live my life loving and arguing with my husband, spending time with my family, struggling with my family, battling with my kids in their teen years, grow old, die in my husband's arms... No. Instead I die in a fire. A fire. I mean really? Out of all the ways to die-"

"You didn't die of the fire, you died from the smoke," Jack corrected, sliding the end of his staff across the street as they walked. "And besides, freezing to death isn't much better."

"At least you're completely numb an can't feel anything. All I felt was the burning, and the bite of the heat. It was like the fire was eating me alive, like it was a creature. All the cold did was chill your bones til you got so cold you were numb and could no longer feel it."

"But the process of getting there hurts-" Morgan interrupted the sound argument he had been prepared to present with her buckling guffawing. He cocked his head with confused amusement as she proceeded to laugh.

"Are we seriously discussing whether or not we would rather die by burning alive or freezing to death?" she cackled, and Jack smirked. "I feel like it's a slumber party again..."

"Oh I remember slumber parties with you and Linda..." he muttered darkly as they passed a small antique shop that Morgan frequented. It sent a sharp slice through her gut to realize she would never be able to step through there normally again.

"No, you remember slumber parties with just you and me. And ew, Jack, I'm married. Well... I guess... never mind..." Jack tugged at her arm and pulled her towards the sidewalk. For a moment they stood by and watched the vehicles zoom past. Not a single one stopped to look. A few strangers stepped through them on the street. With each person who Morgan felt glide on past her body, she felt the tingles worsen. The tickle grew stronger, and the heaviness continued to weigh her down. Her soul sunk into her when it occurred to her none of these people could see her. Jack shrugged, obviously used to it.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" he asked. Morgan nodded. He held out his hand, waiting for to accept it. She shook her head and instead pushed his hand aside so she could wrap her arms around his chest and clung to him tightly. He smiled and dropped his free hand around her shoulders to ensure a firm grip. Looking up the heavens, the wind charged on through and the two of them sailed off through the air.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I cannot believe you kept it," Morgan whispered, running through the interior of the House at the North. Jack took it as a compliment, the way she twirled through the various themed rooms, gasping with each knew sight she took in. Jack kept his eyes on her, admiring the way she seemed to take up that human joy once again, leaping and bounding with anticipation. He felt that electric surge in him that buzzed through him and created that warmth he remembered so well when they were young and together. The way her flawless curls sashayed as she moved and her face caught up with the fascination of everything. The glow pulled at the edges of her smile and he saw a glimmer of the Morgan he knew. He recognized the traces of the child from so long ago, and it was hidden in her hope, her wonder, her memories, her dreams, and her fun. "Jack... even after we... as I-"

"It's a symbol, Morgan. It was built for you, and even though we ended that doesn't mean you did. Nor did it mean... I stopped caring for you the same way. Why should that mean, after all the work put into it, that I would commission it to be destroyed? It was for you, Morgs. It always was. And now, as you begin your new life, maybe it will serve as sort of a resting place for you. A transition from your human life into your spirit life. At least it will give you some sort of familiarity."

"I could kiss you," she cooed gratefully.

"I wouldn't complain if you did," he said in jest, but Morgan read the truth behind it. She pursed her lips together and gave him a look of sympathy.

"Jack, I really hope you don't think... just because I'm like you-"

"Your husband isn't the only who lost a spouse, I know," he continued. "I get, trust me. I don't expect to be with you any more than I did when you were human and married." Even so, Jack reached to touch her face, as a lover would to their dearest one. Morgan didn't seem repulsed by his touch, but she did slip away from it. She turned her body in the direction of the living room and pulled her legs up to her chest on the couch. She prodded at the stack of books on the coffee table. They weren't real, just there for decoration, but they could easily fool someone. "If there was a way I could – if they knew I... They would never believe it," she pouted. "I'm dead to all of them. No one would believe it..."

"Is it important they see you?" Jack wondered, taking the spot on the couch beside her. For a moment they sat in the silence while Morgan took in the detail on the large tapestries that adorned the walls of the Tudor home themed living room. She shifted her head so she buried her eyes and mouth into her knees, and Jack heard a muffled yes through the starter of tears. "All right then! We'll do it!"

"Wha...?"

"There are things we should take care of first. I don't think we should jump into this. For starters, you need some rest."

"I thought you said you didn't need to sleep."

"We don't, but that doesn't mean we can't. Plus, sleeping still does help reenergize us. We still get worn out, exhausted if the day has been really strenuous, and if you've been awake the past few days while still struggling to figure everything out and seeing your own funeral, I can only imagine that you are exhausted from everything. Some sleep would do you good. Plus, I remember a young lady who would sleep twelve hours a day some times and claimed that sleeping was the best free thing life could offer aside from the samples of fudge at the mall." Morgan snickered at his memorable comment. Her heart pulled in his direction a little and she watched the charm on his face embrace him. Her body went numb and a part of her wondered what would have happened if they picked up their relationship where they left off. He was still just as handsome, just as sweet, and he had the thrive of a child that was bursting with energy. But often, when they were alone, he put on this new demeanor. When they were having fun he could be just as childish as all the other times, but his serious nature and rare maturity really peaked when she was around him. He seemed like an adult. It was so strange to think about how his attitude determined the age he looked to her. Right now, he looked like he was just a few years younger than her. If he found himself around her kids again, that age would quickly be cut in half. How did he do it? Was it a Jack thing or a Guardian of Fun thing?

"You need sleep," he continued and he lifted her up by her hands. He led her to the room in the style of Victorian, the one that was supposed to belong to the both of them. Morgan did not argue. She simply took two steps and them and slumped onto the mattress, spooning the mess of pillows. He chuckled quietly and then shut the door behind her just as her snores began to sound.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So you have a canteen and a flower and you control mist and fog?" Bunny repeated at the emergency meeting Jack had North summon at the Pole. When they had all gotten together and Jack revealed that Morgan was alive again in spirit form, Bunny looked distracted. Sandy was glad. North was surprised, and Tooth greeted her excitedly like a long lost friend. None of them ever seemed to react the same to anything it seemed.

"Yeah, I don't really know what means. And the heat seemed to be affected by the moisture too," Morgan explained. She felt like she was being interrogated, surrounded by all this figures as she swiveled in a chair in the center. She tried to focus more on the way the chair squeaked when she turned.

"There was flower too!" North remembered proudly. Sandy suggested a sun.

"Heat... summer! Rain! Water!" Tooth guessed as the pictures above his head changed. "Hey, we had a dry summer last year! The spirit who controlled the summer moisture just gave up and was sick of getting no recognition. Everything is always about science when it comes to that stuff and no one tells the children. Maybe you're his replacement!"

"Replacement?" Morgan repeated.

"Yeah. Last few years didn't want to splash dew drops all over the grass. Said it was tricky making it leave just a few on the grass. But he went crazy with the humidity." Morgan bit her lip in contemplation, but North drew her attention away.

"So Morgan is summer spirit? But we have summer spirit!"

"Open your ears a bit, mate," Bunny said. "She is not in charge of the summer, she controls the humidity and what I brings. Mist, air moisture, fog, dew drops."

"Not really the most glamorous of jobs," Morgan sighed. "But I guess that's what it is. Not the stuff of legends, anyway."

"Is still important!" North declared. "Okay, Morgan, you must learn that if you want to interact with world a little, it will be very difficult. Getting people to believe in you is hard, as I am sure Jack has said. But you have help now! Even so, can be very painful to acknowledge you will go on and they will die."

"Not helping, North," Tooth warned and then fluttered over to her. She sweetly crossed her legs and then placed a delicate hand on Morgan's back. "Look, becoming a spirit is a rough process. It's okay to be nervous or scared or confused. You can't go back to the life you had and that can lead to strong emotions. It can be exhausting trying to keep up with it all and you can get angry even. You can start to resent everything and not understand how this will help you or anyone else, but it will pass and it will get better. And as North said, you are not alone. Just know we're all here. We all went into this alone. You, at least, have come help. The stages of grief apply to this situation as well and you will experience many of them. But it's okay, I promise. You'll be all right." Morgan looked to the hummingbird fairy with genuine adoration for her gift of talking to her and relating so well. She fumbled with a stray strand of hair, trying to take in everything Tooth said.

"Can I ask...?" Morgan started. "Why was I chosen? Why did the Man in the Moon save me? What good am I here? Why not just let me to die?"

"You performed an act of bravery and demonstrated how you will put your own life on the line to make sure children are safe," Jack explained. It sounded rehearsed, like he had been working together on that line for a very long time. Morgan looked up at him suspiciously.

"But I wasn't made a Guardian. Isn't that really a Guardian thing? Showing you will protect children?"

"Jack was not Guardian for three hundred years. Just made trouble," North loudly laughed.

"There was an important reason he saved you, Morgan," Tooth said as Bunny chomped down on a carrot he had stashed away somewhere. "Manny doesn't always let us his reasons, but they are always good."

"He usually doesn't tell us his reasons," Jack scoffed, and then retreated from where he was lounging to take Morgan's hand. "Okay, meeting adjoined?"

"Where do you think you go?" North asked with a accusing tone to his voice. Jack shrugged and chuckled.

"I'm taking Morgan to see her family. Right now, I think she needs belief in herself more than anyone else. And that starts with her being seen." Jack didn't wait for anyone's input. He simply whipped Morgan away from the Workshop and pulled her along the blankets of white earth while she pulled herself into a hug to keep herself away from the cold as much as possible. Jack always forgot how cold things were to people and he stepped back.

"I'm fine!" she assured through chattering teeth. "I just... need to catch up. Where are we going? Who are we going to see?"

"Someone I know could never stop believing in you."

"Who would that be?" Jack grinned mischievously.

"Linda."

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**Update tomorrow! See you guys then! :) Love ya.**


	135. Discovering Her Spirit

**So why do bookworms buy more books than they can read? I bought three today and I cannot even think about when i will read them in the near future because I have a whole bunch of others I need to read. Anyway, today was my day off so here's a treat for you!**

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Watching the shadows pass by the windows of the Lichter house made Morgan feel incredibly awkward. She felt intrusive and it occurred to her how many times Jack had done this with kids, watching their families and looking on with longing for something like that. She turned to Jack, who was lounging against the back of the large tree and dangling his one foot off the branch.

"Didn't you ever feel strange watching all those families?" she asked. They were trying to wait for the kids to go to bed. It would be best to get Linda alone.

"A little, I guess. Especially at first," he said to her. "But it was more sad than anything. Some families were just fantastic and the way they acted and spent time together and all the laughs they shared, I returned to them just to watch again and again. That was the kind of family I wanted. You could tell they truly loved each other. But then there were families I..." His voice caught in his throat as memories stirred his emotions. "The things I've seen, they really boiled me. I think one of the first things I ever saw was a man bring in a woman who wasn't his wife. I figured out where it was going immediately and left, but it happened with other families, men and women, time after time. I just couldn't understand why you would do that to someone you loved and made the ultimate promise for them to be the only one. I watched as families screamed at each other and flung insults. I watched families torn over divorce. I watched families fall apart over deaths. The worst part of everything though was watching the kids suffer through so much. Do you understanding how devastating it is to watch a kid cry over things they experienced the first time? Often the first thing to hit them is death, whether it be because of a grandparent or a pet, who often are their best friends." Morgan clenched her knuckles on the tree branch. Jack offered her a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Julius still has a long life. If it's old age that takes him, most likely they'll be teenagers before he goes. Brittanys live fourteen to fifteen years." Morgan relaxed her hands but her face was still tight with worry. "And then it just gets worse as they get older. That's just the beginnings of their loss of innocence. Death, Divorce, learning about the cruelties of the world. They get old enough to fall in love, hearts break, they become self conscious. In some cases there's depression and some are so bad they try to take their own life. They battle with bullying and trying to be noticed in school. Then they discover sex and some people are careless about me. Some get into drugs, and alcohol... growing up in this day and age really sucks."

"Being a teenager in the days of the Plague probably wasn't so much fun either," Morgan pointed out and Jack rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay, so it's never been fun. The things kids get involved in has just changed," he complied. "But the worst things I ever saw were the... really disturbed parents." Morgan kicked her legs impatiently while she listened to his story. The pit in her stomach hardened when she considered what he could have meant.

"You mean like... abuse?" she squeaked hesitantly.

"There was a time when I just... got a little violent," he continued. He clenched his fingers around the length of his hook, his rage beginning to heat up. "Sometimes the kids got... I just couldn't stand to watch the kids get..."

"Smacked around?" Morgan guessed, understanding what direction he was headed in. He unclenched his fists and relaxed his shoulders, trying to push off the creeping anger, then nodded. "There was more than that I saw though. Protecting children... I had been doing it even before I was a Guardian. It's just that... it's more than warding off the Boogeyman. In some ways I would almost say it's worse, some of the stuff that happens. The problem with Pitch is when he feeds fear into them, they lose their belief and that makes us lose our power and it's hard for us to fight against evil. There were times I even saw... parents... aunts, uncles... friends of the parents even. Adults... they..." Jack turned away from her and placed his free hand against the bark of the tree. It crunched under the explosion of ice he emitted under it.

"Jack, you're making it snow..." Morgan said as the lightest of flurries began to drift around them.

"Sorry I just... when I saw them..."

"Saw them what?"

"Enter the kids' bedrooms really late at night..."

"Oh shit," Morgan whispered, her stomach tightening at what he implied.

"Some of this stuff out there Morgan... the stuff you see, it's really hard to take. There are times when you just want to forsake everything that means it be a spirit and crush the souls of those who mean to do harm."

"But why tell me this?" she asked, waiting for her muscles to loosen after hearing his atrocious news about what went on in the homes of the families he liked to observe. "I'm not going to be watching those families. Just my own."

"But Morgan, if you're a spirit, then the Man in the Moon wanted you for something."

"I'm not a Guardian!" she hissed loudly, leaping up so she was standing steady on the tree branch. She looked down and was impressed to see her balance seemed to be retained perfectly on the thin tree limb. "I may have been chosen as a spirit but as far as I understand, Guardians are the ones who are specially selected to be the protector of children! I may have saved those kids but I am not essentially to the pack! I am not a Guardian!"

"Three hundred years passed for me," he said.

"I don't want to be one though! I don't want anything to do with this!" she screamed. "I'm a spirit who remembers everything from her adult life! I was given the absolute worst afterlife! If I simply died that would be it and everything would be gone and I would have no pain, physical or emotional, and it would be fine! If I had lost my memory like you, I would not have all this torment on me and be carefree, none the wiser! Instead I'm stuck. I'm separated from my family but I remember everything, and that hurts so bad Jack! I just wish Manny hadn't saved me! He should have let me die!"

"Losing your memory is just as painful," Jack told her calmly. "And you don't know what being a spirit will do to you and how it will benefit those on Earth. This could be the best thing anyone has ever done to you."

"I don't see anything happening to it besides heartbreak and spiraling into insanity!" Morgan declared, just as the lights went off in each of the kids' rooms. Jack pulled Morgan along, around to downstairs where another light had gone. Moving in a lethargic motion, Linda could be seen through the large window, picking up the pillows and throwing them against the couch. The color in her face was so drained she almost looked completely grey in complexion. Her long black hair had fallen from the clip that tied it back and she was devoid of that bubbly emotion that made up so much of her. There was no way this was Linda. She didn't even look the same. Jack grabbed Morgan's arm and dragged her behind him til they reached the grass. She waited patiently as the boy in front of her tapped on the glass. Linda looked up but didn't smile. She point in the direction of the kitchen and they two of them whirled around to the other side of the house, where Linda pushed opened a sliding glass door. Morgan slipped in behind him and resided in the corner near the cabinets. She examined the stack of envelopes that were addressed by hand, all of the shape and size of some type of greeting card. Beside the small obituary, she wondered if the were sympathy cards from her family members and people at work. It was so weird to see her own face on a card that marked the date of her death when she was standing right there.

"Jack," Linda said, her forced smile looking strange on her distressed expression. The grieving friend stepped forward and took Jack into an embrace. The length of the hug told Morgan she was trying to soak up as much affection and attention as was possible. Morgan wanted to cry. She did this to her. Maybe saving those kids wasn't the greatest of ideas, but that was selfish and she knew that beyond the heavy remorse Linda was proud of what she did. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, actually," he smiled and Linda drew back in astonishment.

"Um... well, that's good..." Linda didn't sound too pleased he sounded so well after Morgan's death, but then again she didn't sound pleased about anything in her life.

"No, Linda. You need to listen to me, okay?" he said, and the woman looked up at him. "This is important. It has to do with Morgan."

"I don't really want to talk about her..."

"Yes, you do," he chuckled and Linda presented him with a look of disgust. "Trust me." She scooted out a chair and sat patiently, but not at all pleased. Morgan thought about how she and Linda could both share in on a joke right now. Morgan, with her knowledge of history and Linda with her fascination of Doctor Who would both chime in on how Linda was not amused. In her former life it would have been hilarious. "Okay Linds, do you know how her body wasn't found in the fire?"

"Yes," Linda moaned. "Burned to ash."

"It wasn't."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jack." Her tone sounded sympathetic rather than condescending. "I know it's hard to accept, but denial is one of the stages of grief, okay? Morgan is gone." She walked closer towards Linda to investigate her sullen expression. Jack rubbed Morgan's back, giving her a look to be patient. She sighed.

"No. I mean I was there. I moved her body. And then I returned it on the snowbank later so that someone would find her..." Linda watched Jack's gesticulations carefully. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped in slow motion.

"Are you... are you telling me she's... Jackson Overland Frost this is vital information!" she cried with fury. "ARE YOU SAYING THAT SHE'S ALIVE JUST MISSING IN ACTION?! WHAT THE HELL, JACK?! WHY WOULD YOU-"

"No, no, Linda I don't mean that!" he interrupted quickly as she closed in on him and backed him towards the stove. He plastered his hands against the edges of the counter as he tried to keep his composure as he faced her. "LISTEN! When I found Morgan she was gone. Is gone. She died of smoke inhalation. There was no way of saving her. At the same time I did save her. Because I moved her, her body was saved and the Moon could change her!"

"THE MOON COULD CHANGE HER?!" Linda screamed, and then she softened her face, thinking about what he had just said. She inhaled deeply through her thoughts and then her eyebrows raised with hopeful anticipation. "Are you telling me that Morgan is a Guardian?! Like you?!"

"No, no she's not. But she's like what I was before I was a Guardian. She's a spirit."

"So Morgan is out there right now and she can live eternally and she has powers and will never age – oh my God she's lucky, she'll never get old or wrinkly or go grey – and she can watch over everyone and she's kind of, sort of, alive?!"

"What's even more," he laughed. "She's standing right behind you." By now Linda had gone completely white. She stared blankly at head of her, only half blinking even, and then she turned on her heel to see where Morgan was standing. By the change in her eyes and the tried to smile through the sudden attack of tears, Morgan knew she had already gained her very first believer.

"OHMYGODMYDARLING!" Linda yelled dramatically and flung herself at her friend. The two of them laughed wildly and Morgan used her sleeves to brush away the flow of water from her eyes. Linda was over elated to the point where she smothered her best friend's face with the wettest kisses that Morgan pleased to Jack for help. He stood by, letting them have their moment and allowing Morgan to suffer through Linda's intense affection. "MORGANWHYTHEHELLDIDYOUNOTAPPEARUNTILNOW?!"

"You didn't know I was a spirit and you didn't believe I was alive!" Morgan laughed. "You didn't think I existed!"

"Well for crying out, you could have at least haunted me. I mean, that would be the decent thing to do!"

"And scare your kids?"

"Hey, maybe you could have helped me get them to clean up around her. It could have worked in my favor. Actually, hey do you think-"

"I am not traumatizing your children, Linda!"

"Oh, you're not fun. Wait." She looked between Morgan and Jack suspiciously. "What do this mean for you? What does this mean for you and Hamilton?" Morgan sunk.

"I... don't know..." she softly said, twirling the ring again.

"He's devastated."

"I was at the funeral, Linda. I saw. His beautiful story forced me to leave. I couldn't see him cry."

"Sometimes I wonder if he or Jack loves you more."

"Sometimes I think he does..." Jack whispered. Both girls looked at him.

"Well, you can get him to see you."

"No, Linda, it's not... like that," Morgan told her as she slumped in her kitchen chair. "He believes there are things greater than us but nothing specific. He doesn't believe in dead spirits and would never believe in the spirit of his dead wife."

"He believed in Jack."

"No, he believed Jack was a sort of supernatural being whom I knew and ha relationship with. He didn't believe he was the ice spirit or that he was the Jack Frost. Specifics are important. He never would..."

"But he believed in you," Linda told her compassionately. "He did in your human life and he never stopped. He just needs to know you're not gone from this world, is all. You don't pour that much love and faith into someone and refuse to accept their presence around you should they come back."

"Linda, usually I find your romantic qualities endearing, but please be a realist just this once. You know of this world and it was easy for you to believe, and that's why-"

"And once again, all your intelligence and you're still wrong. Sometimes being a romantic is the realistic side. I saw you because I never lost my faith in you. I just needed to know you were out there. That's all." Morgan gave her friend a small smile and then went int for a nothing huge, gripping her fiercely. "I'm so happy you're alive. Well sort of. Undead. Wait, so are you more like a vampire or zombie?"

"Spirit, Linda."

"Got it. So zombie or vampire?"

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**I was so happy to write Linda again, it's been a while. She's such a refreshing character I think. My roomie and I want to watch a film tonight, and I do hope to get another one up but if it's anything like last night where I was falling asleep on my feet I may just pass out. Until the next update! :)**


	136. The Eyes of the Father

**I tried to get this up last night but our internet was out. So here's an early chapter for you guys!**

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It wasn't until three am when Linda started to get a little silly from sleep depravity, and Jack suggested she go to bed. Morgan was against leaving her friend behind but Linda, unlike her, needed to sleep. Jack persuaded her to leave the house and eventually he was successful in luring her out the door. With a final yell of goodbye, Linda saw her friends off, brightened by a light in her face that had been absent for several days. Morgan launched into the air, spiraling ecstatically against the air currents. Small patches of mist formed under her feet from where the water force in her met with the air and they kept her balance a hold as she weaved in and out of the way of Jack's path.

"She can see me!" Morgan giggled. "And we're still friends! It's as if our relationship hasn't changed! Jack, you are such a wonderful person, honestly, and I love you so much! Please can we see my parents! Please, I need to let them know!"

"Morgan, it's three o' clock in the morning..." he started. He wasn't too keen on the idea of visiting at that hour of the day.

"They won't care, trust me!" Morgan laughed. "If it means they get to see me again, the time doesn't matter."

"It's not going to be like Linda. They can't see me, how I am supposed to inform them that you're there?" Jack challenged, but she was bubbling with so much excitement she didn't seem to much care about the how.

"You'll come up with something! Jack, please, I need to see their faces when they believe."

"What if they don't, Morgan? Linda, yes. Linda would always believe I know that, but your parents."

"Please." She was begging now, and the desperation that strained the skin around her lips and eyes pulled her expression into one Jack could not deny. Heaving a huge sigh out of him, he agreed to take her to the old house she grew up in and she delighted in a suffocating hug from him. Zipping on past him, she led the way to her house. She stopped in front of the window where Jack had entered so many times before. Stepping into her old bedroom, with it's various pictures still hanging up in decaying frames, was almost an eerie experience. It still had the colors and the carpet of her childhood dreams. The desk she had left behind was still there, and the bed appeared untouched. Morgan had forgotten how much she had left behind when she moved in with Hamilton. It was like walking back into her own childhood, although the room was much cleaner than when she resided in it. Pausing only briefly to drink in the nostalgia, she pushed on and undid the lock on it. Her parents must have locked it after she died, and she groaned at their action. True, it made sense that were so hurt they didn't want to look into her room again but it also reflected everything they ever did and that was to ignore the painful past. Nothing ever irritated her more than to turn your back on what happened in years gone by. She glided down the halls, killing a little bit of time as she looked in the rooms. All the other rooms had been turned into guest rooms and a nursery for when they had visitors long ago. After Brad had moved in with Max, they went into full redesign mode. Morgan could tell they enjoyed being old and having the whole place to themselves.

"Morgan what are you doing?" Jack hissed as she descended the stairs, passing by the closed door at the end of the hall.

"You know how I always eat when I am nervous," she briefly explained and propped the fridge open.

"Are you seriously eating your parents food when you're supposed to be dead?!"

"I was always welcome to the fridge. Why should being dead change that? Or would you rather I develop a craving for brains?" Morgan swiped a piece of homemade cheesecake and was pleased when, unlike Jack, it didn't freeze up in her mouth. She could enjoy cheesecake just as much as she could when she was a human. And it was creamy and tangy and sweet all at once, and it helped fill the empty churn of her stomach. She made to carefully tip the plate into the sink, but it missed and smashed against the ground. She yelped when it split into five chunks and they slid across the tile floor. Jack instinctively grabbed his staff and they watched as the light upstairs went on. Morgan retained her still position, afraid he may be able to see her even though it was unnecessary. In a white t-shirt and grey boxers her father emerged, looking haggard and far older than he actually was. He made some groaning sound and hunched his back, a clicking noise being heard. Morgan grimaced, hating the sound he made when he cracked his back.

"Hello?" he said gruffly. Morgan didn't remember his voice sounding so hoarse. Did her death really affect people so much it changed them physically? Mr. Kenter stared curiously at the broken plate on the floor and Morgan uttered a nasty word that would have normally gotten her slapped when she younger. Even know, her mother would have had disapproving words with her. Fortunately, no one could hear, except Jack who do look at her sideways. "How did this break?" He began to put together the chunks and shuffle them into his hand. Morgan dropped in front of him and gazed into his eyes, the ones she shared and was proud to say it.

"Daddy, please see me." His eyes only went past her, to the wall. "Daddy, it's me..." But he kept on looking past, focusing on the task of cleaning up the dishware. Morgan's eyes clouded with moisture. Jack's inside pinched him. He bit his lip. "Daddy! I'm a live... kind of... Dad..." The moisture leaked and Jack huffed with annoyance. He bounced over to the trash can that Mr. Kenter was about to dump the glass in and tapped the end of his staff against the bin. The contents of the refuse all were composed now into a block of ice, and Mr. Kenter gasped at the garbage chunk in his bin. His eyes widened when he witnessed the rubbish solidify in ice instantly.

"No, no..." he whispered to himself. "Can't be..." But Jack refused to take that. Morgan's sobs were beginning to steady and it was aching him even more to see her circling him and trying so hard to take his hand when all that happened was him going right through her. Jack knocked the pieces out of Mr. Kenter's hand and he shouted at the mess on the floor, now eleven pieces.

"Oliver?" came Mrs. Kenter's voice downstairs.

"Go to bed Christina! I'm just... I just broke something." The light went off and Mrs. Kenter retreated back to the bedroom.

"Mom..." Morgan realized. Mr. Kenter bent over and made to sweep up the tinier pieces, but Jack was too fast. He pulled all of the pieces back together and then froze the plate into another block of ice. Mr. Kenter drew his hand back and crawled away with horror. For his last act, Jack stabbed the tile and a sunburst of ice ferns feathered out onto the floor. He swallowed his scream.

"Is it you? Is it... Jack Fro..." But as he was saying the last part, he turned towards the boy in the blue sweatshirt with the staff, smirking knowingly at him.

"Yeah, I'm Jack Frost," he laughed. "Was there something you needed?"

"You're real... All this time, My Morgs-" He could not finished the sentence, the name still injecting misery into him.

"Yes, everything she ever said about me was correct. I was there the whole time. And you know I was, don't you? You just didn't really think I was Jack Frost." Morgan clasped her hands together with stress. Jack winked at her, and she blushed, startled by her own reaction to him. She had forgotten how charming he was when he looked at her that way.

"This whole time... you've been in this... wait." Suddenly his fierceness was back on him and he rose to tower over the boy. Being this close to Mr. Kenter made Jack realize how tall her father truly was, and he was a little intimidated by the stern scowl he was receiving. "You were the one who took her to Europe."

"Uh, yes."

"And the reason she got hypothermia?"

"Uhhh... that's correct."

"Does that mean you... and my daughter..."

"Woah!"

"Dad!" Morgan scoffed, and tried to stifle a laugh. Jack looked over to her for help.

"Sir, I am not here to discuss what went on with your daughter and I or what didn't happen. I'm here to give you some piece of mind."

"How can you give me some piece of mind?! You realize my daughter could have died from that?! Because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself!"

"Mr. Kenter, that was over ten years ago and we never did anything she didn't want to do!"

"Oh my God, Jack, shut up! You're making it sound so much worse!" Morgan screamed, slamming her foot on the ground. Mr. Kenter felt the vibration and looked around him. Jack nodded with relief.

"Oliver!" Jack bellowed, and the older man now glared at him for daring him to use his first name. "Sorry, no disrespect meant, but I want you know that your daughter... is okay."

"What?!" he growled. "How can she be okay?! My baby girl is gone!"

"No, she isn't. She's right here, actually..." Jack gestured in the direction of where Morgan stood, but Mr. Kenter did not look impressed when he stared at nothingness.

"There's nothing there."

"You don't really believe," he stammered carefully. "Look, I'm a spirit as Morgan has said and people can only see me if they believe, and Morgan is the same. You need to believe in her. Really believe in her. Like she did, I died too and this is how I became myself. Morgan is a spirit and she is standing right next to you, Oliver." His eyes glazed over with the smallest glint of hope and he collapsed to the ground when he looked upon her. Morgan flew to him, grasping his shoulders as he wept onto the ground. He reached up and clutched her hands, kissing her knuckles and holding her face.

"Morgan! My Morgsies... you're okay, you're alive... but how... how did you-"

"I'll explain everything, Daddy," she said brightly. "Just give me the chance... and please don't rip Jack up for stealing my childhood. He did nothing of the sort."

"That's not important..." he smiled, stroking her illuminated curls under the dim light. "You're an angel."

"No, Dad, not an angel. A spirit."

"Spirit, ghost, illusion, human. You're an angel. My angel. And you're alive."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"And the plate?" After everything Morgan and Jack had just discussed with him, that was the only thing he questioned. It amused her to the point she spat out the tea he made her. It was just like him to focus on that.

"Morgan got hungry," Jack clarified simply. "And she dropped it."

"You sure you're not a human anymore? You sure haven't changed much." Morgan pressed her lips into a sliver of amusement, holding back her relief at how he reacted with such familiarity. "And Hamilton? What does this mean for you? Are you going to get him to see you?"

"Uh..." Morgan started, but Jack interrupted her.

"Of course, we have to," he said.

"But then how about your relationship? How is that going to work?" Morgan dropped her head, gazing at her twiddling thumbs in her lap.

"Dad, the reason I broke up with Jack was because I could not continue a relationship as long as I was human and he was a spirit. I couldn't do that to Hamilton to for my own selfish desires. That would just be cruel. It almost tore me apart." Jack gave her a short smile of understanding. She beamed. Mr. Kenter watched their interactions. "Til death do us part. I died. We're parted."

"How is it going to be when you do see him then?" Morgan stiffened in response to her father's question.

"We probably shouldn't..." she whispered.

"No!" Jack argued. "I won't deny you nor him the chance to at the very least say goodbye."

"It will be hard though... how am I supposed to face my husb... late husb... former husband when we're so... distant? There is a whole world that separates us and it's not like we can ever be the same. I love him so much and he always cherished me... how can I go back to that and not be tempted to..."

"But you need to go back." Jack patted her hand at the table and Morgan forced him to hold her fingers. He gripped tightly. "If nothing else, for your kids. How can you avoid him then?" Morgan thought for a moment while her father watched the two of them interact. So many years he had not been able to see Jack and now that he could he was examining his every move. He had so many questions for the two of them, about their years together and everything that happened, certain to find some flaw that proved Jack messed his daughter up. However, while he watched the way Jack protected her and guarded her, keeping her best interests at heart, the desire to do so was fading. He simply wanted to know more about him and learn who Jack Frost really was. It was clear that she was still incredibly important to him, in a much bigger way than he was to Morgan. The way he watched her when she spoke and how he analyzed her movements told him everything he needed to know about Jack. Somehow, despite the frustrations and struggles Morgan commentated on throughout the years, he continued to be enthralled with her and caught in his infatuation. Never once did Jack seemed to have stopping loving her, and Mr. Kenter was finding he was getting more comfortable with that.

"Oliver?" came Mrs. Kenter's voice again, and her husband was overjoyed to share in what he discovered. As she descended the stairs in her nightgown, her faced was lined with age and worry. She fled to her husband who swirled her in a hug and kissed her lips. Morgan groaned. "Why are you still up, it's nearly dawn?"

"Christina! I have to tell you the most wonderful news!"

"What is it?!"

"To start off, that Jack Frost character of Morgan's? He is real. Has been the whole time! Morgan was telling the truth! And all the other characters..." Instead of finding relief in this, she scowled at him.

"Really now, get to bed. You must have dozed off and been having those dreams again about Morgan as a child."

"No, I mean it! He's right here, right now!"

"Now I know you're sleep deprived."

"No, no, Christina, that's not the best part!" He pulled on her arm as he begged for her to stay and listen. "The best part is that Morgan is okay and is just like them! She's a spirit and-"

"Oliver, I know this has been hard on you... harder than us all. Maybe you really ought to see someone. I know it's hard to accept and you may even wish that she can come back, but she can't and-"

"No, Chris, she's really here! I promise! Look! Just believe! Morgan is right here! At the table!"

"NO! Stop scaring me Oliver!" Morgan was beginning to feel like a small child witnessing another one of her parents' arguments again and things started to thicken with the awkwardness sadness. She shifted uncomfortably and Jack retreated to her to massage her shoulders to rid of the stress. Still, she kicked anxiously. "I think we need to get you looked at in the morning."

"I'm fine."

"I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IN GHOSTS! MORGAN IS DEAD AND SHE IS NEVER COMING BACK. NOW GO TO BED." Mrs. Kenter ripped away from her husband and Morgan jumped up, fleeing to the top of the stairs. She beat roughly against the walls of the upstairs but Mrs. Kenter acted like she didn't even notice. She shut her eyes and sighed, touching the wood on the door to Morgan's room as she passed. Morgan jumped up and down on the floor. Mrs. Kenter twitched but ignored it. She followed her mother into her bedroom and pushed aside the curtains. She shuffled the make-up on the vanity. She wrapped the window. She even resorted to clamoring onto the end of the bed and bouncing up and down. Mrs. Kenter just rolled over and sighed. "It's just my imagination..."

"Mommy! Please! It's not your imagination, it's me!" But she couldn't hear her. Morgan dropped off the bed and looked back at her mother, muffled cries sounding into the pillow. She turned away before she in turn also began to cry. She met both of the boys in the kitchen again where her father put his arms around her in the same style as he did when she was a style.

"Your mother has just always been stubborn, Morgs. She'll get there, eventually..."

"She's mom," Morgan nearly chuckled. "She'll never get there." Mr. Kenter licked his lips as he formed an argument, but he could not present a lie to his daughter, who had always been so fixated on the truth. The best he could offer was "Maybe she'll change."

"That's enough for one night, I think..." she said to Jack. "I think I would like to go back to..." she searched for the word. "The Taj Mahal."

"Of course," Jack agreed and took her by the arm. Mr. Kenter allowedthem exit by way of the front door and yelled at them to stop by and visit often just as their figures blended with with the purple haze of dawn.

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**I would make another note but I'm in a little rush to get to work! D: See you guys tonight! :)**


	137. The After Without the Life

**I AM SO PISSED AT MY BANK. IT"S A COMPLICATED STORY SO I WON'T GET INTO IT BUT BASICALLY THEY WOULD NOT AUTHORIZE TRANSACTIONS WHEN THEY HAVE NO REASON TO. And I couldn't even call call them because it involves my phone payment and I couldn't use my phone nor could I borrow someone's because it was after hours. AMERICA HAS SHOPS OPEN TIL 9 WHY AREN'T THE BANKS OPEN THAT LONG? And of course I can't call tomorrow because the banks are CLOSED for Independence Day and GAAAHHHH. Money sucks.**

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"Damn it," Morgan hushed as she kicked at the bedpost in the master bedroom of the house at the North. "What the hell is wrong with her? My own mother, Jack! I mean the fact that she never believed in all my stories about you, as irritating as it was, it at least makes sense. I mean, you are kind of unbelievable." Her tone did match admiration or anything on the scale of endearing, and Jack was taken aback by her comment.

"I don't think that was a compliment..." he mulled as he watched her fling herself onto the covers and pull over an accent pillow, silencing her screams.

"I mean, her own daughter! Yes, my father believes there are things beyond us in this world but in more of an agnostic way. My mother is incredibly spiritual! She doesn't go to church every Sunday, but she prays every night and she believes in Heaven and angels and messages from beyond. And she doesn't believe I'm here?! How could she not? I mean... what? Explain, please."

"Religious people don't always necessarily believe there are interactions between the spiritual world and the human people," he explained. "Maybe they believe in a higher power who interacts but that's about as far as it goes. Your mother, for one, never believed in ghosts."

"She's my mom, Jack..." Morgan rose to face him. Jack rounded the bedpost and pulled himself up onto the bed. "She's supposed to always believe in me."

"It's not easy," he sighed. "Even if you have help." Morgan stared at the bed and groaned at the mess she made of the throw pillows. Jack smirked.

"Hey Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I still the luxuries of humanhood?"

"Uh... what do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, but sleeping in my every day clothes is... strange. I need pajamas." His expectation of something much more serious forced a relieved breath from him and he guffawed at her innocent remark.

"Maybe Linda will help you snag some," he address, brushing aside her waves off her shoulder. "Do you want to continue finding people tomorrow? We still have a couple left."

"Maybe Bradley, but..." she faltered, her eyes wandering until they rested on a comfortable spot on the wall. Even so, her gaze tilted til her eyes harbored the pain of a widow. That was the best way to describe what it was with Hamilton, but at the same time not. She knew he was there, but she was a new being now. She was more than human and he was simply that. She tried a relationship like that before and it had pushed so much weight on her.

"You know it will kill you if you never see him," Jack answered, reading into her thoughts so well. "Besides, Morgan... your children. You have to see your children."

"I know, I know that..."

"And what will he do when they run up to him and tell their father they saw their mother, and she's a spirit like me?"

"Not believe them." Jack cocked his brow with suspicious doubt.

"Really? You honestly think that? Hamilton was pretty accepting of me, even to the point where he talked me about as if he did believe in me. His intense devotion to you and desire to see you again, his willingness to believe in the supernatural, and the fact that he knows you did exist would attribute to that. I'm pretty sure it would be easy to get him to believe."

"Jack!" she snapped, but he remained firm in his place. "I don't want him to believe in me The distance with us is... I mean... it's the reason you and I didn't work. The same reason. It would murder me. But being this far from him and knowing I will not have that life I want anymore, that my life is gone and he'll go bobbing off with some little cutesy blonde who things history is wonderful because the clothing was just so cute and the primitive ways of them were just oh so cute!" She said the last part with building jealousy to the point of eventual rage. She ripped at the fabric on the duvet and Jack pried her nails from the bedding.

"Morgan, it's okay," he laughed. "Isn't that a little judgmental?"

"I just..." Her head met with her hands in a motion of distress. "I want my life back! You know what, I hate the Man in the Moon. I really do. He ruins lives and I wish I had a spaceship so I could just kick his ass."

"What's with the language today? Did Manny give you a mouth too?" His eyes flicked upwards at the ceiling. "He chose you Morgan because he needed you. A reason that may not be clear yet but there will be a day when you realize how much you are needed in this world and your purpose."

"I don't want that purpose without some love in my life, Jack!" She yelled. "And I don't mean the 'Oh we believe in you!' type of love. I mean-" But she caught herself off. The screwed up expression of annoyance on Jack's face made it plan he understood one hundred percent what she meant.

"Morgan..." he carefully began. "You know it's not like... I mean... the only reason we broke up was because of the barrier, really... and it's not like we're on two different ends of the same world anymore... after time, maybe-"

"Shut the hell up," she demanded, a panic of tears swarming her face. Morgan was angry, driven mad with rage. Jack leapt up from the edge and held his hands up to show her defense in the most civil way possible. She chased him out of the room and he almost cowered behind the counter in the kitchen. Her tight wrinkles fused by her scowl seemed to grow in seconds. "How dare you even suggest a thing?! I am aware you still have feelings for me, and I know there's still longing but in what universe is that appropriate to suggest?! What happened to your chivalry of the 18th century?!"

"For crying out loud, Morgan, you know better than anyone most men actually didn't have much chivalry," he corrected and then dodged the potted plant she tossed towards him. He pouted. He purchased that plant.

"I JUST DIED! I just lost my husband, my kids, my family, my best friend, and suddenly you're already devising schemes to get me in bed?!"

"No, no you're twisting everything I said!" But Morgan refused to hear anything he said. She resorted to less harmful means of violence, cornering him in the living room again and pelting him with the pillows that adorned the couch til she curled up on it, still desperately crying. Several minutes passed until Jack was sure she was down for the count and he emerged from his hiding spot. Her hands cover her face and her body was so perfectly positioned, it was similar to a corpse in a coffin. He taped her ankle and she moved her fingers to peer at him.

"I think you just should have thought your words through before you spoke," she finally responded, chest rising and falling with her dramatic heavy breaths. Jack rolled his eyes. That was obvious to him. It had been so long since Morgan had an outburst at him, he was starting to wonder if he had missed them. The answer was no. They were usually fueled with her not thinking things through, the exact thing she was now speaking against him. It was tiring to see this very human side of her but a comfort that she was still the same woman.

"I'll try better next time," he smirked ans she managed a small grin. "Shall I make plans to visit Bradley tomorrow?"

"Please," she asked.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Just as everyone else had been, Brad was distraught over the loss of Morgan. He too had taken the form of a lifeless creature and poor Max was doing everything he possibly could to cheer him up. He cleaned up after him, made him his favorite meal, suggested they watch the films Max hated but Brad loved, and kept on nagging him to go out. But Brad didn't want anything from him. He didn't even respond to the affection Max attempted and just stared at the computer on his screen, clicking through old pictures of him and Morgan. He swiveled in the chair hopelessly until Max reminded him to please join him in bed that night rather than falling asleep in front of the computer again. If he was going to cry himself to sleep, he'd rather he didn't do it alone.

Jack had met with him and Brad got very few words out, but Jack himself didn't need to say much. He always relied on him and trusted him, so gaining his belief was simple, and Morgan could almost pinpoint the exact moment he knew everything Jack told him was true. He was staring right ahead when Jack convinced him that Morgan was right there, and then his mouth loosened so his jaw could fall. He tried to sit down but missed the office chair and instead slammed against it. Jack moved the chair out of the way and caught him so his head wouldn't hit the ground.

"You're... you... Morgan!" he stammered and ran to his sister's arms.

"Brad!" she sang brightly. "it's so good to see you!"

"You're a spirit! You an do cool things? And fight evil?!"

"Sort of. I haven't figured everything out yet. It's kind of a work in progress."

"But you... I mean why? Why didn't you just die?!" She shrugged.

"Trying to figure that out myself, really."

"It's obvious, she saved those kids," Jack bragged. Morgan felt the heat of her red face.

"I just kept them from dying, that's all." Brad could not stop analyzing Morgan through the moisture cling on his eyelids. As he spoke, he kept a touch on her. Whether it was a hand pressed to her back or gripping her shoulder or stroking her arm, he needed to feel her. And Morgan had noticed it but didn't say a word. She wasn't sure if it was need for reassurance or because he was afraid she would be gone again but it made her glade, so she kept her mouth shut.

"So you're in that huge house all by yourself?" Brad wondered with widened eyes. "Seems lonely." Morgan shrugged. "Who else do you have to see yet?"

"Just uh... the kids and... Hamilton..." she said her former husbands name in a reluctant sigh, but still filled with as much desire as the day they married. Brad pursed his lips together to try and think the situation through.

"How do you think you'll be able to handle that?"

"I don't think I could even..." she shook her head. Brad caressed her hand with his thumb.

"Morgs. You have been given an opportunity most people don't have. Even though you've passed on, you still can be part of their lives."

"But it won't be the same, and that's what I want."

"Maybe you're being selfish," he accused. "I know it's painful, but Morgan... Nobody ever gets the opportunity to say goodbye. To get some sort of closure. To act as real Guardian Angel for their children and keep an eye on their spouse after they move on. If Max were a spirit I would be so pissed if he never came to see me, and if Hamilton even loves you half as much I believe he does, he will see you almost instantaneously."

"It's going to hurt so much..."

"That doesn't mean it's not worth it." Morgan smiled at him with gratitude and leaned into the palm that was stroking her face. It was so nice to gain so much attention from her brother. He never showed care to her in this way, but she welcomed it. It would be gone soon, having arrived only when she had revealed herself, so she was going to relish in every opportunity. Max yelled from the other room, concerned his partner was breaking down again. Brad's chipper mood seemed to please him when he called back and he remained mute. "You're coming to our wedding."

"Wouldn't miss it."

"No, I mean you need to. And I want you up there, with me. No one else will be able to see you, but I will and that will give me the strength to go on."

"Still in two months time?"

"Yes," he smiled. Morgan clung onto his neck desperately, taking in his human scent on his neck.

"Brad, you are brilliant."

"Yeah, I know..." he complied half-heatedly, and then tore her arms away from him. She giggled. He seemed to be just the same as before and that was a comfort. Brad rose from the chair and stretched, yelling back at Max who was sounding a little concerned again. "Listen, I think Max is going to pop a blood vessel from worry soon. But I want to see you again, real soon. Please stick around. I'll need my big sister my whole life."

"Oh you'll see me!" she promised. "You'll be so sick of me."

"That's probably true." While they shared a brief moment of heart laughter, Jack propped the window again, sensing their evening coming to an end. Slowly, the laughs faded. Two minutes without movement or sound passed on. Morgan inhaled deeply just as Brad enveloped her body under his firm, strong grasp.

"I love you, sis," he wept and Morgan patted his arm. It was hard to know the best way to comfort her brother when he got emotional So all she did was pat his arms and tell him he was going to be okay and she was there for him. Finally, he tore away from her with the promise to Max he was going to bed. He stood back as they fled from the window, weaving in and out across the skyline. Morgan sniffed and wiped at the tears forming under her nose. Curious, Jack drifted closer to her and watched her tears get caught in the wind.

"Jack..." The dryness in her throat prevented her from speaking properly. "I need to see them."

"Them?"

"My family. I need to see my kids. And I have to see Hamilton. Even though it will hurt. It would be death if I didn't. I want to visit my family."

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**Morgan is struggling with life as a spirit :( I figured that kind of change would be hard. I'm ready to collapse so I'll put up another chapter tomorrow. Night!**


	138. Different Kind of Human

**Okay guys I KNOW I have been MIA for a few days. All I can say is I just chalk it up to life and the things that happen in it. Things have been cropping up, I've been trying to get things take care of, my mom came down, my internet kept going out, I had to work, and then being worn out from everything, when I sat down to type I ended up falling asleep. So I do apologize but these things happen and I can't control them. Anyway, here's a chapter I think you will all like! :)**

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Her feet dangled just above the window, and she could hear the hushed tones of her children solemnly talking with their father. His voice was mellow, and he seemed to be comforting them. Jack sat with her on the roof, clutching her hand tightly. He was shaking more than she was, and Morgan used this as a way to ease her anxiety. Jack was just as concerned about Morgan being seen as she was. The taut look around his eyes spoke of desperation for belief. Out of everyone, these were the people Morgan needed to believe in her the most, but that was the same reason she was so petrified. There was no telling what would happen if they did believe and see. It may not be completely positive.

"I'm going," Jack finally briefed. When his palm abandoned hers, all the relief she felt before was had now vanished and the security was gone, letting nervousness invade. She yelled down to Jack and gripped the shingles on the roof. He winked at her just before flying into the window. Morgan flipped expertly over the gutter drain and hung, suspended over the window. In her awkward position, she watched the scene play out before her.

"Hey Jack," Nathan muttered in a monotone. He was pulling on medium sized tote basket filled with various toy items and pulling it into a corner.

"Helping out?" Jack figured and picked the reaching Elizabeth off the floor. Then she cried and he picked up the stuffed turtle she left behind her.

"Dad asked," Nathan responded with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, it's nice of you anyway," he smiled. Nathan grumbled and positioned the tote in the corner, greeted with an applause from Elizabeth. "Bess, you could start putting all your stuffed animals on your bed."

"No," she said defiantly. "Mommy do that." Listening in, Morgan clutched her chest tightly.

"You're old enough," Nathan scoffed. "Two is old enough to pick up a stuffed dog and throw it on the bed. And besides, Mommy is never coming home. She is dead!"

"Lie!"

"Uh, actually, that is what I wanted to talk to you about," transitioned Jack, switching the hip that Elizabeth was sitting on.

"I don't want to talk about Mommy anymore... she's gone forever..." Nathan groaned. It was so shocking how mature he sounded. Before Morgan had died, he sounded like any other four year old. Now he spoke like he was much more grown up and mature. Jack pressed his lips together.

"But she isn't," Jack said.

"You're lying," Nathan said, dropping his toy airplane in the toy basket. "Mom's dead."

"And so am I, remember?" Jack reminded. Nathan screwed up his face and looked sideways at Jack, recalling all too well the several stories that included his experience at the lake with his sister. Jack was indeed dead, but somehow alive. If he could be, then perhaps his mother was. "When your mother died, she died a hero. She jumped in to save those children and protect them. She died so they wouldn't. And because of that, the Man in the Moon chose her to be a spirit, like he chose me." Elizabeth pointed at the luminescent orb in the sky.

"Manny!"

"Yes, Bess," Jack laughed and pulled her hand down. "Morgan is now a spirit. She's immortal. She's just like me, except she isn't a Guardian. And just like me, you have to believe in her to see her." Nathan crossed his arms doubtfully.

"Daddy says she can't come back."

"But your father doesn't know much about Guardians, does he?" Nathan let his stern expression fall and then flexed his fingers. He took that form and face of a child once more and tread over to where Jack was standing.

"Is Mommy really a spirit?" Jack nodded.

"If you just look out the window, you should see her." Nathan sighed, almost in worry but there was a little bit of hope in his action. And it was that gave him the belief. His eyes bulged at the sight of the brown eyes looking back at him, his same brown eyes. He swallowed hard seeing her there. She looked just the same as before she left, except with a little more of an ethereal glow to her expression. He gasped and she smiled, knowing that he could see her. Elizabeth also saw and jumped up and down.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Morgan laughed and flung her whole body throw the window, and the children gathered around her legs. She picked them up one by one and kissed their faces. Jack twirled his staff, admiring how the reunion brought out squeals and shouts of jubilee. He laughed with them as the kids jumped around and Morgan spun around when she held them in her arms. Morgan felt complete, being able to cling to her children again and kiss their faces. Her heart swelled with the most infectious versions of glee and triumph, filling her up so much it leaked out of her eyes.

"Why didn't you come back right away?" Nathan asked, patting at his mom's leg.

"Because you couldn't see me," Morgan told him and then sat down, propping him on her lap.

"Now we can!" said Elizabeth. "Daddy will be so happy to see you're alive! And then you can stay with us and play!"

"Uhhh..." Jack stammered and bit his lip. "Bessie, actually that..."

"I can't," Morgan interrupted, sighing with deep longing. She cradled her daughter who felt the tear drop onto her face. She looked up and frowned at her mother's sorrow.

"Mommy?"

"Listen you two... I'm here. I'm always going to be here. I can watch you grow up, I can play with you, I can spend time with you. I can tuck you in bed, and I can go see you in your after school activities but... I... can't take you grocery shopping, I can't go back to work, I can't take you to the amusement park. I can join in on things with you but..." she breathed deeply. "Most of all, I can't live here and I can't stay with Daddy."

"But why?" Nathan said. "You're just a different kind of human."

"Sweetheart, I'm more than human, and the life I have now... I have duties I have to perform. I am... not exactly sure what they are yet but all spirits have a job. Mine has something to do with water and moisture. If I lived here and did as what I always did, I would be neglecting my duties. So far, very few people can actually see me, and when more people see me it will be mostly children. And my life... is not with Dad anymore. When we got married, your dad and I said 'Til death do us part.' Do you know what that means?"

"No," they both said.

"It means that we promised to be together forever, and that the only thing that would separate us is if one of us died. It was a big promise, and... I died."

"So that means you and Daddy aren't married anymore?" Nathan said and Elizabeth gasped at something that sounded so horrible. Morgan squeezed her eyes shut to keep back the tears that were forming on her lids.

"We're not," she said. "And that hurts a lot. I love your daddy so much, but I'm different now. Do you remember the story about Jack and I, when we were younger, how we tried to have a relationship?"

"But it didn't work because you were human and he was a Guardian," Nathan remembered.

"That's exactly why Daddy and I wouldn't work..." her voice faded when she spoke and she looked out the window. Jack could see her struggling for words and instead he came to her aid.

"Your daddy has to take care of you now," Jack explained. "Your mommy has to keep an eye on the world. Both jobs are really big and take a lot of time. Not only that, your mother can never have a complete life with your dad. They may be able to live that way for a while but as he gets older and you get older, your mother will never age. She will continue to live just as she is now and nobody else will. And everyone outside the family will not be able to see Morgan. Not only that..." He looked over to Morgan who was still fighting to tame to her emotions. "When your mother and I were together, many people thought she... was really weird. And she was made fun of a lot. And if your father were to live like that lots of people would think the same thing, because they can't see her. And some people may think he's really sick and he can't move on."

"I can't stay here..." Morgan finally said.

"I want to go with you!" Elizabeth cried.

"No, you have to stay here!"

"Daddy should still see you," said Nathan and he hopped off Morgan's lap. Elizabeth was still crying and Morgan rocked her in her lap, shushing her wails. Jack leaned over and stroked the two year old's hair. The could hear the boy calling for his dad in the distance.

Her heart was collapsed under her tension. She gulped for air when she heard Hamilton's footsteps echoing down the hall. Her chest thundered when her breathe quickened. Nervously, she tapped her foot. She was already compromised through her emotions but now Nathan was bringing in her love and former husband. Her fear of both not being seen and being seen was restraining her. Was it possible she was dying all over again? Her vision swam and she searched for some sort of sense in the scene before her. When Hamilton stepped into the room, her vision adjusted, but only around his face. His perfect face. The one she had grown so used to seeing each morning when she woke and just before going to bed each night. She curled her fingers tighter around Elizabeth, trying to put all her attention on her so she didn't pounce on Hamilton. She wanted to take a hold of him and just cry into his shoulder. Seeing him lifted her heart, but also hardened with the terror of how this was all about to change. She didn't want anything to change. She longed to be human again and be with him, living her life as she was supposed to.

"What is it?" he mumbled. "You and your sister need to go to bed soon..."

"But Daddy, we have a surprise!" he grinned and Hamilton cocked his eyebrow. There was a sliver of a grin at the boy's enthusiasm. It was clear it had been a while since the boy showed such a happiness and he was pleased to see it.

"What kind of surprise?"

"Mommy!" His grin disappeared and he shook his head.

"Nathan, I thought I explained to you... Mommy is gone. She's passed on."

"She's right here!" Elizabeth said. From Hamilton's gaze, she appeared to just be sitting in a chair. "Look, I'm in her lap." Hamilton covered his face with his hands and shook his head. When he dropped his fingers, he looked worn. Morgan longed to go to him. "She's like Jack!"

"You mean Jack Frost?" he asked.

"Yeah! Like him, she died and now she's a spirit!" said Nathan. "You just can't see her because you don't believe. Remember? Jack was her good friend!" Hamilton was ready to say something to crush what he said, but then Elizabeth laughed at something on the chair. And she pointed. He always believed Jack was a something, something supernatural. He also believed that souls of the departed could go on to become supernatural. Something was making her laugh and that something was in the chair.

"Morgan, if you're really there, tell Elizabeth how we first met." The children were still too young to really ask about their relationship, so they would have had no idea. Jack grinned, knowing this was sure to get him.

"You guys met at... mask... raided dance..." Elizabeth tried to pronounce and hope pulled at Hamilton's chest. "You were very... cryp...tic and myst... rious?" Hamilton laughed. The simple explanation was enough for him. He panted heavily and then he opened his eyes once more. And there she was. Her nutmeg waves wrapped in a spiritual glow, her cheeks touched with a kiss of scarlet and her eyes so bright with chocolate silk. Elizabeth was pulled against her chest. She was wearing the outfit she had on the day she died; the purple tunic with the sheer bishop sleeves, and her caramel colored leather corset belt. Those same cream leggings with the brown bows on them he always made fun of her for. She was unmarred and there was no evidence she had been in a fire at all, with the exception of her vintage boots. They had black markings on them from smoke. She was just as perfect as she was the last time he saw her, except she looked changed. Not that Morgan was ever in bad shape, but it was almost as if she were healthier. A health that was impossible to even achieve. She almost literally lit up the room. There was definitely a spiritual warmth to her.

"Morgan..." he breathed. "You... you're a spirit." She gave a small nod. "You're alive."

"No. But... sort of. I have a lot to explain."

"Wait, so Jack... Jack is-" he looked to her right and then gulped. Jack smirked and also addressed him with the nod of his head.

"Hamilton."

"Oh my God... all this time! I mean, you've known Jack since you were 9... you really did date for five years... and Jack has been here, watching out kids and playing with them... and you've spent those nights staying up with him... wait a second Morgan, where does that leave us, you, and him?" There was an air of suspicion to his voice, yet somehow Morgan could only laugh at it. She passed Elizabeth over to Jack and then stood up.

"Since I was eighteen, my relationship with Jack has been nothing but platonic, I swear it. We have been just as good of friends as Linda and I have. Linda, Jack, and I. That's how it always was. The best of friends."  
"And now that you're sort of... undead?"

"You sound like Linda when she found out," Morgan giggled. Hamilton widened his smile at the sound of her laugh.

"She knows?"

"She, her kids, Brad, my dad... they know too. My mother refused to see, however."

"Your mother has never been able to see what's right in front of her."

"That's true," Morgan smiled. Hamilton held out his hands and she delicately stepped to him, taking his hands and then nuzzling his shoulder. "God, I have wanted to come and speak with you so badly."

"I've missed you..." Hamilton sniffled. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"You still haven't answered my question about... relationships now?"

"Morgan an I haven't pursued anything," Jack answered quickly. "She's too devoted to you and I... couldn't do that to her when she's in that state. Even though she's the one who died, she's still grieving. She had to leave all of you and now has to try to learn to live without the best part of her life."

"But you still love her."

"You know better than anyone else how hard it is to fall out of love with her," Jack explained and Hamilton snickered in response.

"That I do," he said, and felt Morgan's cheeks grow fat on his shoulder with her smile. "Well, Morgs. You said we had things to discuss."

"Yes," she said and popped her head back up again. "However the kids need their sleep."

"Awww!" they both complained, and Morgan could not stifle her amusement at the familiar situation.

"Jack can put them to bed," Hamilton said. "Apparently he's done it before." Jack nodded. Hamilton winked and then put his arm around Morgan, leading her out of the room. He looked at her as if he were seeing the very first time the sun rose up in the mornings.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leaving the house around dawn proved to be harder than anyone thought it would be. Even for Jack, it was difficult. He had fallen asleep in the rocking chair while he waited for them to finish, but just as the pink of morning touched the horizon, Morgan came in from upstairs to wake him. Quietly, they slipped out so the kids wouldn't wake and Hamilton led them to the front door.

"You'll visit often," Hamilton said.

"Of course," Morgan remarked.

"The both of you."

"Yes," said Jack, his arm on Morgan's elbow to pull her along when Hamilton opened the door.

"But Hamilton, we can't-"

"I know," he interrupted with a bitter smile. "Our relationship cannot be as it was. You made that clear. But it's not like things are going to change so easily for me. As Jack said, it's hard to fall out of love with you." Morgan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and a giggle stuck to the back of her esophagus. Her face glowed as pink as the sunrise. "You'll forgive me if I prefer not to fall in love again for another five years."

"You'll forgive me if I never do," Morgan said. "Relationships are hard with spirits."

"And if it's with another spirit? Or even a Guardian?" The followed his gaze as he switched his sights between the two of them. Involuntarily, Morgan and Jack glanced at each other worriedly.

"Hamilton that was-"

"Years ago. So there's obviously something that worked. And there's still something there. Maybe you forgot it, Morgan, but if there wasn't you wouldn't be friends with him for so long or shared your stories with your kids. That doesn't mean you never loved me. I know you did. You showed it in the way you lived. But you're a new person now and you can rediscover feelings in a new way."

"Won't it bother you?"

"Of course it will!" he laughed. "It's not my life though. And one day, perhaps, I will also find love again. But you're not mine anymore, Morgan. And you can't be mine. So I want you to be happy in your.. afterlife. And if there's someone you can share it with I want you two. I would die if I knew you were lonely."

"I love you though, and right now... being with anyone..." she struggled to say. Hamilton took her into a romantic embrace, brushing his lips against the tip of her ear.

"I don't expect it to happen right away. I know you're still struggling. Everyone is. And Jack is an astonishing man to wait and see if anything is even going to happen. I know you need your time. My heart is... still mangled."

"So is mine."

"So our hearts match right now... but they will change."

"In some way, Hamilton, I am never going to stop loving you. You know that?" He kissed the top of her head.

"Of course I do. Because I am the same, Morgs. You are the first woman I ever truly wanted to live my life, my first wife, the mother of my children... I would be crazy to not love you."

"Then... while we still love each other in this way, I wonder if I could just... one last time..." With their thoughts and hearts still connected, Hamilton could understand what she was asking. Jack dropped her arm and stepped back to give them some semblance of privacy. Hamilton tipped her head and Morgan parted her lips to welcome the very last expression of their joy and their life. He gripped her tight as their kiss mingled with their steady flow of tears. As the sunshine grew brighter outside, their kiss tightened with more passion the closer the day drew to her leaving. Eventually, Morgan recognized how they were just using the kiss to delay and knowing her past with Hamilton, they could actually go one making out for hours.

"Okay, stop," she panted as she ripped away. Jack's muscles loosened. He was starting to feel a bit awkward. "We're just delaying the inevitable."

"It's so hard to let you go..."

"I know..." she knotted her fingers into the locks on his head. Somehow though, Hamilton dropped his hands from her and stepped back.

"I'll be seeing you..."

"As long as you never stop believing."

"My belief in you, Morgan, could never dwindle." He smiled and then propped open the door. He turned his eyes away so he would never have to see her leave. Morgan touched the wood on the door, trying to memorize the sandy feel of the wood surface. Then she took Jack's hand and he pulled her along into the arrival of the new day.

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**I don't know if it will be in the next chapter or not... but very soon there will be chapter containing something you guys have been waiting for... for a long time. ;) See you guys later. Hopefully tonight but if not tonight, tomorrow! :)**


	139. Mind Changing

**This chapter was SUPPOSED to go up last night BUT the internet would not work until 23 minutes ago. Honestly guys if you move into an apartment or flat that promises free WiFi, don't trust it unless it;s like a REALLY expensive place to live. It never works and you have to get your own. AAGGGHHH**

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In her eyes, being a spirit seemed like it would be simple. She still wasn't entirely clear of what her duties but with Jack lightening up on the cold snaps and the flashes of frost just after Easter passed, Morgan decided it was time to investigate what she needed to get done. She quickly learned she was responsible for the dew in the morning on the grass and the trees. So that meant finishing the job before the crack of dawn in the summer, which wasn't much different than what she did in her human life. Even so, she trekked through yards and plains, flinging the Hosta plant around her every which way so it's bell dropped water on earth's blanket around her. After only a couple of times of doing it, she discovered how tedious of a job is was and cursed the Man in the Moon for giving her such a dull job.

One morning though, Jack had completely abandoned making the world cold and it was soon unseasonable warm for April. Morgan decided that she needed a little mischief in her life and took to the skies around her hometown to try out some other power of hers. She was starting to figure out how to turn her body into the wind to head the direction she wanted and no longer needed to rely on Jack for help. Morgan uncapped her canteen and poured some water into her hand. She flung the cupped water into the air and it disappeared, leaving behind a translucent curtain of white. Giggling, she spread more water across the sky and within a manner of an hour, all of Harrisburg had coated with the morning mist.

"You're having some fun," Jack observed, creeping up behind her. She squawked and lost her balance on the wind, but regained herself quickly. He smirked with amusement. "Calm down, I'm not going to kill you."

"Well, apparently I create the morning dew and I can manipulate humidity and I made the air thick with mist," she stated and he nodded while she talked. "Hey, are you going to Antarctica soon?"

"Well, that's kind of something I wanted to talk to you about..." he muttered, looking a little sheepish. His eyes were staring far behind her like he was a kid in trouble. "I don't want to go to Antarctica this year. Your first year as a spirit, I don't think you should be by yourself. I know you have Bunny and Tooth and North and Sandy to help you out but I think I should be around. Not only because we're best friends, but I'm the less busy. Bunny is doing the Easter clean up, Tooth and North are busy year round and Sandy..." He didn't need to say a word about Sandy. It was hard to hold a conversation with the Sandman and they were both well aware. "Anyway, I want to stick around and help you."

"Jack, yes, please!" she begged, lips parting to give way for a smile. She excitedly strode toward him and then stopped herself. She brushed aside strands of hair to hide the rogue blooming on her face and looked at something less interesting beyond Jack's face. "I would love it. I want you to stay, if you can that is. Does this mean this summer is going to be cold again? How am I going to work properly with humidity then?"

"Well, that's the part I was nervous to ask you... I'm going to have to remain somewhere cold. I thought maybe the pole, and then... maybe..."

"Yes, please, stay at the Taj Mahal, I don't mind!" she added, understanding where he was headed with his comment. Jack arched his brow with interest as to why she was so compliant to him staying in the same house as her, sleeping under the same roof. He was intending to be in a different room of course, but she didn't even flinch. Instead, she jumped at the opportunity and gladly welcomed it. Instead of obsessing over her reason, he just smiled wide at her and she returned to her duties.

The both of them soon made their way to the Barry house, where Elizabeth was still in bed but Nathan had successfully tuned to TV to some morning kid shows and was trying hard to pour milk into a bowl with what looked to be only twelve pieces of cereal. The two spirits glided in at just the right moment to prevent the boy from dumping the milk all over the counter. Jack stopped him from pouring the milk and Morgan took the bowl to fill it with more cereal.

"Hey there, kiddo, almost made a mess of your breakfast!" Jack said and then set the milk aside before it froze in his grip. Morgan smiled and then took the milk away, filling the bowl and handing it over to Nathan.

"Thanks, Mom," he said.

"Is your dad still in bed?"

"Yeth."

"Why didn't you wake him up?"

"Becauthe he hath been ha-ing baaa reems an I didn-"

"Nathan Hale, do not talk with your mouth full, I taught you better than that!"

"Bu you acked-"

"Swallow first!" Jack and Nathan both jumped at her sudden command. "Ugh, Hamilton, what have you been teaching our children while I have been gone..." There was a muffled echo of food falling down Nathan's throat when he took a huge gulp and then he spoke.

"Dad has been having bad dreams and I didn't want to wake him up. And I'm a big boy so I can-"

"What did you say?!" Morgan snapped in the middle of his sentence. Once again, Nathan swallowed but this time was out of concern he said something that upset his mother and now he was going to be out into time out.

"Um, well I was just trying to be grown up and I wanted to make food-"

"No, no, no sweetheart," Morgan interrupted again, this time recognizing her tone and how he would react to what she said. "I just meant before when you said why you didn't wake up Dad."

"Um, oh," he said, relaxing a little bit under his mother's gentle tone. Even so, his eyes shifted with nervousness. "Well, I um... Dad has been having bad dreams. A lot." Jack turned towards the conversation now and was feeling as apprehensive as Morgan was.

"What kind of bad dreams?" he asked.

"Uh, well... he keeps waking up and saying that Mommy is dead and it was all just a dream and Elizabeth and I have to remind him all over again that you are alive."

"How long?" Morgan demanded.

"I dunno. A lot." Jack watched Morgan as her eyes grew to twice their size and she looked at her son like he had just told her Hamilton was being possessed. A little concerned about the expression on her face, Nathan also turned his lips into worry and nibbled on the edge of his bottom lip. "Mommy, what's wrong with Daddy?"

"I thought you said he said he wasn't going to touch this house," Morgan whispered to herself, but everyone else could hear it. Jack scoffed at the ridiculous notion and gripped his staff threateningly.

"Are you kidding me? Since when has Pitch been a man of his word?!" he said. Elizabeth yelled and Nathan shuddered.

"Boogeyman," said Elizabeth, remembering the stories her mother told her. They were well aware of who Pitch Black was and what he did. Morgan made sure her children believed in him, but also that they learned not to fear him. Not only was she concerned about the truth of all things, but history taught her that you could not just ignore fear. In order to overcome it you needed to acknowledge that it was there and a part of life, but you had to push on anyway.

"He does when it concerns me..." Morgan said, rising back up to her feet and looking into Jack's eyes of iced blue topaz.

"No, he doesn't!" he barked at her quickly, but Morgan did not flinch. Jack was reacting in anger to the possibility of Pitch being in the house. "He is the Boogeyman, Morgan, and you are well aware of that! He does not have a kind side! He used you to get to me, never once did he mean anything he said! All he wants to do is bring fear and darkness, and there are no exceptions to that rule. There is nothing about you that makes you anything special, he doesn't care about you!"

"I know who he is and what he's done, okay?!" Elizabeth was covering her ears and Nathan walked backwards to comfort his sister. "And I know what he's done to me! And yes, he is horrible and I never want him in this house ever! But you didn't see him! You didn't see the way he talked! There are very few men on this planet, even horrible ones, who wouldn't do anything for their child! And he looked so... heartbroken when he talked about his daughter. I could see that this man truly loved her. He may wreck lives for enjoyment, but he knows what love is! If he learned about my death and promised to leave the kids alone, he wouldn't dare! He understands the bond between parent and child and he would respect that!" Nathan whimpered, feeling awkward as Jack and his mother snapped at each other right in front of them. He patted Elizabeth's arm. "And besides all that, he cares for me! He would keep his word on this, I know he would!"

"No, Morgan, he doesn't care for you at all! He doesn't have the time for that and he has no idea of love-"

"No, you're wrong! He does care for me! I could see it! He just desired someone to believe in him and spend some time with him! All he wanted was a friend!"

"Then why did he abuse that friendship!"

"Because he is still a horrible creature! But that doesn't mean he doesn't care!"

"Morgan, everyone who has ever been in an abusive relationship has said that!"

"I know that, and by no means am I trying to take him bowling!" Elizabeth began to cry and Morgan shot Jack a nasty look. He looked at her for some sort of explanation as to why he was being blamed when she also had yelled just as she went to fetch her daughter.

"I just know that Hamilton is having bad dreams," Jack said softly so he wouldn't disturb the kids. Morgan dropped into the rocking chair and used the motion of it to soothe Elizabeth, shushing her cries. "Bad dreams means Pitch."

"Okay, so I'm not going to argue with you there but... there must be a reason."

"Bess, baby, why are you..." muttered a voice as Hamilton appeared in the doorway to the room. Morgan looked up at him and her eyes lit with her fire of passion for him before it faded away with her memory that things between them could never be the same. She cleared her throat and waited to be addressed, but instead he looked past her. Several moments went on by before Jack stared at her with a pang of sympathy. She avoided his look and kept her focus on the man who could not see her. "Honey, what is it?"

"Jack and Mom were fighting..." she sniffled.

\ "Jack and Morgan...?" he asked and his eyes flashed with hopeful memory. Morgan held her breath. "That's impossible, Bess..."

"You say that every day," added Nathan. "Daddy, they're just bad dreams. They really do exist. Remember? When Mom came in and said you met at a masked dance..."  
"Did she...?" Then his eyes fell upon Morgan in the rocking chair. He inhaled deeply. The strain on his face disappeared. He swallowed sharply, ingesting all of the hopelessness he had felt before. Relief conquered his frown so now he was struggling to not explode with excitement. "Forgive me, Morgs I just..." Elizabeth jumped off Morgan's lap so her mother could run back over to Hamilton. She pulled herself into his chest, forgetting for a moment how they had decided they could not be together anymore and grazed her nose across the front of his shirt. Hamilton tensed under the touch of her skin and his fingers hung at his side, fidgeting as he tried to keep his fingers away from her.

"They told me everything," she whispered and then lifted her head. "You mustn't believe in the nightmares, Hamilton. It's Pitch Black trying to manipulate your mind-"

"Pitch," he repeated distantly. "He was the one that... when we were kids and everyone seemed to get depressed... he was the one who... you..." Morgan nodded all the way through his speaking. "The Boogeyman?"

"He's turning your dreams into nightmares," Jack quickly said and Hamilton looked up at him.

"Hang on a second, if he said-" Morgan began but she cut herself off when Jack rudely scoffed at the beginning of her remark.

"Morgan, it's _Pitch_."

"But he cares about me."

"No he doesn't!" Jack growled and Hamilton instinctively put his arms around Morgan tightly. The offended woman broke away from the hold on her and held her head high to show how she protested his comment. Defiantly, she snapped into a pivot to turn away from the argument beginning to form. She trekked the hall, taking it slow to peer into the rooms and grow weepy eyed at the familiar places in the house. She stepped into the room she used to share with Hamilton and pulled aside the doors on the closet so it was wide open. She crouched down to peer under the bed as well, finding nothing but the shadows that occurred naturally with the environment.

"Pitch!" she cried out. "Pitch Black!" Nobody appeared. She looked over to Jack raised an eyebrow with smug arrogance. He groaned, still unconvinced. "If Pitch were really here, he would come the moment I called."

"What makes you so sure?" Jack challenged. She rolled her eyes with attitude.

"Because it's me."

"Morgan, why do you think you're so special?!"

"Because as much as he stabbed me in the back I still think he deserves some kindness! What would you do if you had powers like his when nobody believed in you? All he wanted was to be believed in, and the Fearlings possessed him."

"But what I do isn't completely evil."

"And you think fear is completely evil?" Morgan retorted.

"Yes!"

"It's not, okay? It's fear that keeps a child from running into a street. It's fear from what happened the last time they tried it that keeps a child from touching the stove. It's fear for the safety of their children that a parent disciplines. Fear of fatal consequences is a preventative measure to keep a person safe and keep others safe. It's when you let it take over when it ruins you! Pitch just lets it get irrational and out of control."

"I can't believe it."

The three that were standing in the bedroom turned to the velvet voice that flowed with both grief and grateful surprise. Cloaked in black Pitch stood in the doorway of the closet. He stepped out out of it and peered down at Morgan with his golden eyes brightly swimming at her appearance. He seemed unaware of anyway else in the room and looked at her. Despite what she had just said, Morgan was not about to drop her guard. Instead she lifted her head, a subtle signal that she was not about to be taken advantage of again and regained a focus of determination on his person.

"Pitch. It was you."

"I said I would leave your children alone," he explained. "But I needed to understand... what happened I tapped into the dreams your... well, Hamilton that is to say, was having about you. I gave him those nightmares to recall the night you were lost, but each time it was only fragments and it kept changing. Somehow he kept dreaming about you being alive. I didn't want to give him false hope so I changed them to be reality, but... he was dreaming about what he had seen. You're really alive. Somehow you're alive. How did you make it out of the fire?" Pitch extended a clammy hand to place on her shoulder, but she shifted away from his touch.

"No, I told you to never find me," she said.

"I thought you were dead!" he explained. "It doesn't count."

"I am dead!" Morgan shrilly cried out so the pictures that hung on the walls of framed paintings their children drew shook from the strength of her scream. "I'm a spirit."

"You're... a... You mean that... Man in the Moon..." he said the name with a aged disgust. "He chose you? Took you from your life?"

"Saved her!" Jack yelled. "She would have been dead if he hadn't."

"No. No, I won't have it. You _can't _be a spirit."

"What's so wrong about that?" Morgan snarled with a scowl wrinkling her forehead.

"Everything! As a human you could put some faith and trust in me! As long as you were alive I could still get some... no, now you're going to be with them! Fighting for... hope and goodness in children. Chasing away my Night Mares."

"Well, you shouldn't be creating Night Mares!"

"That's the only way I can get children to see me!" he hissed, but Morgan did not make a move in retaliation to how intimidating he desperately tried to make himself look. She arched her back so she looked taller than she was and brought her nose closer to Pitch's face. For a half a second, worry flickered in the shining gold of liquid eyes.

"If that's how you're going to play again," she fumed. "Then I'm glad I was a spirit. I will fight you til the day the earth turns to ash, and beyond if we're still around. I will protect my children's souls and their minds. And the rest of the children of earth." Pitch looked down at the canteen strapped across her body and the stem of the Hosta flower squeezed in her wrist. He snickered at the weak looking tools and then his amusement expanded into boisterous laughter. His hand clutched his gut from how much it was quaking his organs and then he seemed to dash away a tear at his eye. Morgan was offended by his reaction, but refused to show it. She crossed her arms and waited for him to finish his bout of amusement.

"How are you going to fight me? Pour water on my head and beat me with a flower?!"

"I will drown you and choke you with this stem if I have to," she firmly said. He stopped his laughter to watch her unchanging face. Her solemn tone and memories of his defeats in the past calmed him and he looked around nervously.

"Why don't I just go then?"

"I think that would be best." As if he were a gentleman, he bowed low, but Morgan did not have time for his theatrics. She plunged her hand against his chest and flung him back into the closet. He made a desperate plea, but it was not heard. She slammed the sliding doors of the closet back together and dusted her hands as if she had thrown away the trash.

"If anyone else in this house has a nightmare," she told Hamilton. "Get a hold of me."

"Or me," Jack added, but she shook her head.

"No. Just me. If he lays a finger on my family, then I would like the pleasure of murdering him myself."

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**Once again, try to get another chapter up tonight. I'll probably type it. Whether or not I'll be able upload it is a different story. So I apologize in advance!**


	140. Evolve

**HERE YOU GO GUYS! READ READ READ AS FAST AS YOU CAN!**

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A blanket had been pulled up tight against Morgan's chin and her whole body was tucked under the warm confines of it. Even though it was was summer, being stuck in a house where Jack was staying at the very top of the North Pole meant it was below freezing all the time and in every room there was a blanket of fleece. It was very rare that blanket abandoned Morgan's shoulders as she walked around the house. Hot chocolate, tea and coffee were in constant use around the house and North had caught her stealing some milk for her tea a time or two. The Yetis usually allowed her to though. For now, she was positioned in the center of the couch with her legs pulled to her chest, watching a documentary on the 1839 Earthquake that destroyed half of Port Royal. It was a new thing for her. She knew a little bit about the port, but she had only recently learned of the horrible tragedy. Morgan upon taking in brand new information was similar to a moviegoer in a cinema, watching a horror flick. She gasped at new facts and squealed with both intrigue and terror and some of the more shocking pieces. While she immersed herself in a new topic, he took charge of cleaning up around the place. Morgan refused to let him do anything involving water, which meant dishes and mopping, because it always froze. Instead, he was sweeping, trying to get to every room in the house, but also wanting to be nearby Morgan. For a month he had been staying there, although Morgan was not always around. For the summer, she was learning what she was to do and would leave dew on the grass many mornings and manipulate the humidity and a couple of days she created clouds of mists, much to the chagrin of many. That day though, after spending three days of saturating the air with moisture, she was resting on the couch, taking pleasure of her documentary. And Jack wanted to watch her. Every little gasp and shriek was a reminiscence of the old Morgan, the one he had known so long ago. Seeing that part of her surface again swelled his heart with painful nostalgia, but he delighted it all the same.

He had finished the living room, where she was, for the dead last and remained behind the couch. Watching a reenactment of the Earthquake in Martinique, she yelped and dove under blanket, screaming out for the 700 lives that were lost in that disaster. He smirked, too fond of how she dove right into the subject. Shoveling his mess into the dustpan near his naked feet, he tossed the particles in the closest garbage and set the cleaning tools away before plopping himself on the couch beside her. She didn't even express a change that she noticed him joining her. Instead, she gave a quiet "No, no, no, please no..." before the exact thing she didn't want to happen was shown on the scream. Dramatically, she flailed towards Jack and he laughed, catching her head in his lap. He patted her back affectionately, a snicker releasing from his lips. She popped her head up and wrinkled her nose with disgust.

"Is my grief amusing to you?" she snarled. His eyes bulged and he drew his hands away from her quickly.

"No, of course not, Morgs. I was just.. thinking about something at the wrong moment. If it's too stressful for you, we can turn it off."

"NO!" Morgan growled and launched herself towards his hand that was gripping the remote. She cackled wildly at how he kept it away from her and willingly pulled herself into his lap. Her knees smashed against his thighs and he kept back a groan of pain from how much she was stomping on him.

"Morgan... you are hurting... me..." he muttered. "And getting... dangerously close to... my... agh.. Morgan!"

"Got it!" she declared and pulled the remote away from his fist. She dropped back down to her old position on the couch and shoved the controller into the line between the back cushion and the one she was sitting on. She gave him a look of triumph and then crossed her arms, looking back at the screen that was playing ghastly images. Jack wickedly looked over to her, distracted by her factual program. He unleashed an animalistic cry and then sprung forwards to snatch her, taking her by her waist and gently flinging her onto the ground. His icy fingers clamped her wrists on the ornate patterned rug. She contorted her body to writhe away from him but he secured his hold by taking a seat on her abdomen. She wheezed while he only smiled with evil smugness. Morgan scoffed.

"Let me up," she asked.

"Uhhh... I don't think so," he said casually.

"Come on, let me watch my show."

"You can see from here." She turned to her right and let her eyes travel up.

"Not very comfortable."

"But you can still watch it." She rolled her eyes and looked back the man who had her pinned.

"This isn't nice."

"That has never kept me from doing something, Morgies."

"Ugh, you're annoying," she commented and struggled again. This time, he slid to the ground and let his hands up. Morgan sat up, but retained a seat on the floor and massaged her wrists.

"Oh, I didn't hold you down that hard!"

"Uh, no, but my wrists are freezing now. Oh that's right, you haven't noticed how cold this house has been with you in it!"

"I can always leave, but then who would clean the house while you seat there and chow down on snacks while you watch a documentary and then historical dramas and something with Joseph Fiennes... by the way, he's getting pretty old."

"Still sexy."

"You would still have him?"

"On the coffee table even!" she giggled and Jack stuck out his tongue to show his disgust.

"Hey, so by the way... while we're on the topic..." Morgan sharply looked to him, fearful he was about to begin a conversation about sex but he threw up his hands defensively. "I'm just talking about relationships here!"

"Oh. Continue then."

"Hamilton." Her lip quivered but it was gone quickly and she nodded for him to continue. "You haven't really... I mean the first week you wept. All day. All the time. The second week you ingested everything I brought within a day. After that you seemed... okay. Happy. And there's a part of yourself, the person you were before you... grew up, I guess, that seems to be.. coming out of you. Are you okay? I mean, with Hamilton. He was the love of your life, and I can't imagine... I mean I know I..."

"He was," she agreed with a wistful sigh. "But you know I have come to terms with my life now give or take and though I am not really sure... what it means. Seeing Pitch in my family's house gave me some sort of purpose and realization on what I am to do. I feel like I am watering the air sometimes, but I can perform a mean cut in the wall with a strike of water now!" Jack gulped. "No, I just... there's no changing this and the Man in the Moon hasn't been wrong before. So I need to trust that there's a reason and as much as it sucks and pierces me to the bone, Hamilton is not mine anymore. He was my old life. This is my new one. And I grow into it. It hurts but... I know things will be okay. He will still be in my life just not... I'll get used to not being with him."

"But you still love him?"

"I don't think a part of me will every stop. But your love changes, evolves into something more spiritual when you're a... a widow, I guess. Something so pure it's in a place that cannot be touched or destroyed. It moves aside, which means it's still a part of you, but there's room for another." Jack wrinkled his brow, finding the last part of her sentence a little strange for her to say. She flushed and then looked sideways at him. She kept glancing at the television but now the program could no longer catch her interest.

"Room for another? Are you planning on... trying to have a relationship with someone? Because Morgan, those things, in our world, can't be planned on happening, not with our-"

"I didn't plan on it. But it's already happened," she admitted, turning her face towards him. He blinked rapidly, the wheels in his head still in park.

"Okay, if you say that you have fallen for Cupid..." he groaned. "Let me remind you how he works and what's going on with those... pheromones or whatever he gives off..."

"No, Jack!" Morgan giggled. "I mean, it's happened before, but just as I have evolved, and my experiences have evolved and life in general... so have my feelings. They have grown into something... much more. The love I feel for you is nothing like what I had for you before."

"Wait..." he said slowly, and then the pacing of his heart rushed to catch up with his breath and the motion of his thoughts. The top of his skin buzzed with the electricity of his words and he slapped the floor with his palm to steady his balance. Morgan raised an eyebrow and how flabbergasted he suddenly was by her words.

"Jack?"

"You... did you just say... you love me?" he repeated, tone quickening with anticipated desire. "And you mean... really love me? Like... you loved me before?"

"No, no, no, aren't you listening?! _More _than before, Jack."

"How?! I mean I don't get how... all of a sudden..."

"Not all of a sudden," she corrected quickly, clasping her hands together with deep thought. "When you fall in love with someone like that... there's something that stays with you. When you stay with them as long as we did... it's engraved in you. It leaves a mark. And then you add in that we never had bad blood, we remained friends. There was always something there for us, but I tamed it. I removed it. I put it in a different place."

"But Hamilton..."

"I loved him too, and the same thing is going to be with him. It has moved to a different place now. But it's... changed, and the loved I have for you is re-realized and with me becoming something anew, so has... my... longing for you. And with you being here, it awakened it. And now I know, Jack. You're here. I'm here. I'm no longer married. All problems we had before gone. Unless you suddenly discovered I am not what you-"

"No!" he interrupted, placing a hand around her closed hands. The morpho blue in his eyes glistened under the dim colors of the TV. The closeness of his face ignited the urgency in her breathing and despite the freezing temperatures and the cold fronts he could give off, heat was building between the two of them, encouraged by the short distance of their bodies. "No, it never left. I have loved you just as much as I did when we were together. Maybe even more since I have watched you grow into this.. marvelous person. And I never wished you to die, and never wanted you too, but since you're here and we can't change it... I can't say I'm upset all those problems we had before are gone." Morgan breathed a grin and then her eyes stirred up moisture to cling to the ends of her lashes. She leaned towards him, but he pulled back. "I am concerned, though, this is all too quick for you. We can still pursue something, but I am more than happy to wait til you have taken everything in and are okay-"

"Damn it all, Jack, it's been ten years, I think you're so done with waiting," she snapped and then decided she didn't want to wait anymore either. She pulled Jack towards and for the first time in ten years, they tasted the other's kiss. It was just as they remembered, but more so. Jack, a sweet chill of bitter frost but with the new addition of the thrill of anxious passion. Morgan, mango and ripe vanilla with the tang of freshly formed dew in the morning and the relief of release. Deciding images of people falling into the Earthquake was not a very good addition to their mood, Morgan fished out the remote and flipped off the TV so the room was almost completely dark. A small lamp in the far corner of the room created enough light so they could see each other's eyes and their features, but otherwise the room was cloaked in darkness. The mingling of their lips moved from cautious innocence into hungry need. Jack wrapped his arms across her back so she was tangled in him. She parted her lips for a little bit of air and grinned with satisfaction. A tear squeezed out of the side of her face and Jack took it as a sign of him doing something wrong. He broke apart and clutched her shoulders finally.

"What is it?" he said.

"It's just... years, Jack. I'm just thinking about all the... the things we said, what we were going to do, and how we would be together... and it can happen now. We can really have it all."

"We... can't have children..." he reminded her.

"No, you're wrong," she laughed. "We have all the children of the world. They just need to believe."

"I love you..." he whispered, using the soft side of hand to brush against her cheek bone. Morgan's blood rushed in respond to the shock of the cold tingling against his skin.

"You don't have to go to Antarctica every year anymore you know..." she added. "I mean, unless you want to, I'm sure the penguins would miss you... but you can stay up here. Just like we said. Every year."

"That's not too quick?" he asked once again feeling nervous about herself and trying not to overstep her boundaries. "I mean you don't think..."

"You're already living here, Jack, it's not much a change. Besides we passed the getting to know you point. A long time ago. We already know everything about each other. We pick up where we left off, and where we were was well beyond the move in together stage."

"Okay, then!" he chuckled warmly, stealing a kiss from her. "I guess... Morgan, is this real? Are we really? I mean... wait, okay, will you be my girlfriend again?"

"Eh, might as well. We are living together and sharing a bed."

"Huh? We're not sharing a bed." Her eyes flickered with mischievous mirth.

"We are now."

"You're... um... serious."

"Do I lie, Jack?" At her remark his face whitened more than it possibly could and he was struggling to keep his smile from reaching ridiculous levels. He dropped his hands from around her and used the edge of the couch to lift himself to his feet.

"I guess I'll go and start moving my stuff." But Morgan had stood up behind him and knotted the fabric on the back of his sweatshirt so when he stepped forward, it tightened against his throat and kept him from moving on. He gagged and then looked back at the glowing spirit, smiling brightly behind him. He raised his eyebrow with curious wonderment.

"Not quite," she said as he turned back towards. She dropped back onto the couch and tugged on the front of his sweatshirt this time. "You interrupted something between us. Something I was hoping was going to go a little further." He sharply took in a gulp of air through his parted lips, shocking into their gaping position. He purposely fell into the open seat beside her and then hovered above her as she angled her back flat against the cushion of the couch. "Ten years has got to build up some things..." He laughed and then met her kiss, quietly chuckling with a little bit of wickedness at something private in his head.

"Oh, just wait til you find out..."

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**ASDFGHJKL PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SOMEONE GIVE ME SOME EXCITED HAPPINESS! LOOK, I GAVE YOU GUYS GOODNESS! SEE YOU WITH AN AMAZING CHAPTER TOMORROW! I HAVE WAITED SO LONG TO TYPE THAT CHAPTER AND NOW FINALLY! FINALLY! Rosie out.**


	141. The Things That Make Them See

**Okay so I have a few chapters to go yet but I do want you all to brace yourselves because this fic is nearing its end. 150 is my target end, so I just want to tell you all how AMAZING you have been and how your encouraging words have just kept this story going, and how I have met some wonderful people because of this. This story has taken on its own life, developing itself it almost seems and has infused itself into my own soul. Morgan is definitely the most alive character I have ever created and some day, when I become an author on the NYT bestseller list (haha) she might even make it into one of my originals (of course, I won't say what she's from or any of her relations because... copyright.) or at least, a reflection of her. This has been a phenomenal tiresome journey which is nice that I am going to get a bit of break, but I have also fallen in love with every minute of it and I will cry when it does end. I also plan to have some sort of LIVE Q and A later in the future because I just have so many readers, so I guess start coming up qith questions. I'll let you know the details later. But for now, there are a few chapters left so enjoy until then! Thanks guys. I love you.**

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Morgan ducked under the covers to avoid the barrage of clothes being flung at her, and then chuckled to herself at how familiar this scene was to her. Even in her afterlife, she preferred to keep on sleeping while Jack pressured her to wake and tried to influence her to change clothes. Or in this case, actually put something on. Which just made everything colder and long to duck back under the covers.

"Jack, there is nothing to wake up for..." she moaned. "I am not mortal anymore. Have you forgotten?"

"Phil stopped by earlier."

"Phil?!" Morgan squeaked, clutching the covers close to her chest.

"He didn't come in the house, don't worry," he chuckled. Morgan's eyes went to Jack, his sweatshirt and his tunic gone, but his trousers pulled tight against him.

"You answered the door like that?"

"Well... yes," he said sheepishly. "He looked a little confused but didn't ask anything."

"What did he want?"

"The Guardians are meeting together in his workshop. Apparently Pitch turning up in your house like that was just the beginning. He's sort of begun this... tantrum, I guess and is beginning to target adults."

"Is it bad?"

"Well, I don't know much. But we're supposed to be there."

"You said the Guardians are meeting there."

"Yes."

"Why am I needed?" Jack smirked and turned to face her. Her jaw fell and her breathing shuddered when she became to understand what that meant. Jack's smiled widened as cherry red color blossomed in the apples of her cheeks. She leapt up from under the covers and when she did, Jack watched her body move lustfully. She didn't seem to notice. She jumped off the edge of the mattress and gripped Jack tightly.

"Does that mean, Jack...?"

"Well, if I heard Phil right, it sounds like the Man in the Moon feels this is necessary. Now, I would prefer it if you stopped hugging me right now. In case you forgot, you're naked and if you continue to cling to me any longer I am going to completely forget all about the meeting and just go and-"

"Oh give me that!" Morgan huffed, yanking the bra he was pulling out of the chest of drawers. "Go on ahead, I'll be there soon." Just as she had pulled on her undergarments, Jack stopped his walk out of the room. He looked back at her and then took her again, throwing his arms completely around her and pressing his cheek into the side of her face He pressed the love on his lips against her temple and then nuzzled her.

"I'm proud of you in more ways than you know," he whispered. "I know this isn't completely what you wanted, but it-"

"Jack," she chuckled, embracing him even tighter. "Sometimes things happen in life we can't control. Maybe the Man in the Moon didn't just save me because I would be needed. Maybe he knew we were going to need each other, and he wanted a way so you could give me everything I wanted. Whatever happened, I'm happy. My heart pangs for Hamilton sometimes, and it's probably always going to."

"And that's okay."

"But I'm still there for my kids. You're still in their lives. I have you here. If I need to have an afterlife, then I am getting more than I could have ever desired out of it."

"I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her lightly and Morgan pushed him out before he could get distracted by ogling her half naked body, laughing as she did.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She peered through the crack in the doors, seeing a lighthearted gathering between the emerald and blue gleam of the Tooth Fairy hovering about, her little companion buzzing near her shoulder. Bunny and North seemed to arguing about something, but the rabbit was getting more frustrated than the large man in red was, who seemed to be amused by whatever was going on. Sandy kept taking goblets of milk from the elves and downing them greedily. Jack was pacing nervously, probably getting impatient for her to arrive. Morgan snickered at the scene, creating a noise loud enough for the nearby Yetis to hear. She gasped at they flung the doors open. Garbling enthusiastically, they lifted Morgan out of the snowy atmosphere and tried to drag her through the workshop.

"Hey, hey, I know how to walk!" she said, and ripped her arms away from them, but smiled at them all the same. She looked up and everyone was looking to her, Jack smiling the brightest out of all of them. Banners with calligraphic Gs fell from the rafters above. The red capped elves began to march in circles, blasting on their small trumpets a glorious fanfare as she walked to the center of the workshop. Near the fireplace, two Yetis were holding up torches, glowing with the fiery blaze. Morgan ruched her shoulders, finding all of the pomp and circumstance a little unnecessary and she wrung her fingers against the stem of her Hosta plant. It must have been a pretty powerful plant because it hadn't withered or died under how many times she had abused it. Her cheeks flared with pink at all the attention being put on her. She felt a little undeserving of an honor so great to bestow. She swallowed looking around at the elves waving frantically up at her as they merrily played on their instruments. She stepped closer, taking a step onto the scarlet rug, spread wide across the floor. Jack joined her side and slid his palm against hers. Feeling his hand pressing encouragement into her own helped a lot and she pushed every feeling in her nerves into his grip. He was here, and always would be.

"Do they know?" she whispered.

"I didn't want to say anything until you were here, but we'll wait til the ceremony is over," he said back. Morgan breathed calmly and Jack could feel the tension in her wrist. He squeezed her hand again and then stole back to the side with the other Guardians. She looked down at her feet to see two elves, lifting a pillow with a pair of brand new boots, exactly like the ones she was wearing but untarnished and without any marks of having been singed. She cooed excitedly and kicked off her own to pull on the new pair. They looked over to Jack and one of them blew a raspberry at him. Jack scoffed. Morgan looked at the connection between them, wondering why the elf was being so rude to Jack in regards to the footwear. "I wasn't very compliant at my first ceremony. I protested the shoes."

"He protested everythin'." Bunny corrected as Morgan stood up again in her shiny new boots. Jack produced a feather light strand of flower beads with a blue teardrop necklace hanging in the center and walked around behind Morgan to fascinate the celebratory lei around her necklace. As he did, he kissed her cheek, looking up at the other Guardians mischievously. North didn't look surprised, but the others certainly did. Sandy didn't know where to look, Bunny almost scowled and Tooth's eyes bugged. Baby Tooth was chirping excitedly. North grinned knowingly. As the fanfare swelled, North beat his feet to the music, while everyone still watched Jack, taking his place once again with look of pride etched into his smirk. The fanfare finished and North seemed to really take in the last bit, before bursting into laughter.

"Morgan!"

"Hello, North," she greeted.

"So you know what is to come?" he verified. Morgan nodded.

"I am, and I am willing. I know what is expected of me and what my duties are."

"Being close to Jack has made things easier!" he laughed, his belly shaking. He held out his hand and a nearby Yeti passed over a book. The cover had an elaborate G engraved on it, and it looked ancient although very well taken care of. He flipped open the book and Morgan held her head high to create some sort of impression of confidence. "Will you, Morgan Barry, vow to watch over the children of the world, to guard them with your life, your hopes, your wishes, and your dreams, for they are all we have, all that we are,, and all that we will ever be?" She pursed her lips, suddenly realizing what this vow meant and they weight it would carry. She shuffled her feet and looked down at the elves, waiting for her response. Everyone else seemed to grow nervous when she didn't respond suddenly. Jack retreated over to her.

"You're not alone, remember," he whispered to her. "You're not going to be expected to carry all of this by yourself. The weight is shared. And Manny would not have chosen you if he didn't know you could handle it."

"I will," Morgan told North, and the release of relief could be heard in the echo from how great it was throughout the room.

"Then congratulations, Morgan, for you are now and forever more a Guardian!" The fanfare went up again, and a shower of confetti spilled out from above them. Jack twirled Morgan around and she held his face still while she kissed her, deciding that she wasn't too concerned about being too affectionate in public. North laughed at their sudden display Bunny groaned. Tooth watched with adoration and Sandy just rolled his eyes.

"Wait a bloody minute, could someone explain when this happened?" Bunny demanded to know, so the two of them broke apart, but Jack's hands were still clutching her waist and Morgan's hand had dropped to his chest.

"Yesterday," Morgan said.

"And what's going to happen now? Ya two are going get married and live in that big old house and live happily ever after? With visits from her kids and friends?" Bunny was speaking with some amount of sarcasm, but they took is very seriously.

"That's the direction we're headed for," Jack stated calmly.

"What about Hamilton?" Tooth asked. "I mean, you two were so..."

"Feelings can change, just as I have," Morgan said simply. "That's all I can really say on the matter. Jack and I talked, don't worry. We're not going into this blind."

"As beautiful as Jack and you are, we have matters to discuss," North firmly said. Morgan pulled herself away and took up her professional demeanor and stood in the circle, waiting for further instructions. "We now face threat that has never before been seen. Pitch is back, again, but this time he is not just taking dreams of children. He is ruining dreams of adults. "Wait, how do you know that?" Morgan asked. "I mean, according to Jack, when he last took our dreams... my dreams... he appeared here." North tossed an open envelope over to her and she flipped it to the front, reading the cursive letters, a font she knew too well. "Nicholas St. North, The Workshop, North Pole."

"Linda...?" she guessed and then pulled out the note inside.

Dear North,

Something strange is going on here, and I know you and your Guardians are the only ones who could stop it. I think Pitch is back, but none of my kids seemed bothered by it. However, it's affecting me and it's affecting Ross, and I know some of the my other coworkers seem tired a lot and just have a general feeling of hopelessness. The kids are always happy and cheerful, but we aren't and that makes us short with them. The less sleep we lose to the nightmares and the more scared we get of the things in our sleeping minds coming true, the more paranoid and angry we are. This is not a good thing for us, each other, or the children. I fear for the world right now. Please help.  
Sincerely, Linda Lichter.

P.S. Hamilton Barry does not seem affected at all by this. I don't know how Pitch missed him, but he seems to be doing well.

"He's depressing adults so the kids get the stress?"

"This is much bigger than it was last time," Bunny added. "The thing with adults is, often kids' fears are irrational. Sometimes adults are too, but many of them have stronger fears, much more solid ones that a person can't just get past so easily. It's not as easy to defeat."

"Besides that, many adults do not believe in us and aren't as easy to convince we're here," Tooth added, fluttering near Morgan.

"But the children believe in you, doesn't that give you some strength?"

"It doesn't matter. If the adults are being affected, that means they could stomp out their belief, simply by being hopeless."

"The adults don't even believe in the Boogeyman though," Morgan added, hoping that would work in their advantage.

"But they believe in fear," Jack said. "And probably focus more on it than children do."

"Do you understand why this is harder than last time?" North said. "I received message this morning. Mallory lost tooth and Toothy flew to the house last night to get tooth. And it was there alongside it, and she brought it right to me. I gathered everyone this morning and Man in Moon chose new Guardian. You. Oh by the way. Jack, why did you not see Aurora this morning?"

"I was, heh... kinda of... occupied..." he tried to keep his eyes away from Morgan but she gave them away with the coloring in her face and the thin smile she could hide.

"Oh crikey," said Bunny, and Tooth wore a look of horror. Sandy turned away, not wanting to hear where this was going. North seemed absolutely clueless, however.

"You couldn't just stop what you were doing?" he wondered innocently.

"Uh, well it was kinda..." he started to say. "Difficult to."

"What exactly was it you were doing that was so hard to quit?"

"Oh my God..." Morgan gasped. "Why is Linda not here? She would be having the time of her life." Sandy gasped, like he desired to speak and the sand above his head began to swirl into images, but Jack waved his hand through the Dreamsand.

"Sandy. NO," he pleaded. Sandy nodded in agreement. Tooth saved them, by flying over to North and muttering something into his ear. North's expression formed into one of genuine shock and he looked between Morgan and Jack. They both looked convicted of something dreadful.

"It's okay, you do not need to go into detail," North quickly said.

"Point is, we need to be on our toes for this one. Pitch is gonna be harder to track this time round," Bunny interrupted, hoping the subject to change. "Adults are very good at denying things."

"I don't understand why I was made a Guardian for this," said Morgan. "I mean, I get needing more people but what have I got? Jack talked about centers. I don't even know if I have one, and if I do, what is it? What is history to a child? Can't be history."

"You'll figure it out," Tooth said sweetly to her. She placed a delicate hand on Morgan's shoulder and looked at her fondly. "It took Jack a while. I can't say I really understand what yours would be either. You're not really a simple person." Morgan beamed proudly at her comment.

"So what's our agenda right now?" Morgan questioned, gearing up a little to start in on some action in battling the Nightmare King, but she was also harboring explosive feelings of terror, wringing her hands constantly to avoid letting it quake her body. She was successful in hiding away all of her fear from all, but Jack who could almost read her down to her thoughts.

"We can't do much until we track his location," Tooth said as they moved around the workshop and Morgan had to duck to avoid the spinning saucer that was gliding through the air. "We need to know where he is, but he's bouncing all over the place."

"If you just got the information this morning though..."

"We've been seeing the effects for a week but didn't know what was really going on," Bunny told her as the group walked through the workshop. Jack jumped up to catch an out of control powered plane and then flung it back in the direction of the Yeti who was playing with its controller. "And it's June. There's not really any major holidays coming up soon that tend to reawaken spirits in people. That helped us in our favor last time."

"Not unless you count Independence Day," Morgan joked. "Honestly though, that's just a day of picnics and fireworks and dogs barking at the noises. And parades. And that's not international anyway, it's just an American holiday." Sandy jumped up and down, an golden exclamation point suspended over his head. They addressed him and he smiled, proud that he had been noticed. In the sand, pictures of Pitch and then an Easter Egg and then three children were shown. An image was used to represent the Dreamsand and then he showed the three children looking happy again. "Okay I'm lost."

"Sandy makes a good point," said Bunny and Tooth nodded. Jack shrugged.

"Huh?" asked Morgan.

"Takes long time to understand Sandy sometimes," North explained. "He says last children were the key to getting rid of Pitch. This time, adults must be key!"

"Except, how can we speak to the adults? I mean, Linda and Hamilton and my family all know... except my mother..." her voice faltered into pain and Jack made the motion of touching her shoulder but she snapped out of quickly. "My point is adults do not believe as easily as children. Children have a way of seeing the truth, they just take things at face value and usually don't question it. Adults are suspicious and if it's a little weird or not normal or just does not seem possible they will never believe it. It's going to be hard to get them to see it. So much harder."

"So what can we do?" Tooth wondered nervously and Baby Tooth chirped in agreement with her question. Morgan sighed and thought carefully. "What is that separates children and adults from seeing us? I mean you mention ease of belief, but what creates it." Morgan chewed on her lip and anxiety settled in. She noticed all of them looking at her, like she was to understand what was going on, but she was at a loss. She couldn't understand what it was that made them assume she knew how to fight against this.

"I... I don't know, I mean... I guess everything you guys protect in children. Or I guess us now. There's so much that they hold on to that gets lost when you're an adult. Many adults lose hope in even the smallest of things. When you get older, you forget the most precious things that happened when you were young. Your dreams are not as big and wild as they used to be. You start to believe you need to be realistic and not create such big dreams and instead focus on things like graduation and marriage. Which are all great things to dream about but you no longer look to things like... exploring the world in a hot air balloon or becoming an astronaut or living in a treehouse. You become so busy with life you don't remember what it's life to have fun and the wonder leaves your life. As hard as your protect them childhood they still vanish." The more she spoke they more they kept their ears open and their eyes wide Morgan was getting antsy as they clung to her words. "Um, well... in order to defeat Pitch you need to get them to see. You need to fill not just adults but everyone in the world with the thing that ties all of those together."

"How?" Bunny wondered. "Adults are stubborn and can't see what's right in front of 'em. They can never see the truth of things."

"Then we _make_ them see the truth! We make them see the truth of children."

"Truth," Jack whispered. "This... this makes sense."

"What makes sense."

"What have you always been obsessed with, your whole life?" he animatedly exclaimed, gesticulating wildly as he bounced around her. Morgan cocked her eyebrow with confusion.

"His... tor...y?" she was hesitant to say.

"No! I mean, yes, but no! What is history? If you could describe history in one word what would it be?"

"Truth!" Morgan gasped. "And that's what we're trying to get the adults to see."

"This is why Manny wants you as Guardian!" North cackled. "He wanted an expert of truth on the team."

"But I still don't understand. I mean, I can't even fathom of the need to protect that in children or any other instance besides this one where it was necessary to guard it. I mean... it's not really something that's... a tribute of childhood is it?"

"Yes it is, Morgan. It's a huge tribute. It's the thing that makes them see."

"A child's truth," Tooth figured and Baby Tooth twittered proudly.

"What the hell is a child's truth?" Morgan scoffed, a little irritated that they were starting to not make a lick of sense to her. Sandy had made more sense than they were right now.

"A child's truth makes them see and believe in everything. It's what holds up all those elements. It's what makes things a reality," Tooth explained. Her last words ignited something in Morgan's brain and she turned to face her. Her eyes bulged with recognition and then she looked into the empty space beside Tooth.

"It's imagination," Morgan stated, with an air of disgust with herself that she had not realized it before. "Imagination is their truth. It makes things real. Imagination makes them see."

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**As you can see, I know it seems like it's building up to something that could go one for many more chapters but honestly it's just going to... well I kinda of have it in my mind to make a sequel already, so this is setting exposition for that IF it happens. If not, I will end it nicely in a way that still works with the exposition. Stay tuned for another update, whether it be today or tomorrow :)**


	142. Torture in the Dream

**Double feature! So I just kept typing and typing and holy shiznit. I typed almost twice the amount I usually do. This is the longest chapter I have written. So you guys get lots of goodies tonight! I didn't realize I had typed so much, but here it is!**

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"This is a horrible idea," Jack whispered, pulled his hood over his frostbitten hair. He was standing guard, seated on the roof of the Lichter house, his staff laying across his propped knees so he could grab it if there was an incident. "We should be back at the Taj Mahal. I could cook for us, and maybe we could share a nice dinner. We could eat some desert and fall asleep on the couch watching a film. That's what we should be doing."

"As nice as that would be, we can't," Morgan said, preparing to leap off the roof. She stretched her arms twirled the stem of the plant in her hands. Jack lowered his chin and his shoulders ruched to show his strain. Morgan knelt down and lifted his chin, playfulness sparkling in her eyes. "You freeze everything you try to cook."

"I'm good at popsicles and ice cream," he said in defense.

"Yeah, even those..." He jabbed her stomach with the end of his staff. She giggled and placed a soft caress to his lips.

"This is still a horrible idea," he said, not at all silenced by Morgan's attempts to distract him. A long winded groaned escaped from her lips. The casual way Morgan was taking this whole thing was comforting even less as she had this delusion she was nearly invincible when it came to Pitch.

"I can defend myself."

"Not if he has the power of disbelief on his side," he informed, and Morgan clicked her tongue with annoyance. Her careless pained him and flared the aggression in him. "No, do not click your tongue like that at me, please, Morgan! Look, I understand that you feel sorry for him because he lost his daughter and that's horrible but even if you feel sorry for someone that does not excuse their actions!"

"I never said it did. I threatened him and I faced him. Even when I was human, remember?" she said, preparing to step off the roof. Jack pulled her back by taking a hold of her wrist. He glared right into her eyes and Morgan looked startled to see him so angry.

"How do you not see how... reckless you're being?!"

"I know Pitch, okay? He's not going to hurt me."

"But you don't know that."

"He told me he cared about me."

"He was lying."

"I can tell."

"No, Morgan, just because you're a Guardian does not mean you have this special ability to read truth and see beyond lies. You were once human and you still carry some of those qualities. You can be tricked and you can be deceived. The greatest criminals are cunning and treacherous because they don't have a conscience to give them away. They have no conviction that can be seen and it can be so easy to believe their lies an falsehoods. What you are is too trusting that people are going to be truthful with you simply because you hate lies so much."

"He has a conscience!" Morgan belted. "You don't pour that much love into a child and not have one! He lost his daughter, Jack. And I think, despite how horrible he was to me, I made him realize all of that and the love for her all over again, and he cares about me because of that! I reminded him what it was like to be a father and he... sees me differently than he sees all of the other Guardians. Any other person. He wouldn't hurt me because of that."

"And this conscience is what made him to, despite how much he cares for you like a daughter and wishes you no harm, trick you and shove his tongue down your throat-"

"I was thirteen, Jack!"

"And he was a father who had a daughter of his own both then and now, and was probably... at least thirty when he was conquered by the Fearlings! He had no remorse for what he did, and it was all just a dirty trick to destroy me because he knew I loved you and if I hadn't become a Guardian, he would have succeeded!"

"I know Pitch better than you do, Jack!"

"I don't think you do!" A dog started barking in the distance from their yelling. Some neighbor screamed at the dog to be quiet.

"Are you jealous?"

"No," he snarled. "I am well aware you are smart enough to stay away from that slime ball. But I am worried that you think you're so... precious to him that he would never lay a finger on you."

"He wouldn't."

"Okay, then he doesn't. I can believe that possibly he wouldn't, but what about hurting you in other ways. What if your ignorance to his true motives harms Elizabeth? Nathan? Hamilton?"

"He said he wouldn't."

"Then Linda. He's doing it right now, Morgs. Linda is as good as family. And I know if she..." He faltered off, waiting for her to say something but she was rendered silent. He continued on. "Do you remember when she almost killed herself? What if she gives in to her dreams... whatever they are, and believes the lies they tell her? What if because of Pitch... it happens again? And you can't save her this time?"

"You're forgetting that in the end she was afraid of death..." Morgan wept, struggling to keep up her end of the argument. Jack's input was ringing too strongly and all of the defense she built up her head was now dissipating with his sensibility. "Fear saved her."

"No, Morgsies," he corrected quickly. "It was knowing how much she was loved and cherished that saved her. It was you who saved her, not Pitch. Pitch is fear himself, which means even in a situation if he longed to save someone, he couldn't. He would be too afraid too. He is a coward and you know it. Only when he knows he has the upper hand does he show an illusion of bravery."

"What do you want me to do, Jack?" she begged. "Am I supposed to sit here and let things be? I'm the only one who Pitch would respond to. I need to draw him out, if he 's even still here."

"Just because it's horrible idea doesn't mean it won't work." Jack walked around the roof and faced her, massaging her cheeks with his thumbs as he rested his hands upon her face. "But it does mean that I would prefer you stayed with me and sat up eating popcorn while we played chess. I know no matter what I say you're going to walk in there and protect your best friend. Nothing can keep you from defending those you care about, and I know that when you start a fight, it's impossible for you to stop. When you really have it on your mind to pummel someone... whew..." She laughed at how not so inaccurate over dramatization. "You are the only one who can really draw him out, but I also want you to know... he may see you differently, but those doesn't mean he'll give you special treatment. Be aware you can be just as disposable to him as anyone else. Don't let it blind you or let your guard down. As a guardian, that is the worst thing you can do." Morgan turned her face to kiss his palm tenderly.

"Well, here's the great thing about all of this..." she said as he shuffled several strands of hair falling across her shoulder. "Even if I fail, I'll have a handsome Guardian who's so infatuated with me, he will kill Pitch just by glaring at him he'll be so angry."

"Yes, that's true, I guess. But how about we skip the getting killed part? I still would like to have you around for a very long time."

"I'll see what I can do." They took the time to share a quick kiss before Jack released her to invade to Lichter house. She looked back up at the roof to where he sat. "I hope I don't even need you, but if I throw my flower out the window, come and back me up."

"I'll keep watch." Morgan disappeared behind the window and into the darkness of Mallory's bedroom. The blankets rose with the motion of the young girl's sleeping breath and Morgan was struggling to avoid the mess of toys and clothes scattered around the room. She scowled when she regained her balance after almost tripping on something that had wheels. She stalked the halls of the house, remembering the layout of the house and then stuck her hand in the crack of the door to Linda and Ross's room. She flicked the light switch three times and then the door flew open so the dark haired woman could fling herself onto Morgan. She stepped backwards, the railing of the steps telling her she was about to fall over.

"Morgan!" Linda squealed, but in a quieter tone than what she would have normally used.

"Linda..." Morgan coughed and she backed away from the failing.

"There's something really weird happening and I think it's Pitch-"

"I know. North showed me the note. I'm here to lure him out."

"What? No, no, no not you! That was meant for the Guardians, not you! It's not a job for a single person and certainly not you! Not after what he did and how he-"

"Well, it's not one person. I'm just luring him out so we can defeat him."

"But the Guardians!-"

"Linda. I am a Guardian."

"Whoa, wait. You are a Guardian?"

"Why is that so surprising?"

"Because you've been dead four months and Jack was dead three hundred years."

"Oh, right. Well, it's because of this, actually. As of yesterday morning, I am a Guardian. I guess my knowledge and experience and abilities are necessary for this job."

"You're not the only one here?" Linda gasped. "How could they send you out into battle without someone to have your back, I mean really what are Guardians they are-"

"Jack is here," Morgan interrupted. "Keeping watch. I need to ask you... what have your nightmares been about?"

"Ross leaving. Cheating. My kids getting hit by a car or some tornado ripping through the house. Ending up on a dark street with some guys prepared to do me harm. Doctor Who being canceled. The things that wake me up screaming."

"So the things that would ruin your life," Morgan guessed and Linda nodded.

"Ross and I talk about them all the time, it's kind of the thing that keeps us sane right now. He keeps dreaming about his brother being shipped off to war and he keeps seeing his mother die in that car crash over and over again. He keeps seeing me get killed and someone kidnapping our kids."

"Geez. So Pitch is tapping into the things that would ruin your life forever. With kids it's things like snakes and spiders and monsters."

"No, this is..." Linda stumbled across her sentence. "This is the stuff that aren't just bad dreams. Things that could happen."

"And Ross' mom did die in that car crash..."

"Yes, but it's brought back his PTSD."

"Okay, I need to be in your room."

"Uh, Ross is sleeping."

"Wake him up and get him out of there!"

"But he's... not having a nightmare and it's rare that..."

"Tan!" Morgan hissed.

"Kenter!" Linda responded, addressing each other as they used to when they were younger. Morgan fought against a grin while Linda marched back into her room and tried to persuade Ross to wake up.

"Hey, come on, let's go play an impromptu match of _Halo_."

"... Uhh... it's one thirty in the morning, babe..."

"Perfect timing. Kids are in bed."

"Uh, no... all operators are busy, thank you, please call again..." he mumbled and Morgan could be heard outside the day, laughing at his interesting response.

"... you were having a nightmare than the internet was out and you couldn't get a hold of the company, weren't you?"

"Uhhhergghh... maybe..."

"That is a nightmare. Okay, we really need to go play _Halo_ now. I won't be able to handle it if you're in fear of the internet going out."

"Okay, there's something wrong here. You hate _Halo_. You hate video games. It's the middle of the night. And you want to play with me."

"Better take advantage of the op while you can, dear."

"... you're not pregnant again, are you?"

"No!... why, do you want me to be? Because there is a couch downstairs too, we could-"

"Linda please no!" Morgan called in desperation.

"No, I'm tired, we can go play _Halo_."

"Thank God!" Morgan hissed with intense relief. The weary couple walked past her and down the stairs so she could slip into the bedroom. She kicked at the items under the bed, finding that Linda still shoved things under there as her way of cleaning and gagged at the pile of laundry that must have been weeks old. She hopped back up and left the doors to the large closet wide open and then sat on the bed, wriggling her feet in anticipation. "Pitch, it's Morgan. I need to talk to you, please come out." But the shadows in the dark room did not change. She groaned and tried to think of what else would get to him. "Hurting my friend's family is just as bad as hurting my own family. Did you really think I would be okay with that? And how about the rest of the world, Pitch? As a Guardian, I have to watch over the whole world now, I'm not just going to sit back and let-" The shades of night shifted and took form in a cluster under the bed. Morgan drew her legs up to the bed and watched the spectral shadow build up into its form of man. She kept her Hosta flower close to her.

"Did you say, Guardian?" he asked carefully.

"Yes," Morgan snapped and jumped up so she was towering before him. She was trying hard to appear more intimidating than she felt, but she was pretty sure he had her beat in that area. "Yesterday, the Man-"

"He chose you?! He chose you to stand for good and justice and protect the children?!"

"Yes."

"And now I suppose people will believe in you too."

"Well... I guess. I mean Linda does, my family. But that's it as of now."

"Good," Pitch's nose twitched as malice turned his grin. "Let's keep it that way."

"What?"

"Maybe if nobody believes in you too, you will truly understand the pain that I feel."

"What are you talking-"

"You're a Guardian! Great! Fantastic! But you know, your powers can go beyond this. Morgan, I can ensure your family and Linda's protection. Haven't you always wanted to go down in history? I can make that happen too..."

"No!" Morgan scoffed, drawing away from him. "We've been through this before! Jack's been through this before! You're going to give me some sweet sounding deal but really it's only good for you! It will only hurt anyone else!"

"I am the Boogeyman, Morgan! What else is there for me to do but cause fear in the others?!"

"Fear can be good. Fear can be an important tool to have in your life!"

"Then I just need your help!" he said quickly. His eyes softened to one of need and sympathy, and he reached out to the girl standing over him. "Morgan, help me to know-"

"No!" she spat. "You cannot expect me to believe that all of a sudden, with one simple sentence you want to be good! Not with the Fearlings infesting you! They wouldn't let you."

"Then what did you come here to do?"

"What are trying to do? Why are you targeting adults?"

"It's harder to shake the fear from them. If the kids see their parents always in fear, they will be that way too, and they will keep falling back into that fear no matter how much the Guardians fight!" he growled with twisted ecstasy. "Parents are role models for children and they will act as they do, and then when they get older, and their kids... oh, I am getting a tear just thinking of it. Everything will be filled with fear. The whole world! Isn't it glorious?"

"You're sick."

"Of course I am, my dear, I have a plague of Fearlings."

"But why now?!" Morgan bellowed, arming herself with her flower. "All the time you had... what changed that this is the best time to do this..."

"Because of you!" he snapped so fiercely Morgan slipped and collapsed against the mattress below her. Pitch's stature grew and she scrambled to get away from his specter of darkness. "You had to go and die! The one person alive who could have saved me and helped me! You were the one person who showed me a bit of compassion and still had some faith in me! And you went and died! All because you had to be a hero and save some children. And then... you're a spirit. So you're on the good side, and you're destined to fight against me! And now, I've lost you forever so who cares, right?! I have no reason to care, no reason to stop! So the Man in the Moon is going to pay."

"And you're going to do that by making the whole world suffer?!" Morgan backed towards the window, sensing some sort of fight coming on. She clutched the Hosta in her palms.

"Why not? I'm suffering. And now I hear you're a Guardian?! You are working to fight against every action I make and won't even take the time to understand."

"Maybe as a Guardian I can talk to them and-"

"No! YOU ARE A GUARDIAN! All you will ever do is fight against me and hinder my plans and ideas. Your mission is to protect everyone from me! That's who you are, and that's what you have become. You can't change, Morgan."

"I didn't say I wanted to change, but maybe you can," she told him sweetly, offering up a chance of compassion. She hesitated in dropping the Hosta outside the window.

"Ha!" he laughed wildly. "Doubtful my dear. I am the Boogeyman. As long as fear is in the world, I am going to thrive. And guess what? There can be no joy in this world without fear. The world is all about balances. So I must survive. You cannot be rid of me. I will be here forever."

"Then I am just going to have to fight you forever," she stated plainly. "You threaten the people I vowed to protect. And you are threatening to do it forever. Therefore, I will hate you forever Pitch. I just hope you are satisfied with yourself, because I am sure this is not the person your daughter wanted you to be." Pitch lunged, enraged by the words she just spoke to him without any sign of nervousness. She dropped the Hosta plant outside the window and then slipped away just as Pitch crashed against the glass. He snarled and went for her again, forming crystallized black sand from the insides of his cloak. Morgan uncapped the canteen and cupped water in her hands before chucking it towards him. The water blades sailed towards him, but he jumped and turned to evade them. Morgan swore and she slipped under him just as he jumped on the area of floor where she had stood. She pulled out a thing straw of water and launched it at him, the tip of the sharp moisture stinging right into his neck. He shouted and turned, just in time to see the Frost boy leap through the window Morgan had opened. Pitch gasped, but then rolled his eyes. He seemed to be getting annoyed seeing the two of them together and then formed two balls of the black sand, one in each hand. He tossed them towards them and both Guardians rolled out of the way, the sand smashing against the wall behind them. Morgan scrambled to collect the mess and used her water to moisten it so it clumped in her hands Using a channel of water, she shot the black mess to Pitch and it attached to his face. He moaned and grumbled as he tried to tear away at the sand on his face.

"Good thinking, baby," Jack praised, looking to Morgan with an impressive smile. She giggled at his compliment and prepared themselves for another attack. Pitch tore off the black goop and then looked down at them as they readied themselves.

"Baby...?" he repeated, looking between them. Jack huffed and his eyes shut with guilt. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Not again. Anything but this... out of everything else... even a Guardian... him? Morgan, him?!"

"Did you really think it would be anyone else?!" Morgan retorted. They took charge again, aiming right for Pitch. But just as they were to strike, his shadow vanished instantly. His solid form was no longer there and the shadows were just as they always had been. Morgan slammed into the wall and Jack's face met with the floor. A chorus of yelps and "ows" rang out before they checked on each other. Linda's footsteps could be heard echoing up the stairs and she ripped the door open.

"What happened?! Was he here?!" she demanded to know, helping Morgan get Jack to his feet.

"He was here..." Morgan moaned, touching a sport on her head. "We're immortal, but we can still get hurt. Yeah, no, don't like it."

"Well, where did he go?! Tell me, don't leave me in the dark! That's where the nightmares are and I don't want to be where there are images of no internet."

"Ugh.. well apparently all of this is my fault. He relied on me to be the one person who he could trust and would be able to bring back his glory and show him a bit of compassion," Morgan explained, touching the sore spot on her forehead and wincing when she did. Linda slapped her hand away and stared at her threateningly. "But when I died, that upset him. And then I was a spirit and he hated that because that meant I was on the side..."

"On the side of the angels!" Linda declared, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Yeah, no, this isn't Sherlock, Linda, this is real stuff."

"Oh pooh, you are never any fun."

"But that point still stands. Anyway, he made him furious. And now he found out I was a Guardian-"

"Uh oh. He no likey."

"You know, you don't really seem that depressed for someone who supposedly has nightmares haunting her and effecting her all the time," Jack observed, rotating his shoulder that he tried to use to prevent his collision with the floor.

"I know where it's coming from and so I am fighting against it, that's the difference. I had good teachers." She patted Jack's head as if he were an obedient dog and he gave her a dull expressions. "Who's a good Guardian?! Jackie boy!"

"Wow. Thanks," he murmured.

"And now he's gone because apparently the thing he hates more than Guardians is Jack and I being together and Jack had to go and say something-" Morgan continued, but was cut off.

"It slipped out! I was trying to compliment you! Don't girls like that?!"

"It couldn't have waited til afterward?!"

"I didn't think, it just happened, it was a spur of the moment-"

"Yeah, you didn't think, isn't that the problem-"

"EXCUSE ME!" Linda shrilly called. They both covered their ears, her cry loud enough to rip apart the house. She cleared her throat and innocently smiled at them. "Thank you. Ahem. You. Him. Together. Tell?"

"Oh, come on Linda, you have been waiting for it to happen forever."

"I know!" she squealed and clapped her hands together as if she were a wind up monkey. "OkayohmyGodpleaseexplainwhathappenedwasitsuperrom anticordiditjust-"

"Why did Pitch leave, that was much less scary than this..." Jack moaned.

"Look, I'll make it quick," Morgan snapped. "Watching TV. Just came out. Happened two nights ago. Sort of just happened. Happy?"

"But did he-"

"Yes."

"But are you-"

"Yes I'm okay."

"Hamilton-!"

"He's fine."

"Was there-"

"Yep."

"Oh my God, did you guys actually-"

"Yes."

"YOU DID IT?"

"Yes, and we will do it right here in front of you if it will shut you up!" Morgan roared loudly, her words cutting deeper into Linda than she had wanted. Linda closed her mouth, eyes dropping to the floor with crushed spirits. Morgan sighed and then hugged her friend sorrowfully. "Okay, I'm sorry I snapped. But tensions are high now and we have to go. Pitch is out there and we need to stop him! We don't know where he's headed, he's been jumping around everywhere, all over the place."

"I know, and I'm... sorry I just... my personality can get in the way..." Linda said. She pulled away from Morgan's hug and then walked to Jack, swinging him into a hug. "Welcome back to the family, Jack!"

"Ugh... thanks..." Linda glowed and then stepped back.

"Ross thinks I went to the bathroom. Better get back and get killed in that game as fast as possible so I can get back to sleep. Oh my God, I hate that game..."

"Good luck getting him away from it," Morgan laughed and Linda glared daggers at her.

"Just catch him so I don't have to do this again, please?!"

"Will do, Linds." Jack pulled Morgan back through the window and they retrieved her flower off the ground below. She turned it over in her hands and brushed the leaves sadly. She thought about the power it possessed and she possessed, wondering what other things she could do to fight. "We're in another war of dreams, aren't we?"

"Yes, Morgs," Jack confirmed with sadness in his voice. "I believe this is the beginning of a very long fight for the dreams and sanity of the whole world."

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**I hope enjoyed have extra to read today. Back to work tomorrow! It was so nice having a few days off... ugh. Anyway, I'll be back with another chapter tomorrow night, internet permitting. Night my rosettes! Rosie out.**


	143. The Only One

**Okay so the other night I only got three hours of sleep so I passed out last night and didn't type anything, but I wouldn't have been able to type anyway because my internet was out til just before I left for work. Even so, here's a chapter... and it introduces something exciting you will see happen before the end... :)**

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There was an alert out for Pitch, but he had not been seen for several weeks. July passed into August and then the kids were back at school. It was strange to know that soon this new generation of kids would fully be in school. Linda's oldest, Mallory, was starting first grade. It ached Jack a little to realize this children were soon going to be the ages he first met them all and then the cycle would keep on going. His friends' were having kids now, and even though Morgan had talked about for years had strange it was to know so many people she went to high school with were settling down, he did not think anyone else would find it as strange as him. It had already been almost twenty years since he first met Morgan and he stayed the same. He took a small detour as the cold settled in and people starting bringing out their jackets. Sometime, that summer, Lawrence had stopped seeing the Guardians. His belief was gone. His brother's was still there but Jack knew that was doomed too. It only made him think about how times was going to fly quick for all of the mortals of the world. There wasn't much longer that the direct children of his first believers and best friends had before they two got older and entered adulthood. They needed to stop Pitch soon before the belief in the world plummeted in every human being. But he was being incredibly evasive. The Guardians would see him pop up for five minutes and then when they reached his location, he was halfway across the world. Eventually, they had decided a plan of action needed to go into effect before anyone could anything to stop him.

"He's gotten clever," Morgan added, her legs propped up over Jack's lap. They had spent all day in a meeting on new plans, but they were coming up with nothing, and the talk just continued on later that night after work. Morgan had cleared the mist she conjured that midday and Jack used the clearance that night to coat the grass with frost. It was nearing three am, which was beneficial neither one of them truly needed sleep. Although Morgan often did sleep, at least a couple of hours a day. It was a pleasure of human life she had missed. And sometimes Jack joined her if she was feeling lonely. "I don't know, what is my purpose in all of this? Clearly, you guys need help but even with me, there's nothing that can be done. He's like a Quickie Mart for nightmares. Get in, do his thing, get out." Jack chuckled and rubbed his hand against her knees. Morgan swirled the lukewarm tea in her mug, sighing at the temperature of it.

"Do you want more?" he asked.

"Nah," she said. "If I drink anymore, I'll need to go to the bathroom again. And honestly, I didn't realize needing to go to the bathroom as a Guardian was that horrible but..."

"It doesn't get a chance to digest, so it's strange..." Jack recalled. She set her mug aside and then flipped her body over so she could lay her head in Jack's lap. He stroked the warm glow of her brown hair and Morgan turned her face into the cradling of his palms.

"Are you heading out tomorrow?"

"First frost of the night," he chuckled warmly. "Got to make sure I get all corners of the world. I'm going to go and see Helen too, I think. I'm sure she's lonely now that Sophie is in her final year at college and Jamie is enjoying his life as a newlywed."

"What did they think when you told them about us?"

"Sophie just kind of waved it off, like she knew it would happen. Helen cried and hugged me, and Jamie just sounded relieved."

"I think I want to stop at my... or, I guess... my kids' place tomorrow..." she muttered sadly. Jack brushed her hair aside. She smiled at the subtle touch. "It's been a couple of weeks since I saw them last."

"You know..." Jack started, nibbling on the edge of his lip. "Hmm."

"What is it?"

"I was just thinking, why not bring them here?"

"Are you kidding me?" Morgan gasped as she sat up. Jack dropped his hand from her hair and frowned when she gave him that dreaded scowl that said she had not been pleased. "Let's list all the reasons that's not a good idea. They have never been somewhere in their whole lives so cold before and they're young!"

"But we have heating you know, because you complain how I make it so cold around here. You're the one who cuddles up to me in bed, remember," Jack said in jest, but Morgan was not pleased with his joking right then. "Besides that, right now is the perfect time for them to come up before I make the world really cold. And they have jackets, remember? It's just a house, Morgan."

"Pitch is out there and we need to find him!"

"Exactly a reason they should stop over. Find some run and joy. We need an escape too. Besides, it's been a few months and we haven't made any progress. How is one day going to set us back any farther."

"And if Pitch comes up here?"

"Three Guardians reside at the North Pole and many many many terrifying elves and Yetis. I think this is actually the safest place for them."

"But you and I live together!"

"So? It's not like you raised them with the super strict ideals like your mother."

"Yes, but they'll question our relationship."

"They're young, what would they..." Morgan's face gone white and her stunned silence made Jack's face fall with disheartened realization. He let his head fall back so it was resting on the top of the couch. "You haven't told them we're together..."

"I couldn't," Morgan whispered. "They wouldn't understand, Jack! They struggle enough with the fact that I can't be with their dad."

"How would they not understand? They know you and Hamilton are different now. They know we're the same. That would make sense in their minds, and it would be enough for them!" Jack was actually giving her a scowl back. He had contorted his lips in such a way that Morgan could tell he was struggling to keep back every bit of himself so he wouldn't start screaming at her. A tiny bit of her wanted to burrow and cower, but she was determined in maintaining her position.

"They might not like it. It might upset them. They're still so young that to them the only man I should ever have is their father. They could think that... if I can't have their dad, I can't have anyone."

"I think sometimes children are not as naïve as you sometimes think," Jack told her, getting up off the couch and flipping the light switch back on. When he left her, Morgan whimpered and stretched her hands back out to him. "And you can't shelter them, Morgan, you can give them all these what ifs? Besides that, they know me. They are aware of me, and I am pretty sure they like me. It might not be so bad. When were you going to tell them anyway?"

"When they're old enough to understand."

"Which is how long, Morgan? Five years? Ten? It's pretty hard to get married without them knowing. And I was kind of hoping we would get married soon. Really soon. We did spend five years together before, and that counts."

"Whoa, okay, this conversation took a huge change," Morgan breathed quickly, eyes bulged and muscles stiffening with the jump that Jack took. He rubbed the back of his head and then searching the ceiling for something to add to what he was saying to destress her.

"Haven't you thought about it at all?" he inquired, taking the spot beside her again.

"Well, I mean, I guess a little... I know we talked about, and I do want to marry you... I mean... okay, how soon are we talking here?"

"Within a year."

"Whoa!"

"You have spent more time with me than you did with Hamilton. From the time you started dating to when you actually got married was three years. Why is it that five years with me and then putting another year on that is so shocking to you? Especially since you've already done it and know what to expect?" he questioned intelligently. Morgan nervously smoothed out the tunic against her stomach.

"I've just come to grips that I am a spirit. I have changed my life drastically Jack, and then I have to change my life again so soon afterward. I haven't seriously thought about it since I was seventeen, and so it;s a surprise that you say it so casually. It's a shock, and then... I mean I have kids in the mix too. You're going to have to... take on the role of stepdad you know."

"I'm more than willing, you know that," he told her, weaving her fingers into his. A smile cut into Morgan's face as Jack sensed her anxiety faded. He inched closer to her and gently lowered his lips onto hers.

"So long we... talked about doing... and now it's becoming... stop kissing me and let me speak!" Morgan screamed and Jack chuckled at flustered she was getting. She couldn't keep her anger in her face and her gentleness eased it away. "And then my kids would have to deal with it... and... so much change, Jack. It's huge."

"Huge doesn't mean bad."

"It's not going to be easy."

"Not changing my mind here."

"But then my kids, they'll have to know we're together before we get engaged."

"Then bring them up here tomorrow so I can ask you as soon as possible!" Morgan hesitated. She looked around the big house, taking inventory of the surroundings. She huffed.

"It's not ready for kids. There's no toys, no games."

"Morgan." Jack tilted his head back into the most obnoxious guffaw he had ever let sound. "Our next door neighbor is Santa Claus! I'm sure he can give us some things!" Morgan blushed as he continued on to laugh, her cheeks blossoming even more the harder he chuckled. Sensing how self conscious she was becoming, Jack calmed himself down. He ran his fingers up Morgan's back and then kissed her temple. "Listen, if you're not ready, you're not ready. I am not going to push you. I will wait a thousand years for you, Morgan. Even if I don't like it, I will. And if you don't want to tell the kids, then... don't. Wait. They're your kids, not mine." Morgan whipped her head back around and her eyes scanned him, analyzing the longing that was clinging to his expression but the promise of being there for so many years and never abandoning her was of course, true. It had always been true and he meant it, despite how much he was aching to make her completely and totally his. Above his most deepest desires he was still holding her, and it was that passion and how much he was putting her as his first priority that she knew exactly what she wanted.

"Bring the kids over tomorrow..." she whispered. "I'll talk to North and ask if he has an extra toys and games laying around. We'll tell them." Jack drew back, his saucers of iced blue topaz glistening cheerily.

"And then... the next step after that..."

"Depends on when you decide to get down on one knee." Morgan took up her spot again against his chest, settling her cheek against it. He was stiff from elated shock, so he was slow in putting his arms over her but he had cradled her once more, holding her as firmly as possible without holding her. He muttered graciously to himself and though Morgan could not make out the words, she caught the emotion in him and raised her head up.

"Jack?" she asked and raised one brow. "Did you think that I wasn't... I wouldn't want to... marry you?"

"Mortals aren't the only ones with nightmares," he whispered shamefully.

"Jack!" she nearly laughed, but out of appalled sympathy. "My darling... marrying you is one the greatest things I can think of this life being able to provide for me." Jack sniffled, the dim lighting dancing off the thin moisture that was crystallizing on the edge of his eyelids. Morgan turned so she was holding onto him tighter. "I'm not letting go. Not ever. Not unless you want me to. I am here, forever. I promise."

"I love you."

"I love you too. And this time round, that isn't going to change. And I want my kids to know that."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_~Jack~_

Nathan and Elizabeth were overjoyed at the idea that they were going to visit their mother where she lived at the North Pole, and leapt down the steps to the small closet where their winter clothes had been packed for the summer. From upstairs, Hamilton and Jack could hear them screaming and whooping proudly. It was every kid's dream to see Santa's workshop and the North Pole, and now they would.

"They don't need a passport, do they?" Hamilton wondered worriedly. Jack chuckled and shook his head.

"We're the only ones up there," he said.

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, Hamilton."

"Is she happy?"

"I think so."

"It's hard to tell sometimes... when she looks at me she seems hurt at times..." Hamilton groaned. His eyes shuddered with the formation of tears and then he ripped his gaze away so he was no longer looking at Jack.

"When a person in a relationship dies... especially one like this where one is... a spirit... it's hard to go one, because the separation was forced and there is always going to be something about you that is going to live on loving you. In all my time living and seeing couples and knowing so many men when I was human who lost wives due to childbirth... Morgan is always going to love you."

"She's always love you. Even when we were married, when she spoke of you, there was always a fondness."

"It may be equal, but it's also in different ways," Jack explained. "That doesn't mean either of them are wrong. But yes, from what I know... she is very happy. And... there's something else. Something I am hoping would make her happier. But I didn't want to do anything until I talked to you. I feel you deserve to have some input."

"What?"

"I know it may seem soon to you, but Morgan and I have a history. A very long history that you are well aware of. There isn't much we can really do to further our relationship. Except for one thing..." Jack paused. Hamilton froze beside him, but it wasn't because Jack was emitting some incredibly cold temperatures. He understand where Jack was trying to go with this.

"You're asking me for permission to marry her," he concluded. Jack nodded and looked to him for an answer. "Wow, Jack, I got to say, I never saw this coming."

"I know it's... unexpected," Jack agreed, but Hamilton just laughed. He clapped the boy's shoulder and then shook his head.

"No, no! The proposal isn't a surprise at all! You want my permission that means... more than I could ever tell you. I knew you were a good kid, but... ah geez, you're much better than I would have expected to be. I think you are the only person I would be okay with marrying Morgan. You have my permission, but... you need to make sure the kids agree to it too."

"I promise I won't ask her until they kids give their say," Jack smiled. Hamilton produced his palm and awaited Jack to take it. Firmly they shook hands and then Hamilton decided that was too formal, so he clutched the boy warmly before shivering under his icy air.

"Jack Frost. Right. You're going to be a bit frosty." Jack smiled just as the kids came running up. Elizabeth was crawling up the steps with her gloves half on her and her boots sliding off. Jack came to her rescue and picked her up. Her bright blue jacket was also undone and he took his time in trying to get is zipped. Hamilton watched with admiration as Jack took pleasure in adjusting her bobble hat and switched the shoes. Elizabeth helped in getting her gloves on properly and then Jack tightened the ties on Nathan's boots an zipped up his green jacket the rest of the way. Upon a quick inspection that they were properly bundled, he crouched down so Nathan could climb on his back. Elizabeth, being so small, could be carried in his arms. She squealed at how cold Jack felt, smiling brightly. The three of them looked to Hamilton who nodded and reminded to kids to behave or Jack would bring them back down. Exiting through the open window, Jack bolted off and let the wind push them along. Hamilton closed the window. There was no one else he would be okay with Morgan being with.

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**So what's the general consensus on making a sequel if I wanted to? It would be a lot shorter and I know what i would want to write about if I did. But what do you think? Let me know! Rosie out.**


	144. Blessings from All Directions

**I have made the decision that there will be a sequel. I am just too in love with my characters and the possibilities to quit now. But I do need a break when this over. Not only to just do stuff and whatevs, but also to brainstorm some things. Enjoy the chapter!**

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She always smiled the brightest when she could see her children. The only time Jack had ever seen her glow so brightly that rivaled it was when they were alone and could just be themselves, and that was getting rarer and rarer the more they expanded their search in desperation for Pitch. Very few lights had dropped on the globe, but it was only the beginning of his torture. Once the children realized their parents' hopelessness was becoming a constant, they would soon follow and with it their disbelief. For now, though, for this brief period in time they had before things with Pitch got critical, they were going to spend it wrapped in as much love as possible. And that would start with Morgan's children.

"Mommy!" Nathan cried as he waddled in the cold snow. Morgan stood at the door, open to them, holding out her arms to her children.

"Santa Santa!" Elizabeth yelled, pointing across to the other cliff where the workshop was. Morgan took her son and he kissed him on the nose. He arched his neck to gaze at the interior surroundings off the house, amazed by the size and illuminating, elaborate décor.

"And he dropped some toys off for you earlier!" Morgan announced. Nathan celebrated by shouting wildly and Elizabeth zoomed right into the house.

"Wow," breathed Elizabeth when she stopped in the middle of the Tudor styled living room.

"Do you live here?" Nathan wondered with his eyes bright with exploding wonder. Morgan laughed and then nodded to answer. "It's so big."

"Jack and the Yetis built this house a long time ago," she said, carrying Nathan around. Elizabeth wondered into the living room and pulled herself up to the overstuffed couch. She cackled wildly as she began to beat her feet against it. "Elizabeth..."

"Sorry, Mommy..." she apologized, dropping herself onto the edge of it and looking at the rug with a sorrow filled face. Jack looked at her sympathetically and then sat beside her, turning his body so he was facing her.

"I have a really cool idea..." he whispered to her. Elizabeth, loving that she was the only one who he was talking to, slid closer and responded in hushes to him.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Your mother told me that you like painting..."

"I do!" she yelled proudly, suddenly forgetting their game of whispering. "With hands!" She flexed her fingers to demonstrate and Jack took them, lowering his eyes to inspect them.

"Hmm... yes... you know what? I believe you have the perfect size fingers for finger painting. Excellent example. You could be an expert." Elizabeth blushed at his compliment. Nathan jumped down from his mother's arms, deciding he did not want to be left out of this conversation as well, and he held out his hands as well.

"What about me?" he asked, waving his squirmy fingers in front of Jack. Once again, he took on the expert visage while he looked over the boy's hands and nodded once he reached his conclusion.

"You too have the perfect set of hands for the best kind of finger painting. You must get it from your mother. She's a really good artist too, you know."

"Jack..." Morgan scoffed, annoyed at how he was bringing something up that had long ago stopped.

"Well, it's true. One of the best I ever saw."

"Is that true, Mommy?!" Nathan wanted to know. "Finger paint with us! Please!"

"I'm... I haven't done it in a long time. And I never worked with paints!"

"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease..."

"Pleasepleasepleaseplease..."

"You want me to start begging too?" Jack chuckled. "Please please please..."

"Okay!" Morgan shouted, but it broke out of the casing of laughter and then she gave in to the enthusiastic cries of her children. "I can't believe you let North give us finger paints..."

"I thought it would be fun..." Jack pouted as he made his way down the end of the hall where the overly huge bag of items from North was. Morgan scoffed and playfully hit him on the arm.

Despite the mess and the chaos of paint smearing and spilling and somehow missing the sheet and getting onto the floor, it proved to be a rather fun activity. Jack mostly stayed out of it, but when he did decide to join it, the blue paint on his hands fused against the paper and the kids were more amused by Morgan trying to get the frozen paint and paper off of Jack than painting anymore. Cleaning up, they wanted to play outside. More than willing to comply to anything involving fun in the snow, Jack anxiously bundled them up and then led them outside.

"You can't catch me!" Nathan screamed, hiding behind his snow fort he had built and Jack swooped in on him, pretending to miss pummeling him with several snow balls. Morgan was helping Elizabeth put together a snowman. She was trying so hard to roll the snow but she wasn't coordinated too well. Morgan helped her, making her believe she was rolling the snow all by herself. Finally succeeding in cornering Jack, Nathan flailed six or seven snowballs at him and he pretended to lie on the ground, pulverized by his attack. Nathan danced around and then ran to him mom, pushing her to the ground. Jack stood up and then made his way over to Elizabeth who was becoming discouraged at how lopsided her snowman was becoming.

"Hey, Bess," he said. "Have you ever made a snow angel?"

"Uhh... no," she said. He took her hand and let her to a spot of snow that was untouched. He made the motion for her to lie down and she did, her legs and arms straight against her body. Jack laid down beside her and moved his legs and arms, instructing her to do so as well. She giggled, clearly amused by the action itself, and then Jack hopped up to help her out of the spot. He lifted her to his hip and the clapped wildly at the picture she created in the snow and for the next ten minutes that was all she wanted to do. Eventually, the kids decided things were just getting too cold for them and Morgan fixed up some hot chocolate for them and turned on their solar powered television to some old cartoons.

"I'm going to fire up the stove," Morgan told Jack as she met him in the kitchen. She leaned against her tip toes and spoke lowly into his ear, twining her fingers into his. "I'll tell them at dinner."

"Are you okay?" he said, hands escalated to where her elbows where.

"Shaking, but all right," she muttered, flinging open the fridge to grab the bag of carrots. "Can you cut these please? And the potatoes. If I use a knife right now, I may slit myself open." He looked at her fingers resting against the handle of the door and winced. She was indeed quivering, and violently so.

"Listen, if they're not accepting of this, I promise I will break off. I will just leave. I know they're the most important things in the world to you and they come before I do, so I will just... go. I understand."

"If they don't like it, I don't know if I could handle it. How can I be expected to chose between.. the people I love the most?"

"You won't. I will."

"Jack-"

"No, Morgan. That's it, I swear. Maybe we'll try again when they're older."

"Well, let's just... get through supper first and see how it goes. And then we have the whole night to talk too." They prepared the food while the kids laughed and talked. A couple of times Elizabeth would complain about her hair being pulled or Nathan would yell that he was touching her, but this incidents were very short lived and Jack and Morgan took turns in sorting them out.

The meal started out very quietly, which was unusual since neither one of the kids had the greatest table manners, but it was probably them trying to impress Jack. Morgan pushed aside her food, hoping someone would just start out saying something. The pit of her stomach tightened with the anxious waiting.

"Jack, do you live here too?" Nathan finally piped up. Jack and Morgan both gazed at each other from across the table. His Adam's apple shifted with his gulp and her nostril's flared with her heavy breaths. She flattened her napkin and rested her utensils, waiting for this conversation to begin.

"Yes," he answered plainly. "I do live here."

"Are you like roommates?"

"Well... sort of... but it's different."

"Where's your room?" Elizabeth chewed slowly, listening to her brother and Jack talk back and forth.

"Well... your mother and I..." He looked back at Morgan who had conveniently just shoved a huge chunk of ham into her mouth. He rolled his eyes at her cowardice. He was starting ti experience that same hindering fear she was expressing before and found that it was physically keeping him from talking. "We're more like... Morgan is like... She's my girlfriend."

"She can't be your girlfriend!"

"Well, she is..."

"But you're like really really old."

"Well, yes, but your mom is like me and we're going to stay the same ages and never get older."

"Do you love mommy?" Elizabeth perked up, adding her commentary on the situation.

"Yes I do, and she loves me too."

"Are you going to get married?"

"Would you like it if we got married."

"Yes!"

"Can I be in it?" Nathan asked.

"Is she going to wear a pretty white dress?"

"Will there be music?!"

"Can I dance?!" As the kids began to go back and forth about the possibilities a wedding would hold. Jack smiled at Morgan, who was trying to keep in the drink she had taken a sip from. He laughed and they shared in the relief through the animated chatter, wondering why it was such a huge worry on them in the first place.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sneaking into this house was not getting any easier with everyone out of it. Since Mr. and Mrs. Kenter were the only ones left and the children had left the rest of the house empty, there were bigger echoes and louder noises as he tried to slip inside a window he had sworn was smaller than it actually was. A light had gone on due to the noises he made and he scurried out of the room. Running down the stairs, the end of a bat was pointed right at his noise, with Mr. Kenter's face on the end of him. Not knowing how to respond to a bat being held in front of him, he raised him arms in defense, The bat dropped and Mr. Kenter groaned, scowling at the confused boy.

"Damn it, Jack, you can't just sneak into people's houses!" he growled at him. "I thought you were a burglar."

"To be fair, I snuck into your daughter's room almost every night and you never caught me for nine years."

"Would you like to explain what you mean by that statement?" Mr. Kenter raised the bat again, this time very clearly intending to use it against him if he spoke wrong.

"Oops."

"That's not a very reassuring phrase."

"Sir, I snuck in because I do believe you would have very gladly let me in the house should I have asked but you couldn't see me so what else was I to do? And so I went through the window. Never once did we do anything, sir. Never once would I have ever dared to. I respected your daughter and still do." The bat dropped again and his eyes softened. Jack's chest fell when his breath left him. He was very glad he left out the part about sleeping in her bed with her all the time.

"Good answer," he commented and then beckoned Jack to follow him to the kitchen. "I take it you would be considering old enough considering you're technically older than me so... do you... want a beer?"

"No, sir, I'm flying." Mr. Kenter snorted at his joke. Jack smirked, glad that he could make him laugh. He opened the fridge and took one for himself and sat at the head of the table. Cautiously, Jack took the spot beside him and then cleared his throat.

"This isn't just a... check up on you," Jack started, that same crippling fear rising up again and holding back his words, but he fought through them. It had to get this out. Considering how he grew up, doing this without the consent of her father felt entirely wrong. He twiddled his thumbs and then tapped his fingers against the table top. "I'm here to,... uh...I want to... you know that Morgan and I... well..."

"Yes, I am aware that there is something happening with you two," he interjected, much to Jack's relief. "I'm not sure what level it's at."

"Well, we simply picked up... where we left off. And until Morgan turned eighteen we were pretty... close. We had all these plans about living together once she was twenty-five and getting married and we talked about it often."

"And that's where you left off?"

"Yes, sir."

"So is that where you are now?"

"Well... I mean, for a bit Morgan was struggling with her life as a spirit and Guardian and losing Hamilton and accepting she was no longer married... but yes, that is where we are."

"So you are talking about getting married?" Jack swore that it was beginning to get warm, despite how he was always so cold. He fingered the edge of the place mat on the table nervously, looking for something to distract himself. Perhaps this was not the greatest idea after all.

"Yes," he told him abruptly. Mr. Kenter reached for his beer and tipped it to his lips, taking a long swig off it. In nearly one gulp he had swallowed half of the beer before settling it back down on the table. "I'm here to um..." An ounce of courage was found beyond everything. He needed to do this. This was exactly what Morgan would love and everything he had grown up knowing. This was the most important part of the whole process and he would feel wrong about asking her if he did not talk to him first. "Sir, I want to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage. I know it's unorthodox and I know it seems a little strange but if I have her by my side for all of eternity, my life will never be horrible and-"

"You don't need to explain," he chuckled casually. "I am married too, I have proposed before, and I am well aware of the effect that Morgan has on people. It's clear you're important to her, Jack. And you've meant so much to her for so long. Just from the way she's spoken and how you act around her... I can tell you're a good man. But know this. If you are going to plan to spend an eternity with her, as Guardians, eternity is a real eternity. You are truly together forever. And you need to stick by that. From what you've told me, there are few spirits and even fewer Guardians so something like divorce is... going to be tricky if you need to be around together all the time."

"I want to do this, sir. I need her in my life." Mr. Kenter rose from the table Jack mirrored his action, believing it was a respectable gesture. He took his hand and shook it hard.

"Then, you have my blessing, Jack. But I request you get Hamilton's blessing first."

"Already have it. And Elizabeth and Nathan's." Mr. Kenter beamed proudly.

"You're a lot better than I expected."

"Thank you sir. I appreciate it." He dropped his hand. "There is one thing I request."

"What is that?"

"When Morgan and I were... well, when she was younger, the one thing she really wanted at our wedding was for her whole family to see us married. She has everyone... but Christina. She wants her mother to see her married, and it is incredibly important. Please could you help to get her to believe. It's the one thing I know Morgan would want."

"She damn well better see her own daughter's wedding day!" Mr. Kenter said with a wink. "Don't worry, Jack. It's going to happen. Now please get out so I can sleep." Brightly, Jack nodded to him and decided on using the front door again to leave the place. He looked up at the sun and squinted. There seemed to be a shadow casting on it, just the faintest glimmer of smile on the darkened world below. He shook his head, wondering if this was all in The Man's plan all along. He clicked his tongue at the mischievous nature of the moon and then spiraled into the sky. There was one more person he needed to speak with. One person who knew would never say no, and one person who was going to murder him with all the hours of ring shopping she was going to make him do.

* * *

**And here I go... passing out for the now... going going... good night!**


	145. Beside You

**So maybe this chapter gets a little cheesy but I think it's sweet so there!**

* * *

"Morgan is a really hard person to buy for of course you know that you've gotten her gifts thousands of times of course this is a very different kind of gift I mean this is an _engagement _ ring you have to be picky you know, ugh why can't she just be like any other girl and like bright and shiny and new things-"

"Linda. You're doing it again," Jack interrupted calmly.

"Huh?" His comment only seemed to pass by her until she took a moment to register what he had said. "Oh, um. I'm sorry I... I'm just so excited! You know I have waited you together for so many years and it's finally happening! Of course, never in a million years would I have wanted anything to happen with her and Hamilton, not ever, but if she's going to be a Guardian and she's not with anyone than it's you two I want together. Now, okay... what kind of ring should we look for... oh hey, look that shop's having a sale!"

"Yeah, I think I'm going to stay away from the big jewelry stores," he said to her carefully. "Morgan's not the type. I think she would appreciate something bought from a pawn shop more." Linda released a guttural sound of annoyance and stomped her foot dramatically. Jack raised an eyebrow at her curiously and smirked at her distress.

"Why does she have to be so weird? Like, really, I mean she takes all the fun out of doing this for me. Pawn shop rings. Where's the dignity in that?!"

"Morgan things pawn shop items are some of the most dignified things you can buy," Jack told her. Linda watched with great sadness as they passed on by the jewelry shop at moaned at the twinkling jewels calling out to her.

"So much pretty unappreciated..." she sighed and Jack grabbed her sleeve to drag her along. "She's so inconveniently fabulously strange." Jack nodded and chuckled at her comment, agreeing wholeheartedly, but with intrigued fondness. Linda kept slowing her walk to gaze into shop windows to look at the type of rings she wished Morgan would like. Jack would clear his throat and she would eventually sigh as they walked along. The first pawn shop they stopped in, Linda spent a little more time looking over the jewelry even after Jack had said he had found nothing. Once again, he had to pull her along and the second one had next to nothing. The third one, however, was pretty large and had a decent collection of some of pricier pieces. Jack always dreaded the act of having to relay his messages through Linda but found it was also nice to skip the strange looks he surely might have received for purchasing an engagement ring from a pawn shop.

"How about that one?" Jack asked, pointing to a small glittering diamond ring that looked early twentieth century. Linda gestured towards the ring and the man at the counter produced the ring and Linda rolled it over in her fingers, showing it to Jack so he could get a good look at it. He shook hos head, decided it wasn't best. A simple band with a red stone in the middle caught his eye It was similar to the bands women wore in his time period and he wondered if it would suit Morgan. Telling Linda, she showed it to him and he decided it wasn't it. A claddagh ring Jack had to say no to. Despite it's tradition in Irish culture and it's history, much of the story attached to it was indeed mythical and it might not suit her. The fourth ring made Jack start to lose hope on finding something just as unique ans meaningful as Morgan was to him. It was a replica of the royal engagement ring. Linda of course, loved it, but that just confirmed how Morgan would feel about it. Jack believed she would love anything he gave her, but he wanted to get her something that she would lose her head over. And this was not it. It was a replica of the ring that was passed down through generations in the royal family, but the problem was it was a current fascination. It was not a thing of the past with days gone by still clinging to it. The excitement of his gurgling hope was starting to settle down in his stomach and lower into the crevices where good feelings vanished and his hand abandoned the edge of the counter.

"Maybe we'll find something somewhere else..." he mumbled, turning back towards the door. Linda handed the ring back with a thank you and then retreated back to her friend, ready to offer an encouraging word. But just as he placed his foot against the threshold of door something in gold glisten from the case. He pulled away from Linda's comforting touch and gazed at the case, where the golden sparkle had come from. He dropped to his knees to get a good look at it. Linda saw him inspecting the jewelry and then asked the man behind the counter to take it out. Hopping a little in his step, Jack eagerly peered at the ring as Linda rolled it between her fingers. It was an old ring that had recently been cleaned up to give it the sparkle that caught Jack's eye. It was a simple delicate band of yellow gold. In the center of it was an oval painted red. In the oval there was an image of a smaller rose infused in a larger one engraved deeply in it. It was not particularly beautiful by normal standards of jewelry, but there was something about it that Jack knew Morgan's eyes would illuminate when she looked on it.

"That is an interesting piece," the man informed. "It's not a real signet ring, but it's a replica of a real one. I'm not sure who it was, but it was a signet ring owned by someone in the Tudor dynasty."

"The Tudors?" Jack asked with intense interest. Linda gave him a blank look. "Henry the VIII and his legacy."

"Oh the Tudors!" Linda gasped with recollection and the man seemed pleased that she recognized the name. "It looks really old though..." He smiled and continued on.

"Well, it is. It's an old replica. I would place it... late nineteenth century? But it's been restored. It's ten karat gold and I think this is painted over. That seems to be the Tudor rose in there, which would make sense considering it's the Tudor family..." But Jack was no longer listening. At the mention of the Tudor rose, he continued to stare at the ring while Linda kept on discussing the ring with the man. How did he find such a perfect gem in a pawn shop in town? Linda's eyes kept flicking over to Jack, smiling at how he could not take his eyes away. So she nodded and pressed the ring down on the table.

"I think we'll take it," she said and Jack nodded quickly. He pulled out a wad of bundled cash and passed it over to Linda without him seeing and she laid it on the table as the man rung her up. He smiled at her as he put it in a ring box and then in a small paper bag. The man drew his hand back when he touched the man, startled by the temperature of it. Linda just sighed and gave him a charming grin. He seemed to wave it off and handed over the bag. Once outside, Linda tossed the bag over to him and then cackled with delight at the find.

"Can't say it's what I would be particularly fond of in an engagement ring... but I know Morgan, and I know that is exactly what she would want. Old. Used. Representative of History. And the Tudor Rose, symbol of unity. It was almost as if it were made for her." Jack smiled at the feel of the bag under his fingers. There was a new kind of feel rising up in him now. Since he had actually found the ring, he was beginning to feel that intoxicating kind of crazy worry that was also laced with generous amounts of elation. He crunched the paper of the bag and stopped walking. Linda spotted his feet no longer beside her and turned, a little nervous about what the look on his face meant.

"Jack?" she asked as she took one step towards. "Hey, what's up?"

"I guess I'm just nervous... I mean... Morgan and I started dating... fifteen years ago or something like that. It's been... a long time coming and there's been so much... I'm a little... afraid."

"First of all, seriously, Jack. What happened to fighting fear?!" she teased and Jack managed a small smirk. "Second... it;s nerve wracking. I know but... it will be worth it. All of it. And how can she say no to something like that? You and Morgan have... something I have never... ever seen before, I think in even mortal couples. It's almost other worldly."

"Well, since we pretty much are..." Jack began.

"You know what I mean..." Linda laughed. She took her friend and embraced him, deciding she didn't care if people on the street looked at her for hugging air. "The fact you fought this long for so hard and stayed so dedicated to her while respecting her says a lot. I cannot fathom a reason Morgan would tell you no." Jack stepped back and rested a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you for always believing."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The whole thing felt a little odd. Jack did not really have the time nor the means to go about finding new outfits for the whole orchestration, so he pulled out the attire they had worn for prom all though years ago. His outfit had fit him, of course, but he was a little worried about Morgan's dress. By appearances, Morgan had not seemed to changed that much and with the corset back in her purple and black gown, it was a little adjustable but with over ten years of the passage of time and two kids making her body grow and shrink it was hard to say how it would fit her body now. Even so, he hung up the dress in the hope it would still fit. This night needed to go absolutely perfect. So he positioned the dress right in front of the closet and then hung up the signs he so carefully decorated, placing one on the front door telling her to go around the back, and then using the rest of the signs to lead her from the back door and into the bedroom where there would be instructions to dress and meet him in the living room. It was important she stay away from the living room and dining room until she understood what was awaiting her.

The oddities of it lie in how he had situation everything. He was standing there in his black and white suit with the purple and burgundy accents to match her own gown, surrounded by furniture reflecting that of the Tudor home. He had moved the furniture and the rug out of the way, setting the fire and the small lamps to create a dim atmosphere. He tripled checked that the record on the gramophone was set and ready to play. He hurried into the kitchen several times repositioned the domed platters that had been cleverly put together with the help of Linda cooking all day. He heard the door open down the hall and Morgan calling out to him. Her feet started to make the direction the signs had pointed her to and he quickly swiped up a note card and tucked it into his jacket before walking back into the open floor of the living room and awaiting her to arrive.

A small gasp from the room told her she had indeed discovered the dress hanging there and was starting to formulate what was happening. Of course, she had no idea what was happening in that particular moment and he smirked with his secret knowledge. A few minutes had ticked by and he turned the needle on the gramophone. Vivaldi's energetic violin weaved through the scratching of the record and he took a firm stance, waiting for his joy personified to emerge in her traditional dress. At the crescendo of light music playing boldly and furiously, Morgan stepped out of the door and and began to stalk down the hall, her antique heeled shoes clattering against the floor of the house. He nodded when she finally looked up and the color of her flatter filled the roundness in her face and ignited a soft glow.

"Jack what is-" But he pushed a finger to her lips, not wishing her to speak just yet. He bowed lowly before her and before Morgan could be given the chance to courtesy in respect to her gentleman, he swiftly withdrew card from the inside of his jacket. Morgan raised a brow and took a peek at it to see simply his name written in fancy script. It took her a moment to realize what he was just asking her by this action, but then she laughed. With recognition of the old tradition of courtship of a man producing his card for permission to court a young woman, she responded by swiping a small card and a pen off the table near her and wrote her own name down. She handed it towards him, giving him the permission to court her and he tucked it away with a gleeful grin. He smiled and then did Morgan curtsy to him.

"My lady, I wanted to inquire if I may have this dance with you?" he requested with a voice so formal he did not sound like himself at all. Morgan tried to be serious, but the heights at which he was taking things for reason she didn't understand only produced harsh laughter from her. She swallowed it down as best she could and then acquiesced, taking his shoulder and his hand so she could be glided around the open space of the living room.

"Jack, what is all of this?" she chuckled, but he shushed her as the spun to the sound of Vivaldi's frantic string music. "I apologize. Good sir, what is the meaning of your actions you are bestowing upon me this night?"

"Well, my dear," he started softly. "I thought how oft we explored the customs of dating in the present, and how it was time we spent a bit of our romantic interludes in the customs I was reared in."

"Oh? So you are courting me then, darling Jackson?"

"I am, dearest Morgan."

"That's all rather fine!" she smiled. "However, may I, if you please, remind how this is not real courting? If you were to delight your time in my company, we would be in my father's estate and my parents would need to be around at every moment."

"I simply used the resources I had in the attempts to simulate the environment best I could. Not everything could be so exact," he responded with the same gentlemanly airs. Morgan continued to grin at how much he was trying so hard to create an old fashioned atmosphere.

"Quite true. I must ask, however, how accurate did you intend to make this soiree?"

"I assumed you would want the accuracy to be as close as possible."

"In most cases, my dear, that is true of me," she said with a mischievous smile. "However, and pardon me if I recall incorrectly, but courtship restricted against touching. I, for one, for once, am glad to delight in an era where these customs are now absent and I could engage in rather promiscuous actions without the gossip of the town."

"I, for one, am actually rather enthused to hear you say that," he laughed, spinning her slowly as the music ended. "Shall we retreat to the dining room? I have a wonderful supper set out for us."

"Oh, please do!" Morgan expressed and Jack offered her the crook of his elbow. Slipping her arm through, he escorted her to the kitchen and slid out her chair, offering her to sit down. With the grace of a lady not normally show in her, she took the seat offered to her and Jack withdrew the lids on the trays. A colorful meal of applewood smoked pork chops and diced potatoes with a medley of vegetables and cheese slices colored the plate. Jack took the spot across from her and using the proper utensils, began their meal.

"Okay, what is going on?" she asked, dropping the lady act.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, chewing slowly.

"We usually spend our days around here or in town or just doing.. every day stuff. What's with the whole courtship set up? Are you trying to get me into bed because it's working really well."

"I wasn't going for that, but it's nice to know that because I might want that later." Morgan scoffed and let her eyes roll upwards, tearing apart the meat on her plate. "Could we just enjoy our meal?"

"You mean the one that is so clearly not cooked by you so someone else is in on it which means there is something going on?"

"... just eat." Snickering to herself, she stuck the fork back into her mouth. Vivaldi kept on playing as they attempted to get back into the groove of their characters. It didn't work so well that time around.

With dinner finished and the bread and butter pudding gladly digested, Jack asked to escort her to the porch of the house, as was custom for his time when a couple was growing incredibly close. Morgan happily obliged and she clung to him tightly. Her skin was anew and vibrant with her exultation at this new kind of romance. It was her very special kind, her favorite way of being wooed.

"Jack?" she addressed in the darkness around them, leaning against his chest. His fingers massaged the top of her head and fondled her hair.

"Hmm?"

"You're not planning on bundling tonight?" Jack surprised himself by quaking with laughter at the old practice of allowing a couple to sleep together but tying the woman's legs together and sticking a board between them.

"There are some customs I am very glad to say are no longer in practice," he said. "No, we are not."

"Good. Because that would have been too much. I like being able to hold you while I sleep. Even though sometimes you do freeze me."

"I have one other thing before this wonderful night is over," he admitted, now the strains of anxiety pushing down on him. Morgan squeaked triumphantly, excited for the next part of the evening. She drew back and waited patiently, her hands clasped in front of her. Jack produced a piece of what looked to be parchment, or fake parchment anyway. There was stylistic calligraphy beautiful written across the page and Jack held it out to her. Sensing this was another custom from his time, she took it with a beaming smile. She held up the sheet and her eyes scanned its contents. Her whimsical grin now deepened into an agape look of shock.

"'I, Jack Frost, request... to receive... the hand of... Morgan B... Barry in holy mat-matrimony..." she breathed the last words with flabbergasted disbelief, faltering off so she could draw the paper away and look at Jack. He was looking up at her, his one knee dropped down in the universal position of proposal. The paper fluttered the floor and she pressed her hand to her heart. "Oh Jack!"

"Hang on, let me finish..." he chuckled, sensing her urgency. He pulled the glimmering ring from her pocket and then held the tip of her three fingers on her left hand. "I'm going to sit here and draw this out with all the reasons I live you and all the stuff we've gone through. You know. You were there for all of it. But I will say that... despite the fact I never would have wished this of you, I am very happy that when you discovered the Man in the Moon chose you, this was the life you decided you wanted. I can't create the frost without knowing you're here to greet me home. I can't keep being believed in without your belief first. I can't bring joy to children without knowing I bring joy to you too. And I can't fight against the terrors of Pitch without knowing you're beside me, fighting with me."

"Not fighting behind you?" Morgan asked, knowingly how much chivalry sometimes made him more protective and keeping her out of the line of fire.

"Besides. Always and forever beside me."

"Well, Jack then I... holy crap what kind of ring is that, it's _gorgeous-_goodness Jack, is that a _Tudor _rose there?! This is a ring like no other I have seen! It sings so much history and it's so old-"

"Morgan, I need an answer or else I can't give you the amazing ring," he interrupted.

"Oh, um, yes I will marry you. Where did you _find_ this thing?! I mean, I'm sure it's not an original but it still looks so-" Seeing that for a while this would probably be the best response he would get, he pushed the ring onto her finger, nestling it beside the ring that was still there from her former marriage and then raised himself up again.

"Morgan," he said.

"Hmm?"

"Is there a chance that you could stop talking about the ring for five minutes so I can kiss you?"

"Could that kissing lead to something else?"

"Depends on how long you stop talking about the ring."

"I can stop talking about the ring for several hours," she told him brightly. "What other thing though. Can we stop courting now? I mean it was fun, but I would love to touch you indecently." Chuckling softly he lowered his lips to her, mingling his fingers into hers.

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**Yes I happened to be listening to Vivaldi while writing this. I happen to like classical music thank you very much, and Vivaldi has some wicked stuff. Plus Vivaldi is probably the most famous composer from Jack's time. And guess what else? He even has a concerto of the Four Seasons - I listened to all four to write this. The Winter one is the one they are dancing too :) Hope you liked it! Good night all**


	146. The Support of a Mother's Belief

**Something really exciting happened today! A friend from high school, a foreign exchange student from Switzerland, contacted me today and wants to meet up tomorrow! I didn't even know she was in the country, let alone the town! I was planning on getting another chapter up before work tomorrow but I really want to see her so I hope you'll forgive me if I don't! Here's your next chapter!**

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This was the most important part of all the wedding preparations. Morgan could not go on getting married unless her mother could see her and Jack. She wore both her rings, Hamilton's on the right, and Jack's on the left. Both were of special significance to her. With Hamilton, he was always going to be her right hand man. With Jack, it was on the marriage hand, on the finger that had the vein which connected directly to the heart. She rotated between twisting Jack's ring and twisting Hamilton's ring as her father led both her and Jack to the living room in the Kenter house. Mrs. Kenter had the natural progression of age through her life but Morgan had died over ten months ago and she seemed to have aged twenty years. With five children, all with good amount of time between them, by the time the Kenters had Morgan, and then Bradley, they were pretty late in ages for having children and now they were both in their sixties. While Mr. Kenter looked to be his age, although a little haggard, Mrs. Kenter had so many lines pulling and gouging her face she appeared to be pushing eighty. All of the blonde glow to her hair had been cast aside and replaced with the brightness of silver and it did not appear to be very well taking care of. It was thinning to brittleness, although its split ends gave it a fluffier look. When she stood up, she walked with a limp, struggling to move. Mr. Kenter was in fact older than his wife, but he moved with youthful agility and was as quick as a cat in his reflexes. Mrs. Kenter, was very slow in moving and according to her father, some days it took her twenty minutes just to get out of bed because she was so frail. While she was never really a plump person, her waist had grown so miniscule from all the weight lost. Looking at her leathery face made Morgan want to flee the house and never return. She knew her mother was in a bad place, but it wasn't until she made the decision to get her to believe that she knew how her death had taken its toll on her.

"I never believed she loved me," Morgan whispered, hanging onto her father's arm as if she were a child again. The fear and horror of seeing her mother so decrepit had caused her regress, giving her a similar appearance of sixteen years to her face once more. With her father hanging on her arm, and Jack clinging to her hand, she found the courage to move on but she still longed to run away from the house and never return.

"That surprises me," said her father. "For a girl who had been able to see the truth in everything, I can't believe you never saw how your mother adored you. She just had trouble showing it. When she was around you, it was difficult for her. She wanted you to be like her... but at night when we would speak, she would talk about how she loved some of your habits and how she was so proud you were different. She battled her own families ideals of what you should be like for so many years. She was pulled Morgan, and pressured. But she adored you."

"It hurts to see her like this..." Morgan moaned. "How did she... I mean so fast..."

"When you died, Morgan... she just could not be the same. She can't go in your room. She panics when the history channel is on. She sees something about Elizabeth the First in a window shop and goes into hysterics. Burying your child... can spin someone into insanity. And I think she hears me speaking to you, and I'm not sure that... helps at all."

"Morgan?" Mrs. Kenter addressed. "Oliver, did you say Morgan? Why are you talking about her?"

"I know it's hard to believe, Chris..." he started, kneeling before her where she sat on the couch. "But I know you're religious too. And you believe in God and angels and miracles. What if I told you there is a miracle right now?"

"What miracle?" she asked, her voice raspy from the stress she was experiencing. Jack turned his eyes away so Morgan didn't see how much this was straining him too.

"But you believe in all those other things, why not spirits too?"

"Spirits? They don't interact with us," she remarked defiantly, eyes struggling to settle on one thing in particular. "They remain, in heaven."

"No, Christina, not all of them. Some of them are chosen to be tasked by the Moon. They provide protection for all of the children of the earth and grant them guidance away from the darkness of the world."

"Children?" she whispered, eyes narrowing at her husband once they finally found their settlement. "Nothing protected my child."

"Yes, they did," Mr. Kenter explained adoringly. "The Man in the Moon doesn't have complete control over life and death. When they are of this earth, he can only send in spirits to keep things away from them. He does not have complete control. However... you remember how our Morgan displayed such heroics and sacrificed her life for the children?"

"I wish she didn't..." Mrs. Kenter stammered, looking off in the distance once more. Mr. Kenter pouted his lips and reached a hand to stroke her cheek. "I know that's horrible but... I would rather my daughter was a coward and be alive."

"Those children can live a full life because of her." She sniffled.

"I still miss her."

"My point is... her act of heroism and sacrifice is what influenced the Man in the Moon to choose her... and turn her into a spirit. She's still around, but she's immortal and she joins the characters we all grew up with... and the ones Morgan loved so dearly."

"Santa Claus?" she darkly chuckled. Morgan took a step back from this uncharacteristic side of her mother. "The Easter Bunny? The Tooth Fairy, Sandman?! And that damned Jack Frost?!"

"Hey now," Jack said softly, trying hard to not take offense to her words.

"Yes, Christina, they all exist, I swear it!"

"So you've gone just as crazy as me... except yours has manifested into Morgan's own private world."

"No, Chris, they're here! All of them exist! You just... can't see the spirits of the world because you don't believe. That's the trick, you need to believe in them."

"No, I don't, I won't, that's ridiculous! Even I am not that crazy." Morgan had had enough. She scowled at her mother and leapt onto the couch beside her. Mr. Kenter looked up and mouthed words to her, but she scoffed. Mrs. Kenter flinched at the weight change on the couch.

"You could never ever see beyond your own world! Everything! All my life growing up you only saw what you wanted! You have always been stuck in this black and white world if you did not have personal experience with something, you chose not to believe in it! I can see it now. You're never going to see because you never, your whole life could believe in me! You loved me dearly, and you may have been proud, but you never believed! Love is great, pride is great, but none of that means anything without belief in your own child!" Morgan huffed and Mrs. Kenter twitched. She didn't expect her mother to respond to her, but her memories of her mother and how her inability to see her was too similar to her ignorance to her cries. She knew her mother's reaction would have been no different and that just sent her into a fury. She leapt off and began to charge for the front door, pulling Jack with her.

"Morgan where are you going?" Mr. Kenter barked at her sternly.

"Thank you for trying, Dad, but I can see this is a lost cause."

"No, Morgs, come back."

"Mom never believed in me. And she's never going to. I was blind to think she ever could. I hope you'll still be at the wedding to walk me down the aisle, but I can tell Mom is never going to be able to-" She was interrupted by Jack forcing his arm out of her grip and then stomping back into the living room. "Jack, it's hopeless, come on."

"Then give me your ring." He held out his hand and glared at her.

"What?! Why?!"

"Because I'm not marrying you if you're going to be like this. I told you, we are not getting married til your mother sees you, and if she dies before then, so be it."

"What... no, please I want to marry you... that was just... it doesn't matter anymore..." she whispered solemnly.

"I made you a promise and I won't break it!"

"I don't care anymore... if I back out it's not breaking it... please, Jack, I want to marry you... please, please..."

"I want to marry you too! But that doesn't mean I'm going to!" he snapped and continued to motion for her hand the jewelry over.

"No, I refuse."

"Then make her see."

"Christina, listen to me!" Mr. Kenter shouted. "Our daughter's happiness depends on you! You need to just open your eyes! For thirty seconds!"

"No!" Mrs. Kenter growled. "I refuse! I will not go completely mad! I will not give myself false hope! Morgan is not alive! She is dead! She burned to ash! She is gone forever and there is nothing that will bring her back!"

"MOTHER!" Morgan screamed, so the boys covered their ears. Her tears were seeping down her face and falling into her mouth as she expressed her ultimate rage. "YOU COULD NEVER SEE ME FOR WHO I AM! NEVER IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE! YOU ALWAYS NEEDED TO SEE TO BELIEVE, BUT IT'S THE OPPOSITE! YOU NEED TO BELIEVE TO SEE! IF I DON'T GET TO MARRY JACK IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT AND I WILL HATE YOU FOREVER!"

"Hmm," Mrs. Kenter sighed. "It's so strange... I can almost hear Morgan now. Thanks, Oliver. Now I'm really going to start going bad. You know, it's so funny. Of course I would imagine I can hear her voice when she's screaming at me."

"Screaming...?" Jack wondered and they looked over at Morgan, holding her balled fists up. "How can she hear you if she can't see you?"

"She's just crazy," Morgan scoffed. "Isn't it clear?"

"Morgan!" Mr. Kenter scolded at her.

"Come on, Dad, you can see it."

"You will not talk to your mother that way!"

"She can't hear me!"

"I imagined her responded to you, Oliver..." Mrs. Kenter laughed. "Actually... I kind of like this new crazy. It sort of feels like she's hear."

"She can hear you..." Mr. Kenter whispered. "Morgan, keep screaming at her!"

"No, Dad, she's nuts, she can't hear me at all!" Morgan yelled, slamming her foot into the ground. Mrs. Kenter giggled.

"Oh how I remember she got so dramatically and stomped her foot. She and Linda did it all the time."

"Morgan, yell at her!" Jack prompted. "Let loose! Everything that ever bothered you about your mother! Start tearing into her!"

"No!" Mr. Kenter scolded, grabbing Jack but his sweatshirt. "Who do you think you are, telling Morgan to sass her mother?!"

"Oliver, I swear, normally I wouldn't-" But Morgan didn't seem to register whether or not she believed it would help. All she cared about was getting the opportunity to ream her mother without being talked back to.

"You have always been so ignorant! Love means nothing without action! It's nothing without cherishing someone or being there for them! And you never gave that to me!" Mrs. Kenter frowned.

"I never thought my mind would find such hurtful words..." she murmured.

"You know what else I hate?! How thin you've always been! Do you remember when I was young, before I lost all that weight, how you always chided me because you could never be happy with my shape! Guess what?! I was always happy! And it never hindered me from the things I love. But being so thin is what made you so judgmental. And how perfect you always were, or believed you were! You have always had this holier than thou attitude, I don't understand how Dad loved you in the first place."

"Okay, you can stop now," Jack said, looking cautiously and the glowering expression on Mr. Kenter's face. "There are some things you don't need to say."

"Oliver? I don't think my mind would come up with these things... Morgan had never said... some of these things..." Mrs. Kenter stared at the wall in bewilderment, eyes and mouth screwed up with perplexity. "This is... new. I almost think... I am actually hearing her..."

"This one time, you are allowed to insult your mother. JUST. THIS. ONCE," Mr. Kenter sneered at his daughter.

"The worst part of it all?! Despite all the horrible treatment you gave me, despite how little I knew you cared, I still wanted to please you! I still loved you! I still cared what you think! And you know what else?! I still do! I still want you at my wedding, I am still so desperate for you to see me, but you don't-"

"Morgan?!" Mrs. Kenter screamed in a panic. With a swiftness not even seen in her youth, she jolted towards the new Guardian and swung her up into a hug, pressing several thousand kisses across her face and smearing her complexion with the wetness in her eyes. Morgan gasped, trying to find some breathing room but her mother held her under suffocation. Mr. Kenter turned so no one would see him weep, although Jack went to him and patted him on his back gently.

"I thought I was going mad, but you're here and you're solid and you're in my living room, how are you alive, oh my darling girl, I am so sorry I never believed in you but I promise I will forever believe in you!"

"Mommy, I'm sorry I-"

"No, no, no! It needed saying! You were right, Morgs, your whole life and I was horrible parent and I am so sorry, but... I don't know why it took your death to know the stuff you said was all correct... well most of it, some stuff in history is a little too strange to actually believe but you're here how are you here?!"

"Mom..." she chuckled. "Would you believe... will you believe that what Dad said was correct? That spirits and everything... all exist?" Mrs. Kenter examined her face and when her eyes softened, much of the recent wrinkles fell away and she looked like the woman Morgan grew up knowing.

"Yes. I believe you. I believe _in_ you. And I will never stop. Is that what you are, then? A spirit?"

"Spirit of the Summer Moisture, I think," she said with more dignity than she believed in. Mrs. Kenter furrowed her brow, causing a giggle to rise from her daughter. "In due time, Mom. I will explain everything."

"What about Hamilton?"

"Well... til death do us part..."

"So you're not..."

"No. I can't. I'm not his anymore... it didn't work with Jack and... well... things _are _working with Jack. We're both spirits and-"

"Jack Frost!" she interrupted. "Oh, that's right my dear. He exists?"

' "Yes."

"I believe you then. Is he..." she spun, searching the room for him and found him, in the corner with her husband. In his frosted blue sweatshirt and his out of date brown trousers, he was comfortingly clutching the shoulders of the emotional man. He continued to pat him on the back and then found Mrs. Kenter's eyes, fixed on him. He waved casually.

"Hey, Christina..." he chuckled. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Oh my boy!" She ran to him and then gave him her bone crushing hug. He patted her back with the hopes of release but she seemed to only want to let him go in her time.

"Mom, I will go on and explain everything that happened..." Morgan continued as she saved Jack from certain death of suffocation. "But right now, I need you to know that Jack and I... we picked up where we left off."

"Oh, Jack, I am so sorry I didn't believe in you this whole time! You should have heard the way Morgan went on and on about you. It would have been precious, had I believed." He smiled with pride.

"You'll get to know him, mom. But... we're getting married. After so long it's finally... finally come and... we want you at the wedding."

"Why of course I would love to be there!" she said with bubbling spirit. The more she talked, the younger she seemed to grow, although her hair was still bright silver. Mrs. Kenter pulled Jack away from Morgan's arm and led him into the kitchen, giving him question after question.

"You realize your mother cares more about the romance part rather than the whole Guardian deal and the dangers of Pitch right?" Mr. Kenter muttered to Morgan as he swung his arm across her shoulders. She snickered and turned her bright eyes towards him.

"Some things, Dad, are just never going to change."

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**Daaawwww now her parents can see her! And before anyone asks, no I am not going to do a chapter on getting her other siblings see her. Her parents and Bradley were the extent of her family that Morgan really longed to see her. The others were minor characters and though they were close in the beginning, it's sort of symbolic of how some siblings just... drift away. Which is sad, but, it happens, especially when you grow up. Morgan has gotten everyone she really wanted to see her to believe in her and that's all that's going to happen. The next chapters I promise won't reveal more pain, i promise. We are reaching the story's conclusion (well this one) and it will be a good ending :) See ya later my rosettes!**


	147. Imagining the Truth of Him

**This chapter turned out so much better than I though it would! I love it, I really do!**

**Such a response to this story has given me the idea of a live Q and A. I'm not really sure when, but with this story coming to a close and people keep talking to me, with questions, comments, and things they're confused about. However, my schedule is so busy and I don't know how long it's going to go. Therefore, if you are interesting in participating, shoot me a message. In it, tell me what days work best for you, and what region you're in. I'll try to find a time that will work best for all schedule and time zones but I can't make any promises! D:**

**To the user called "myself" on guest who commented in German! Aww, danke! Ich habe ein bisschen Probleme verstehen gehabt, aber ich verstehe Sie! Ja, es ist so schwer mit zwei Job und Uni, aber es macht spass. Dank!**

**To RegulAdventurSon - I know, he should be arrested, but the incident with Sophie and Patrick is loosely based on my own real life experience - and there was no evidence and he went free. Of course he should be arrested, but it's not like anyone ever believes a young sixteen year old girl in this patriarchal society. Sorry, that's cynical, but I get a little bitter about it and it's not really something I want to talk about on here. I'm okay to talk about it, but message me, okay?**

**It is also a testament on the sad truth of those kind of relationships. Looking back, I might have handled it improperly, and as I said I am not a perfect writer and sometimes I make HUGE mistakes, but the truth is many of of them go... untaken care of. Often, those stories end on a happier note, and the guy/girl (but usually it is a guy, although I do want to note that I am aware and concerned about the guys who suffer domestic abuse too) gets his comeuppance in the end. And in this way, he kinda did, but nothing with the law or anything. If a girl is lucky enough to get out of that relationship, many times he doesn't get caught - either they don't believe her, or she is too afraid to run to the police, or he's afraid and runs off himself, or nobody wants to talk about it, or nobody just cares enough to do anything. That is really sad and honestly these guys... this story is rated T so I refrain from usually incredibly colorful language but just... goddamn it, it is so infuriating. **

**There are many stories of victory out there, but where are the stories that show much of the truth? I made it end on a happy note, but it is not really all that happy. He could have changed identities, he could be hurting some poor other girl, he could be off living happily his own way. And THAT is the truth of what happens in SO MANY real life scenarios. I ended it the way I did because of that, and perhaps the careless part of it, I ended it because the story would have taken an entirely different course if I keep going and not be what it is. Was it clumsy? Perhaps. I have my clumsy moments. And maybe it was a little too happy. But I am a fanfiction writer, not a professional writer. I admit I make mistakes and I use your feedback, such as you told me, to better myself as a writer for future stories. I don't have a copyeditor to go through my stuff. Just me. **

**That being said, it is my dream to write novels, but not just a novel. I have wanted to write novels that really speak of real struggles and really get into people's hearts and have messages that speak to them, inspire them, and help them to look at the world in a new world, while also reaching to pull them out of dangerous situations. And what I experienced is something I would like to put in a novel, because it is important to me no one go through what I went through. My situation was a little different so no one really saw, but it was just as traumatizing. And even then... I still will want to put this stuff into fanfiction, because these are characters people already adore and I can use that to draw them in in the hopes of really helping people. Not only that, books aren't cheap, but as long as you have the internet fanfiction is free, and I want to help everyone. Everyone.**

**That was a really lengthy response, but I hope it helped you to understand a little more. Now, this is a happy chapter so I hope everyone will think about what I said and then focus on the wonderful beauty I put into this chapter for you.**

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The stress the Guardians were feeling from having no luck in locating Pitch anywhere in the world was momentarily tamed that Winter Solstice when they took a breather to focus on the celebrations and matrimonial joy of Jack and Morgan. There had never once ever been anything like this in all of the Guardian world. Relationships certainly happened, but this was the first time a marriage was to place, and that made it all the more exciting. For many moments, people even seemed to forget all about Pitch at large in the world and splurged in their laughter and smiles. North acted as a personal escort for Morgan's family and Linda's family, using the sleigh and giving the children the time of their life by getting the chance to ride in Santa's sleigh just a few days before Christmas. Morgan's parents were there, and Bradley. Hamilton was invited and he brought with him Nathan and Elizabeth. Julius was even allowed to come along. Linda was of course there with her four children, having told her husband she was spending the day with a work friend. Many of the other spirits seen very little were also invited. Saint Lucy was there, and the Leprechaun, and the Groundhog, the elderly Father Time. The Lunar Lamas were also in attendance, and many of the Tooth Fairies were buzzing excitedly around Katherine the Storyteller and her friend Nightlight. The wizard Ombric greeted North like an old friend when he arrived with Katherine. Morgan had not been aware how great the universe around the Guardians was until that moment, but the news of the marriage between two Guardians was incredibly rare and everyone wanted to be there in attendance. Many of the Yetis helped usher people in and find seats before the altar that North had set up in his workshop. All projects to work on for Christmas had been postponed for that one day so the workshop could be turned into a sanctuary that Morgan could walk down.

"Maybe we should postpone the wedding," Morgan fretted, spinning and nearly tearing the train of her wedding gown out of Linda's hands. Toothiana scoffed at her constant worries. Her emotions had been out of control all day and it was beginning to drive all of them nuts.

"We've told you," Tooth said. "We'll be okay for one day."

"But the honeymoon! I mean, if Jack and I are gone-"

"We can handle Pitch for two weeks," Tooth told her, fixing the tiara that appeared to be a crown infused with frost and snowflake patterns onto her head. "You two enjoy yourselves. Besides, Pitch has been keeping a low profile for several months. We'll continue the search when you guys get back."

"You guys need this," said Linda, fluffing out the train again while keeping a suspicious eye on her friend. "How long have you guys been trying to get to each other, to hold onto each other and belong completely to each other? It's finally happening and it's long overdue. It's time, Morgan... okay Morgan, if you're all about truth and historical accuracy, then why in the world are you wearing white? Especially considering how often you and Jack have-"

"Enough!" Tooth shouted, slapping a delicate hand across Linda's knuckles. Morgan's dress almost seemed to stretch across various realms and fit every part of who she was and who she would be. It was an A line gown, simple white, and was strapless, but it was the gossamer layer pulled over it that created the dress. The top layer was almost robe-like, in that it was pulled over her shoulders and had long bell sleeves that fell to her wrists. Along the edge of the sleeves and the sides of the layer and the hem of the dress was a lace applique pattern, frost-like in it's design. It had an empire cart down the middle where the fabric split and to hold the hold dress together was a dark metal belt, it's jewels glistening under the reflection of light. On the back of it, there was a lace design very similar to a snowflake's image and a bow pulled it tight against her body. The dress was nearly angelic and preternatural in its nature. It was also antique in style, using vintage fabrics and old fashioned weaving. It also gave the appearance of royalty, and Morgan felt regal in wearing it. In her dress of white, she felt regal, she felt magical, she felt historic, and she felt like she was to belong to the man she spent so many years chasing after.

Tooth rested a necklace of alternating snowflakes embedded with diamonds around Morgan's neck. The bride placed two fingers on the drop of the jewelry and gazed at herself in the mirror. She had allowed Linda to have her fun in curling her hair, and her natural waves had made her hair so easy to curl. Hazelnut locks caressed down her back loosely and a small bit had been pulled up just below the back of the tiara. Linda fastened the chapel veil to the tiara and then Morgan took the matching snowflake chandelier earrings and fixated them to her earlobes.

"Can Guardians die?" Linda asked, and Tooth turned white at her question, a little disturbed by her odd question.

"Only in battle, or from wounds... why?"

"Oh good. Because Jack is going to have a heart attack when he sees her. Honestly, maybe we shouldn't have you wear this, because he might just tear it all off and-"

"LINDA!" Morgan yelled, but her anger quickly faded into giggling. Her friend smiled sheepishly. There was a heavy knock on the door and Linda scurried to peer through the small crack she created between the frame and the door.

"Oh good, it's just Hamilton. I was afraid it was Jack."

"You know that's not really true?" Morgan said.

"It doesn't matter! It's tradition, and you're all about history and it's traditions." Linda threw open the door and Hamilton stepped inside. He swallowed back his tears, gasping for air when the sight of Morgan in all of her diamond white splendor made him choke.

"Morgs... you look so... I remember when we got married and how breathless you made me. I can't say I'm not jealous of Jack. You look... just beautiful." Morgan flew to him and held him far longer than she should have dared. Hamilton realized it and broke them apart, but kept his fingers entwined with hers. "Oh Jack, you better treat her well!"

"He will," Morgan smiled.

"Good, because if he doesn't, I will take you back!"

"Find someone, Hamilton. Even if it's not for a few years, promise you'll find someone... someone good to our kids."

"Of course, Morgsies," he grinned, with proud sadness contorting it. "I'll see you out there."

"And Elizabeth and Nathan are ready?"

"Yes, they are."

"Good." Morgan leaned forward and brushed her scarlet lips to his cheekbone, a single tear leaking from the apex of her eye. He released her and walked out the door.

"Hamilton is like, the greatest ex ever," Linda commented.

"He's not my ex," Morgan said. "Ex gives the connotation that someone wanted to end it and that it ended horribly. Well, I guess dying in a fire is a horrible way to go, but neither one of us chose to end it. He is my late husband, my former husband. And that is how it is."

"Even so, to totally be okay with you marrying someone else while still being madly in love with you, I mean wow."

"That's what love is," Tooth explained. "Letting go is the strongest example of the deepest love." Morgan's heart clenched, knowing that much. She twirled around in her dress, trying to distract herself. Another knock, and Linda scurried to check on the new entry. She flung open the door and Mr. Kenter's eyes were glistening when he took sight of his daughter in her celestial light.

"Oh goodness... you are just... How are you my daughter? My daughter is a little girl who loves to play with dolls and pretend that Ken is Henry the VIII chopping off Anne Boleyn's head." Tooth grimaced but Linda guffawed and Morgan beamed.

"I'm ready, Daddy," she said.

"All right," he said, smearing away the moisture thickening his sight. She took his hand and was lead out of North's office. Elizabeth, in white gown covered with red and white roses and short poet sleeves bounced around in front of her mother, awing at how she looked. Nathan hugged his mom with one arm while holding the pillow with two rings on it delicately. Together, they rushed them in the direction of the hundred or so chairs and the wedding arch in front of the fireplace. Like in some sort of fairytale, six tooth fairies carried the train of Morgan's veil. Morgan waved to the Bennetts in their seats and Sophie's eyes bugged at how she looked. Linda walked in front of Morgan, waltzing her fifties rockabilly dress of red and white, arm looped with Bunny. Between them and Morgan and her father were Elizabeth and Nathan, proud to be apart of such an important even to both them and the Guardians. Elizabeth was uncoordinated in throwing the petals down the aisle and Morgan could not stop the pink glow that conquered her face. She tried so hard to keep her make up in tact, but she was pretty sure her mascara had already streaked her face with the amount of tears she was shedding. She had loved her mortal life, but she could not deny herself to think finally. After all this time, finally.

With all eyes of both mortals and immortals watching her with the most interest she could ever remember receiving in her whole life, her father marched her down the red path that had been laid down. Orpheus, the one who had been there for that date the tavern so long ago, was winking as he plucked the lyre and rang out heavenly melodies. She didn't know where to look. Everything around her was flowing together with such perfection. This was what she always wanted, exactly what she wanted. Then her eyes fell on Jack, standing in his black tailcoat with the blue waistcoat. No matter what he did, everything he wore was destined to be smeared with frost, but with the designs on Morgan's dress it worked well. Kissing her goodbye for the very last time, Mr. Kenter passed Morgan's hand to Jack's and then took his seat beside his wife and son, eyes blurred with moisture. The congregation sat and North stood before them, holding a book with a new passage he had drafted for the occasion.

"Friends, family!" he greeted joyously. "We are here to witness something very special, something not before seen in our world. We are surrounded by adults, children, mortals, immortals... dog." Julius barked. "This must mean something very special is to happen! A new world taking form! Which is very good, as the Nightmare King is tormenting the world in ways never before seen. So new world will help crush the Boogeyman! But for now, we witness the union of two Guardians. So much trouble, so much suffering, and so much strife have they had to get to this point. Today we cast aside all our worries for this one day to watch as Jack Frost and Morgan Barry decide to tie their lives together for all eternity." He flipped the page in his book and wet his lips.

"Do you, Jack Frost, promise to vow to watch over Morgan Barry, to guard her with your life, your hopes, your wishes, and your dreams? Do you promise to protect her and remain faithful to her, and remain not only a friend, a partner, a lover, and a husband, but also a Guardian to her and keep her safe forever in loyalty and love til the day we shall be no more?"

"I do," Jack said without hesitation and Morgan's heart flowered with pride and love for him in that moment. Despite all the beauty of the event, it was hard to focus on anything else around her. North turned to face Morgan, cheeks and nose glowing pink.

"Do you, Morgan Barry, promise to vow to watch over Jack Frost, to guard him with your life, your hopes, your wishes, and your dreams? Do you promise to protect him and remain faithful to him, and remain not only a friend, a partner, a lover, and a wife, but also a Guardian to him and keep him safe forever in loyalty and love til the day we shall be no more?" Morgan took a moment to look over at both her kids, seeking for the final approval, They nodded, ready to explode with excitement. One last look to Hamilton, and her parents gave her the okay and she grinned.

"I do," she finally said, Jack breathed happily and kept watch on her as North continued with the next part of the ceremony.

"Bunny," he said. The warrior rabbit rushed to rub away the drops of moisture that were beginning to form on the fur around his eyes. He adjusted the bow tie around his neck and puffed his chest with the most masculine of expressions possible. From the pocket on the inside of his dapper jacket, he produced two gold bands. He passed them to North who then shared the rings to the couple in front of him. Jack took the ring in his hand first and held it above Morgan's hand.

"With this ring, I thee wed, as a token of my love and affection, as the ultimate promise to remain by you forever more, to share my life with you, and cherish you, and forever believe in you," Jack told her, repeating North's words, his face glistening with more than just particles of frost. She took a split second to look at the shining gold nesting beside the engagement ring. The two rings, together, were now proof of her final union with the winter spirit and it took all the power within her to not jump at him in glee just at that moment.

"With this ring, I thee wed, as a token of my love and affection, as the ultimate promise to remain by you forever more, to share my life with you, and cherish you, and forever believe in you," she repeated, also slipping the small gold ring around his fingers. She giggled at the instant formation of the feathers of ice on the metal.

"Then, Jack Frost, Morgan Barry... I am proud to present you two for the first as husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!" Jack didn't waste any time. His hands were tight on her waist before North had finished his sentence and his kiss fit against her mouth as he clutched her tightly before the audience. They clapped excitedly as the two threw away all shyness and passion deepened their joy.

"Everything, I ever wanted," she whispered against the skin on his ear, the cold biting into her lips. "Everything I ever dreamed, all of the things I imagined. It's all come true. All my imaginations have become reality, have become true."

"Have you finally realized that imagination is not completely false?" he chuckled seductively to her. Morgan swept her hand across his face and smiled.

"More than that..." she laughed. "I never thought I had an imagination. I always thought I was fixated on what was true and knowing what was true. I believed it was nothing but coming up with lies for one reason or another. But it isn't. Imagination is an important part of childhood, it helps you to see the world and understand, just in ways adults don't understand." Jack tipped her back up and they proceeded down the hallway, unaware of the rapturous clapping and shouting around them. Their attention was solely on each other. "I always had an imagination. It is what made me see the truth. My imagination made me see you. And I used imagination to help save those kids. And everything I would dream about, everything I pictured even from the time I was young teenager going to sleep, thinking about a future with you and me. It's all come true, and it's because I believed in so hard in everything my imagination showed me. It's my center Jack. I am the Guardian of Imagination, the child's truth." He beamed at her revelation and kissed her again.

"That's so funny..." he chuckled.

"What is?"

"Even in my most active imagination I could never have come up with something as wonderful as you." Morgan laughed and then looked up, nose twitching to the sky. There was a bit of knowledge that she just seemed to suddenly know and believe in. She knew there was nothing else that would fit so well, and she nodded to herself, smiling. Jack cocked an eyebrow, noticing how she looked so cheerfully up at the sky, in the direction of the moon. "What is it?"

"Manny," she muttered.

"What is it?"

"Jack... you were Jackson Overland. Now you are Jack Frost."

"Well, I become a new person when I became a Guardian."

"Your name didn't change!"

"No," Morgan said softly. "And I still didn't change it even though I married you. It was predestined. My name was already hidden in who I became in my first marriage."

"What do you mean?" he wondered, as their guests began to stream out from the congregation area. Morgan's eyes twinkled under the dim light of the lanterns and she looked up in the direction.

"My initials, Jack. M. B."

"What does that have to do with it?" The people were getting closer so she dropped her voice so low only he could hear her.

"Make-believe..."

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**Once again guys, thanks for your continued support! it's hard to believe this story only have a few more chapters, but all good things must come to an end. See you in the next chapter, my lovelies!**


	148. Bad Reception

**Another chapter tonight! Don't forget to message me about the Q and A! This chapter sets up the premise of the sequel.**

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Swirling colors and flashing lights wrapped in the sparkle and glimmer of celebration illuminated the room in the upper half of the workshop. Somehow, North had cleared away all of the work tables to prepare for the reception. Music played of various types through speakers that some Yetis had wired to a music player they put together. Many of the elves had either taken up dance partners with each other, or some of the mini fairies who had chosen to attend the event instead of taking children's teeth. On elf had opted for a colored egg to dance with. Sophie and Jamie were performing a little jig together and Sandy was swinging Tooth around. Bunny had summoned up the courage to ask Mrs. Bennett for a dance, and soon the couples were joined by Bradley and Max, Mr. and Mrs. Kenter, Katherine and Nightlight, Lucy and the Leprechaun, and a mess of others who were just having fun.

"I'm stealing her!" Linda shouted as she zoomed in and ripped Morgan away from Jack. He threw up his hands in defeat and chuckled as he watched their dear friend pull his new wife away from him. "How do you feel now?"

"Just..." Morgan started, looking over to Jack and chuckled at him bowing low before Elizabeth and leading her to the dance floor where he had her step on his feet so he could move her around. "Perfect. I never believed in fairy tales or happily ever afters, but this... has got to be it."

"The heart of fairy tales is happiness and love. And if you have that, your story is real, and the fairy tale is true," she explained.

"I see," Morgan said, waltzing joyfully with her friend, appearing like the odd couple. "I see it now. That's my center, Linda. I am imagination. I am the truth of a child. I am Morgan Barry of Make-Believe."

"Is that what your name will be as you go down in history?" Linda said, and then her eyes brightened with her epiphany. "Morgan, you realize that you are a part of history now? Known through all the world. Some day, children all over the world will know your name, just as they learned to know Jack. You're going to go down in history. Never the way you thought, but surrounded by myth, magic, and fantasy. And we..." Linda slowed her enthusiasm, eyes glimmering with pained honesty. "We will fade."

"No," Morgan whispered, stroking her friend's face. "No, you're an important part of who I am. If my past is to become history, then you are going to be a part of it. The people who believe in us are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we ever hope to be. If the history books don't include Linda Lichter, well then, it's a good thing I'm invisible I guess."

"Oh boy," Linda groaned. "Aggression and invisibility? I really hope your story includes a warning to never piss you off."

"Ladies!" a silky voice greeted as the beautiful cherubic face popped up beside them. Cupid's waves fell seductively in front of his face, eyes dancing with mystical allure of the dim light in his ocean eyes. Linda beamed at his sight and her face shone with the pleasantries of seeing him there. "What a party you can throw! Morgan, that was an absolutely beautiful ceremony! Oh, I shed a tear. I was so touched by your words, and the meaning in Jack's heart. We really need to have more of these."

"Perhaps you should get married, Cupid," Morgan challenged and he furiously shook his head.

"Happened once. In Vegas. Never again. Not for me."

"Aww, Cupid, we would love to see you settle down!"

"I would too, but you know there are just so many delectable creatures! How could I ever possibly choose just one!?"

"Jack did it," Linda added in.

"Ah, but he's not the spirit of love is he? I literally have too much of it." Cupid's eyes wandered around the couples on the floor, moving in tune to the ecstatic rhythms. His lips curled with delight and they watched his eyes expand with keen interest. "Morgan, your brother has grown up so much! I think I should go say hi-"

"Stay away from him..." Morgan sighed.

"I'm just going to say hi!"

"For you that's enough," Linda huffed with a secret smile to herself, most likely some joke Morgan didn't understand.

"How about your husband?"

"He married me, Cupid. He's not into the male type."

"Just because he married you, doesn't mean he's not into the male type." He winked and made to take a step forward. Morgan sighed and clutched the collar of his suit, preventing him on moving onwards.

"I know Hamilton. Trust me. He's not into males," she spoke. His shoulders hunched, evidence of him giving in. Then he turned and his ears moved with the grin now plastered on his face.

"Do I at least get a dance with the bride?"

"I suppose that's permitted," she told him, placing in him complete trust. In a gentleman poke, Cupid placed his hands around her waist and flawlessly sashayed with her around the area, twirling her and being carefully not to pull her too close to him.

"Cupid..." growling a furious voice as an icy path formed from the stomping feet of the newly married boy. Jack scowled at the love spirit, arms crossed with displeasure. "What are you doing?!"

"Dancing!" he sang innocently, and continued on with Morgan as if nothing happened at all, humming along with the words of the song playing in the background. Morgan also ignored Jack's fury and laughed as she flipped back towards Cupid's chest.

"Dancing is never just dancing with you," Jack scoffed.

"Oh come on, I'm at a wedding! I'm not about to take the bride to the closet and have her right there. Especially not Morgan. I've already had her anyway and I must say you, Jackie, are one lucky man!" Morgan's cheek flourished before she quickly spun out and away from him, catching Jack's arm and pining for him. She looked up at Jack, watching his face change from mild annoyance to irritated disgust.

"Please get out."

"You invited me."

"Because I thought for this one day you wouldn't be you."

"Oh, fine! Jack, look, Morgan isn't going to do anything. Try as I might, if I was trying that is, I could not get her to submit to me," Cupid informed with heated frustration. "I told you before, I flirt and I compliment and I seduce, but I only ever do anything if I have complete consent. First of all, knowing Morgan as well as I do, and seeing you as a good friend, even if you don't see me that way, I would never even try touching her. I flirt and have fun because it's who I am, it's what I do. But even if I were to try, I couldn't do anything. I would never get her permission to do anything. Her radar blip is dark red and once it hits that point it cannot be changed or faltered or head in any direction towards another when they have made the decision to be faithful. She loves you. For real, you're her true love. You saw how easily she tore away from me. Any of the influence I had once over her is now gone because of how far she had fallen in love with you."

"How...?" Jack began to questioned, squinting at the love spirit like that would help him to read him better. "How long have you... has she...?"

"End of October was when I noticed it, but it might have happened just before that. Unsure. Usually I don't tell this things because it's just better to believe in the person, but you're so scared I'm going to try and get into her fabulous pants that I decided, what the hell?"

"Cupid, I could kiss you right now."

"You're certainly welcome to, I wouldn't complain in the slightest." Jack stole forward and gripped Cupid in a tight hug, both arms pulling him in.

"Jack, you didn't honestly think I would actually try to take advantage of Morgan, did you?" His voice was a little high-pitched, cast with a reflection of pained worry.

"Old habits die hard," he said.

"Well, yes, that's true, but I thought after I-"

"Cupid. I meant me," he clarified, and then shook his hand firmly. "Enjoy yourself, my friend." Linda sidled up to them, peering over Morgan's shoulder with round eyes, blinking her carefully made over eyelashes rapidly.

"So... Cupid..." she started slowly. "I'm kind of in need of a dance partner. Know anyone interesting?" Morgan slapped her face with exasperation at her friend's advances.

"My dear Linda, I happen to have thousands of years of experiencing dancing!" he chuckled and offered his hand to the woman before him. She rested her hand against his palm and her jerked her back, her choral giggling blooming ecstatic cheer.

"Linda, Linda, _you're_ married!" Morgan hissed as he whisked her away across the floor.

"But it's just dancing! Lighten up!"

"But dancing with him is never just..."

"Let him be," Jack laughed, sneaking up behind her and throwing his arms around her neck. "He respects us. I think I finally understand that, and he knows trying to woo or seduce Linda would displease us."

"Yes, but it's also Linda. With Cupid."

"God help us all." Morgan spun, her dress twirling behind her and billowing with dramatic flair. The whipping of her soft nutmeg hair, the shimmer across the liquid velvet in her brown eyes, the holy light on her face, and the scarlet seduction painted on her lips, caused Jack's heart to lurch with an intense desire and the buzzing reminder of how she looked so wonderful and she was going to be beside him forever, and he would be able to see that face forever, and feel that same thing forever. His mind was soaring, and his nerves were electric with the need to hold her and never let go, thanking her over and over again for being there.

"Come," she demanded, and led him towards the center just as the music slowed into something much mellower. Jack slipped his hands against her and they glided together with grace and elegance. Jack tipped her lips up and pecked them before she took his shoulder as a resting place for her head. The floor was cleared with other dancers and it left just the happy couple rotating and peering at each other with both belief and disbelief. The music slipped into something that sang of dreams and desires, fantasies and realities, needs and wants, of stories and adventure, of Peter Pan and the world of Neverland, of impossible love and true love, all finding its way to weave together and create possibilities. In this particular moment, the outside world was forgotten and nothing seemed it could go wrong.

She was stolen away and yells and cries sounded across the workshop when the shadow grew and restrained Morgan, tearing her away from her comfort of infatuation. Morgan's eyes snapped to the grey face and golden eyes sneering down at her. Jack swiped his staff from the wall and then interceded to shoot ice right at Pitch's chest. He flung Morgan towards him and he caught her, but she wrung her wrist, the bone twisted out of its place from where he had pulled her.

"I thought how suspicious it was that so many believers had gathered up here!" Pitch said in a bright voice. "But then, I look to see it's a wedding! Jack has control over Morgan's little heart!"

"I don't control anything about her! That's not what love is, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?!" Jack challenged.

"I don't have my Hosta..." Morgan whispered.

"It's okay, dear, I have my staff."

"This is so amusing... you can't see how much of traitor you've become, can you Morgan?! Do you really want to go down in history books as a fairytale?!"

"Yes!" she screamed. Pitch snarled. Elizabeth hopped over to her mother, confused by this bad man and what he was doing talking to her mother. Her small eyes blinked at the dark man and she began to whimper, cuddling close to Morgan.

"Mommy, I'm scared!"

"I know, sweetheart, but he's nothing but a big meanie who can't hurt you at all!" Morgan taunted, eyes squinting with determination. Pitch laughed, his maniacal tone unsettling and endearing all at once. Jack moved so he was positioned closer to Morgan to hide Elizabeth, his staff brandished towards the Nightmare King.

"You measly Guardians are so precious, trying so hard to catch me. I know the Man in the Moon thinks he's clever, choosing you to fight in this new war against me, but he is blind! I know how you act, and think, and feel, and this victory will go to me this time! He's trying to built up an army, even getting you to turn against me, and now marrying Jack, I can see you are never going to see it my way ever again. So, the adults of the world shall be mine, and soon their children will follow the example of their parents. The parents have lost that optimism in childhood so they won't be easier to make believe again! And you won't be able to stop me! Good day to you Morgan. I hope you are happy with your life, because your life as a Guardian and Jack's wife is going to be a short one!" In particles of black sand and dark shadow, he vaporized into the darkness that was stuck in corners and crevices, abandoning the reception hall.

"To the sleigh!" North demanded. "Bunny! I need you to help get these people to their homes! Sandy, make sure they can sleep tonight! Tooth, come with me and get your fairies to pan out and track Pitch's whereabouts!" The elves were scurrying about, the Yetis moaning and groaning, desperately to clean up the party and turn it back into a strategy planning grounds. The mortals were all in a panic, and any of the spirits and Guardians who tried to calm them down were getting nowhere. They were yelling and discussing amongst themselves what this meant and how they were to stop it. Bunny dropped them in holes in the ground to their proper homes, and Tooth helped load up the sleigh some. The spirits scattered about, looking for something to do.

"Mommy, what's happening?! Why did the Boogeyman talk to you?!" Nathan yelled through his onslaught of tears.

"Baby, we're going to fight him and he's not going to hurt us," she told him softly. "In the mean time, you can't be afraid of him, and he won't hurt you. You need to stay strong."

"Are you going to fight?" Elizabeth said, being held tightly against Jack's chest.

"No they are not!" North strongly put in.

"North-" Jack started.

"This is wedding day. You have honeymoon to go on," he told them plainly.

"But Pitch is back! And we can't-" Morgan tried to argue.

"It's as we said before," said Toothiana. "We just know he's in the area and we're going to keep a pattern of his movements and discover where he hits and what way. We can't do much fighting anyway! You two have waited too long for this! Go! We'll keep an eye on your kids, promise!"

"Tooth-" Jack began.

"No!" she yelled, wings buzzing with aggression. "I won't have it! Go, enjoy your time. When you get back, we'll exhaust you to death. Please, we'll be fine!" Morgan dropped to her knees to hug and kiss her children before Jack also told them goodbye. Thumping the ground, Bunny produced a tunnel just below them so they dropped down into it. Jack and Morgan held onto each other and rolled through the dirt, flowers, and moss that was so often in his tunnels. With dirt stains and the yellow of pollen, the couple landed on the floor of their bedroom in their house, dusting each other off after coughing.

"Come on, let's get out of these clothes and get out of here before we change or minds," Jack said, jerking open the drawers on the dresser and throwing an outfit at Morgan.

"They expect us to go off and have fun while they sit there and... deduce what Pitch is up to?!" she asked with enraged confusion. "How stupid does that seem?!"

"It isn't stupid," Jack explained, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt and stripping down. He walked forward and spun Morgan around, pulling on the ribbon in the back and undoing the buttons on the dress. "Pitch is tormenting the minds of adults, who do not have the innocence or the belief or the positivity most children do. This fight is going to be harder and longer, and we cannot tell when the end of it will be. If we can get a lock on Pitch, this could be... it could take years, and we don't know when the last time we will be able to just... celebrate us. We have this opportunity now, before his power goes to great. When we get back, they'll need us. But now... we need to distract ourselves with each other."

"I'm just so-"

"Don't say scared."

"It feels wrong to not help out our friends!" she almost wept, dropping the dress to the floor and slipping on the purple tunic Jack handed to her.

"I know... but quite frankly I'm a little crazy for you in this moment and if I don't-" Morgan crushed his lips with her impulsive jump Jack tangled himself against her, dropping her onto the bed and rising up to look at the terror masked in her eyes. He touched her trembling lips.

"What do you need right now?" he asked worriedly. "Please, Morgan tell me. I know this is a shock, but can I do for you? What do you need?"

"A Guardian," she hissed and clung tighter against him.

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**Guys... I think I'm... going to finish tomorrow. I mean this is really weird but... I'm sad to say it but. This story is going to be done tomorrow. I'll see you then. Til then, my darling rosettes.**


	149. On the Edge of the World

**Don't forget to message about the Q and A, guys! And here's a little bit of fluff, but also a little bit of discussion that leads into the plot of the next chapter. This chapter was hard to write, but I think it turned out pretty good.**

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Morgan traced the lines of the icicles that seemed to drip and flow over the shelves of glowing blue and silver ice. The castle was a natural formation, with Jack helping it along. In several areas, the uneven cylinders of ice had shot up and the edges had spilled over to cap off the towers and create mystical spikes composed of crystals. All around it was like that, the towers around the edges smaller and growing the closer it reach the center, and there were about thirty of forty of them. The inside of the small ice castle had been carved out to form a few rooms. Jack had presented it to Morgan, as a place for them to have their honeymoon after she asked they spend it in Antarctica. As a Guardian, Jack was confident that she would not freeze to death. Even so, Morgan could still feel the cold and complained a lot about it, so he formed the rooms in such curved dimensions that it would hold in heat for her. And even so, he supplied hundreds of blankets. He had created something similar to a kitchen, where cold food could be kept and a small hole above a fire pit would release smoke if Morgan wanted to cook something hot. Another room was filled with chairs, tables, and games that Jack and Morgan brought along. The last room was a bedroom, and all of the furniture in all the rooms had been made of ice and carved with careful concentration, but several pillows and blankets had been thrown over everything to make it more comfortable for Morgan. Even so, aside from the obvious events that occurred on a honeymoon, they did not intend to spend much time in the castle. Morgan had spent too long begging to see Antarctica and that was what they intended to do. Here on this continent, in the dead of winter, there was not a soul to be seen in the area and so they were completely alone. They would not be disturbing anyone, they could do whatever their hearts desired, and they didn't need to worry about causing too much trouble. Jack promised if there was anything Morgan needed or decided she wanted, he could fly to Punta Arenas in Chile or Ushuaia in Argentina, both on the very bottom of the tail of South America and be back in the same day.

"This is an active volcano?" Morgan said, standing near the edge of the crater opening on Ross Island. Shivering from the cold, she had her arms around Jack's waist as she looked down in the seemingly never ending tunnel. Yet, on her face, she could feel a warm draft floating up from the intense heat inside the volcano.

"Yep!" he chuckled. "But don't worry, it won't erupt while we're here."

"Have you ever seen it erupt?"

"I have. And when there isn't anyone in danger, it's actually a pretty cool thing to watch. Often, the only people in danger are a few penguins, but if I'm around I can usually swipe them out of the way."

"Maybe we can see it sometime," she suggested. He pulled his arms around her tighter, smirking down at her.

"We have eternity, love," he said, meeting her lips with his kiss. Morgan nuzzled her nose against the bone round his neck and. Jack picked up his staff and secured his hold around her as they took off and headed for the edge of the ice mass. Morgan laughed at the black and white bodies skipping across the water's surface and and scurried to the edge, pulling her thick coat tight around her body. Jack whistled and a couple of the comical birds changed direction and headed for them. Morgan clapped excitedly and held out her hand. Three waddled onto the top of the ice and bobbled towards her. She was patient and remained still, waiting for them to approach her. A penguin stopped right in front of her and she gently touched the white below it's chin. It's arched it's chubby neck and appeared to grin at her touched. Morgan awed at the adorably odd creature, and another one tottered to her, it's black flipper wings held out to its side. Jack leaned against his staff, looking between the wonderful animal and the enchanted glee of his wife. Her face was bright, backlit by her expression of joy. He watched them with the mark of love and intense devotion. Morgan greeted the new penguins that had come to her with enthusiastic hands fluffing their fur. They scurried away happily, chasing after the krill in the sea surrounding them. Morgan rose to her feet, nipping Jack's nose warmly. He held her fast and she tugged on the ties hanging from the hood on his sweatshirt.

"Every summer you saw this?" she giggled, looking back at the last of the waddling tuxedo birds. "I understand why you keep coming back."

"In the summer, I get to see the baby penguins," he commented, her eyes sparkling with his words. He took her hand, and pulled her along, jumping up into the drafts of the air. She galloped with him and they sailed over the water, some distance from the edge of the ice shelves. The surface of the water was thinner in it's icy patches and there were some that were simply breaking without any pressure on them. Jack dragged his staff along to thicken the ice and Morgan dropped down delicately, finding the surface sturdy and perfect for walking on. She followed Jack along, who even showed off some of the crystal patterns he could make on the ice. She laughed and jogged to keep up, stepping just as the ice formed. He flew back over to her and stopped her just where he finished thickening it. Before them, over the edge where the ice expanded into something thinner glowed bright green in the blue black of the water, shining under the thin ice. Morgan gasped and tilted forwards, Jack's grip on her firm lest she fall through. The green formed rails and windows and the rails turned sharply at the ship. What was down there was massive and it would easily have fit over a hundred people.

"A sunken ship!" Morgan said, wincing in the hopes of seeing the name on the side, but it was hard to make out. "But the people..."

"Evacuated safely. No one died. It sunk there, several years ago, when you very young, before I had the pleasure of meeting you. It's a piece of history now."

"It's so ghostly... I almost wish I was a mermaid, and I could swim down there."

"A mermaid?" he snickered. "Not a scuba diver? Aren't those a little more realistic?"

"Jamie seems to believe they're real. And Yetis and Elves are real, so why not mermaids?"

"You sure have come a long way from that little girl I knew. I would say you almost relish fairy tales now."

"Sure!" she laughed. "It's like a scavenger hunt. Find what the reality is in the fantasy. Sometimes though, the fantasy is more real than not."

"Oh?" She retreated back across the ice and took Jack into her arms, hands running up and down his back.

"Look at us. Love across realms, impossible love, flying, magic, spirits, battling the nightmares, true love, happily ever after, lands far away, a handsome prince and a lovely lady. We're are living a real fairy tale. Everything about it shouldn't exist. But yet it does."

"So Peter Pan..."

"I think might have been completely true. In some stories. For some people. It's perspective and experience just as much as it is documented fact. For me? Not a single thing in that story is fiction anymore. Except maybe the ending."

"But the part was omitted," Jack reminded, touching a finger to the tip of her nose. "Originally, after it had just been used, remember? There had been a different ending used, one much more cryptic and hard to really understand what happened. It was simply an alternate ending. Maybe, we're just the alternate ending. Maybe Peter and Wendy turned out all right." Morgan kissed him with fire on her lips and need in her fingers, tangling into the ice lined threads of his hair. Beyond them, on the line that lead out to the rest of the world, the yellows of the sunlight darkened to burnt orange and the cumulus clouds were shadow by the flaming red of sunset. She turned her head, cheek chilled as she pressed her face against Jack's own.

"It's so much warmer than I ever thought it would be," she whispered to him.

"Antarctica?" he questioned, a little unsure how she thought it could be warm.

"No," she laughed and kissed him again, refusing to elaborate.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tips of fingers tickling each other's palms as they tried to figure out whether or not they wanted to hold hands. Jack rolled over her, frost on her lips disappearing under her heat the minute he kissed her delicately. She laughed under him, shifting her body into the friction of his hands over her hips and stomach. His cold lips traced the path down to her neck and she squealed at the touch, at the tickle, at the icy nip, at the passion, an at the unexpected motion. He smirked as he looked down at her, brushing aside the hazelnuts waves out of her eyes. She looked up at him, the fiery blue around his pupils appearing to glow in the ambiance of the ice cave they had found themselves in spontaneously. Morgan's fingers wandered across his chest, sweatshirt discarded long ago. She pulled him back in for another kiss, shifting her legs and waist up against him.

"We are such terrible people," she commented with a chuckle. He parted his lips to show his teeth, matching the shade of the snow just beyond the opening of the cave they lay in.

"Why?" he wondered. "What did we do wrong?"

"We might have just completely contaminated some poor creatures nesting ground," sh joked.

"The cave is shallow, it only goes so far. We checked, there were no evidence of animals. It's New Year's Day, there is going to be absolutely no explorers or researchers down here and besides... we're invisible."

"Not to the penguins."

"The penguins are looking for krill!"

"Did you say it's New Year's _Day_?!" she gasped, pushing Jack up off her and scrambling to find her clothes.

"Yes...?"

"We've been here eleven days?!"

"You haven't been keeping track?"

"Someone has been keeping me otherwise distracted," she said with a sultry tone. He cocked his eyebrow with interest.

"We have three more days to be distracted..." he suggested, but she swatted his hand away . "Who knows what Pitch could have done in that time!?"

"Morgan, they said-"

"He was at our wedding!" she hissed, fingers fumbling with the hooks on her bra. Jack sighed and reached to help her out. "He threatened-"

"I was there," he remarked dully, pulling up her straps. "Love, the others told us they wanted us to enjoy this time. We don't when we'll next be able to really be alone like this again and it's important. We have three more days, please don't start worrying... Pitch's reign of terror will not have grown so great by now. Adults are stubborn and wouldn't have sunk so deep yet."

"You don't know Pitch like I..." she began, but decided it was best to keep from speaking.

"Are you okay?" he asked, touching her back before she slipped on her purple tunic. She peered over her shoulder and read through the concern on his brow that he wasn't talking about her worry about Pitch's terrors.

"I'm fine. I didn't even notice... the cold. My body was.. creating its own heat," she remarked, but Jack wasn't convinced.

"It's me, Morgan. In an ice cave," he told her genuinely. "And before, it was the middle of summer-"

"I'm not going to die from hypothermia," she sighed standing up and tossing over his pants to him. "I'm a Guardian, it's hard to get sick. Besides that Jack how many times have you and I... and never once-"

"But it never happened in _Antarctica_. In an _ice cave,"_ he enunciated. "At least at the ice castle, it was created to hold in heat.

"I _know_," Morgan mocked. "_I _was the one who begged that we do it here."

"Next time you're feeling hot and bothered, I'm making sure we're not in the middle of exploring something."

"I'm fine! Now you promised me a whale."

"If there is one!" he said, dancing to get his sweatshirt back over his head. Morgan guffawed and spun him around several times despite his shouts for her to stop. His head popped through and she stole a surprise kiss from him before skipping out of the cave entrance. Jack charged after her and scooped her up, swinging her around across the ice. The mirth faded from the glow of brown in her eyes and then she frowned, Jack's smile diminishing as she looked away from him.

"Do you think... we're going to be okay?"

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"I'm scared fear is going to conquer this world."

"Naaahhh," he retorted, smiling through his response.

"How can you just say that?" He dropped into a sitting positioned and motioned for her to join him. He pulled her closer and draped his arm across her shoulders, fidgeting with his staff playfully.

"There was a young girl once who, as a human, all she needed to do was scold Pitch and she fended him off. If she has that kind of power when she's young, mortal, and can do it simply by screaming at the Boogeyman, then, a bit older, a spirit, with friends, and some magic on her side, bringing him down it going to take a piece of cake. Fear doesn't stand a chance against Wonder, Hope, Memory, Dreams, and Fun... but in order for those all to come together and stand up, we're going to need some Imagination to make it all work and get kids to believe in them."

"But sometimes imagination makes way for things that scare you. It's the imagination that forms belief in the Boogeyman as well, to believe in him in the first place," Morgan argued.

"Then you're just going to need to help the kids imagine he can't touch them," he smiled and Morgan rested her head in his lap, tracing symbols and pictures into the snow. Jack stroked her hair as she shut her eyes, focusing on the feel of him playing through the strands of her hair. Rising up through the waters, too choppy to freeze over, a smooth, dull blue hump appeared and moved, rounding in the waters and ended with a fin flipping up into the sky. Morgan shot up and laughed at the sudden appearance of the whale before them, clamoring as close to the water as possible to watch the oversized tail fling around particles of water and then vanish back under the shifting waves. Morgan jumped up and down, excitedly slapping her hands together like a smile child. She ran back over to where Jack was and swung him around before hugging him tightly.

"You know what?" she said. "I think you might be right. With all of us, Pitch will not run this world."

"It's going to be hard work," he was sure to thrown in.

"Yes," she agreed quickly. "Believing in possibilities, including make believing them, can create realities, including defeating the Boogeyman. If you imagine you can do it and believe in it, he won't cause trouble."

"But first," Jack added, his arms circling around her. "It starts with believing in yourself."

* * *

**This hurts. But the next chapter is the last chapter of this story. Please stay tuned for the end. This is so weird, guys. So weird. But it's been a fun ride. See you in the next one. **


	150. Epilogue

**Okay. Here it is. Everything I have wanted to say to you is in the end. Thanks for the ride, guys. See you in the next one.**

* * *

North stared at the place where several blips had been once before. An entire section of Turkey had suddenly lost belief in the last few days. He squinted at the area on the globe and then watched another one drop off. He gasped and dropped the mug of milk in his hand, missing the small red capped elf that stole a cookie off the plate in his hand.

"Bunny! Sandy! Tooth!" The large grey rabbit hopped out of the corridor to the left and his ears twitched with curiosity.

"What's going on, North?" he wondered with concern.

"Several children just stopped believing in Turkey!"

"They stopped believing in a crazy bird?"

"No! The country! Look! Where lights were before no longer are there!" North punched the air in the direction of the globe where the lights had once been. Bunny's emerald eyes widened with understand. "I say it's family. Pitch has taken over a parent or two and now kids hopeless."

"Sounds like hope is a job for the Easter Bunny mate!" he said with pride, ripping out his boomerangs and swinging them. The plump golden man sped out of the other corner, waving his hands desperately. Above his head were the images of Jack, Morgan, a heart, a house, and an alarm clock ringing obnoxiously. Jack and Morgan were going to be back from their honeymoon any minute.

"Perfect timing!" North laughed, large belly rumbling with his enthusiasm. "Prepare the sleigh! We ride when they get home!"

"Wait! Wait! No, we can't!" called the frantic female voice of the fairy flying in from the doors to the shop above them. In her arms she carried a large bundle of cloth, Baby Tooth buzzing around it with concern. "No, not yet! I need to show them something!"

"Tooth? What is big deal?" North asked impatiently.

"Please, they're-" Tooth caught sight out the window of a couple, holding onto each other, swirling on the wind in the direction towards them. She gasped frightfully and then spun away, wings buzzing with her speed of flight. "I need to go speak to them!" She sailed off, leaving the other Guardians dumbfounded and dangerously in need to discover what she was going on about. North gestured to Bunny who swiftly made a tunnel all three of them dropped down into.

The emerald, aquamarine, and blue feathered fairy hovered on the doorstep clutching the wad cloth to her chest. Morgan pointed ahead at the greeting they were to received and Jack sped up, dragging her along behind him. As they reached the doorstep, a depression formed in the ground near the house and it opened up. Out of the darkened hole appeared the large, rotund Santa, and with him the warrior rabbit and the golden man of dreams. When all three had jumped out of, the whole closed up on the ground behind them.

"You guys didn't need to give us greeting party," Jack chuckled, but it was obvious he was a little touched by their waiting for him. He squeezed Morgan's hand.

"Have you lots of fun?" North wanted to know, and Morgan's only response was a blush. Bunny rolled his eyes when he noticed to color on his cheeks.

"Actually we did, thank you for asking," Jack said as innocently as possible. The lump of cloth in Tooth's hands shifted and she looked down at it worriedly. "What is that?"

"Well, it's..." she stuttered. "Something I thought... considering neither one of you... and Jack you said you would love... well, maybe you... a baby." She held out the bundle for them to see, moving aside the cloth a little more so they could look at the child's face. It whined and made a coughing sound before it rolled back to face Toothiana again. Morgan swallowed and pressed her hand to her heart.

"Why do you have a baby, Tooth?" Bunny wondered with concern thickening his voice. She rolled her fuchsia eyes.

"It... needs a home," she whispered, tracing her fingers down its round face. "I was doing my rounds and I saw it. Abandoned. A hopeless mother left it out in the cold and no one bothered to take a look and make sure it wasn't just a pile of clothes. I have no doubt the hopeless mother is one of Pitch's latest victims, but this child..."

"It can't be more than two days old," Morgan said.

"It's near hypothermia temperatures... I couldn't just... so I just..." she stammered, trying to put together a coherent sentence. "And on my way here I realized... no one probably knows this child's existence. There was no name or anything and it was just left there... to die."

"That's a little more than hopeless," Bunny scoffed with disgust. "Not even Pitch could create a person so horrible."

"I think he helped feed the motivation though. It's fear that drives mothers like that to do such... do something so terrible... On my way here I thought... this child. We can nurse it back to health, make it okay again, but then I remembered. Morgan, you had hypothermia. And after that you just seemed to be so... used to the cold."

"I still freeze but yeah, I'm a little more accustomed to it now," Morgan corrected, but did nod to her statement.

"No one knows who she is, where she came from, she has no name, she's two years old, with hypothermia, but it isn't bad yet. Once it's passed, Jack... you could touch her. You're a newly married couple, I'm sure, despite how much you love each other, it can get pretty lonely..."

"Tooth... what are you..." North carefully said, but his cheeks and nose were as red as his eyes were wide. His smile grew when he noticed the direction she was headed with her argument.

"She has no parents, and you can't have kids. Jack, more than anything you wanted... a family. Of your own." Tooth held out the child. Morgan's hands trembled as her fingers curled over the folds of cloth that encapsulated the newborn. She kept her close to her chest, rocking her soothingly. Jack peered over at her face. The child was sniffling and crying quietly. It's face was white from the cold, bruising around her lips from the effects of the cold. Slivers of blue eyes through her tired, fallen lids and chubby face, rounded with practically a ball for her chin. The child looked so distressed and tired, and too weak to make a big deal about it, but still managed a whimper and a weary cry.

"Thank you," Jack said quickly, spinning the Tooth Fairy into a grateful embrace. His nails dug into her back, the emotion of the situation taking control of him. "So much. Thank you." He turned back to stare on the baby, an infectious grin breaking in his face. "She's perfect."

"Opa!" North cheered. "You two, you are parents! Well, Morgan, you are mother again." She laughed. "Jack, you will make good dad."

"But what will we call her?" Morgan wondered, keeping her close to her body to formulate body heat and fight back the effects of the cold sickness.

"Wendy," Jack instantly, and the others all looked at him with bewilderment, but Morgan exchanged a knowingly look with him. There was no other possibility that fit her as well. Wendy was her name. Looking at her face, they just knew that was who she was.

"Wendy," Morgan laughed. "Child of J. and M. Barry. Child who is raised by fun and imagination, surrounded by hope, memory, wonder, and dreams, and living in a world that is impossible but still exists. Wendy Barry Overland Frost."

"I imagined having a family for so long," Jack whispered softly, daring to touch the chin of the child who was nuzzling into Morgan's neck. "And it seems... it's becoming real."

"There is reality," Morgan said to him. "In the imagination."

* * *

**This has been such a wonderful, painful, stressful, and fantastic journey. I would like to thank my fiance, who will never read this because he doesn't like ROTG (what the hell is wrong with him?) for putting up with me typing loudly in his ear over our calls and bouncing ideas off of him and moaning and complaining and expressing my frustrations. Thanks, love!**

**Thank you to you all who have stuck by me! For those who were there in the beginning, for those who came in the middle, and for those who came in the end! Thanks yo you all for your support! You really helped make this story keep on going at the rate it did. This story really helped me flesh out practice as a writer and it really gave me some experience in dabbling with major parts of literary devices. And your wonderful feedback just kept on encouraging me. To those who said I have a great story, to those who called me talented, to those who said I had the best ROTG... you have really given me hope and inspiration and I just love you all. To those who have said I am the best... I assure you, I am not, but it is a very touching thing to hear.**

**Writing this has given me so much. Experience, faith in myself, and it helped teach me things a long the way. It gave me a better insight, and it helped me think, especially from the questions I received from you all. My inbox is always going to be open so you can certainly keep asking more questions. It has given me some wonderful friends and new points of view. It's changed me, and there's so much more this story has done for me. I have made myself cry, I have made myself laugh, you have all made me cry, you have all made me laugh.**

**This story blew up into so much more than what is was to be, and I am thankful for that, but now it has come to its closed. This is my baby, and while it is nice to be free of it, it is also weird and heart wrenching. I have fallen in love with what I have written, and you helped me to see the gems within it. To my readers old and new, I thank you so much. It has been a wonderful adventure. Thank you all so much.**

**Don't forget to message me about the Q and A I am planning. And I assure you, I am not leaving FFN. I have plans for a sequel as I have said. I have plans for a Peter Pan fic. But first, I have a one shot coming up for ROTG, and then... I need a break.**

**Stick around for the sequel guys. I'll be here. Remember, there is reality in your imagination. Just believe in it.**

**Lots of love. Rosie.**


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